In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple’s new vision for the future of computing is a “giant, iPad-like foldable device.”
“Apple designers are developing something akin to a giant iPad that unfolds into the size of two iPad Pros side-by-side,” he writes. “The Cupertino, California-based company has been honing the product for a couple of years now and is aiming to bring something to market around 2028, I’m told.”
The goal is purportedly for a foldable device is to avoid the crease that current products have when they’re in the open position. And the company has made progress on this front: Prototypes of this new product within Apple’s industrial design group have a nearly invisible crease, Gurman writes.
“Right now, Apple’s largest iPad tops out at 13 inches. Apple knows that customers — gamers, software developers or just people watching movies — want the biggest screen possible,” he says. “And the only way to sensibly ship a mobile product with a large display (one approaching 20 inches or so) is to make it foldable. Otherwise, it’s too hard to throw into a purse or backpack.”
He adds that it’s not yet clear what operating system the Apple computer will run, Gurman thinks it will be iPadOS or a variant of it. He he doesn’t believe it will be a true iPad-Mac hybrid, but the device will have elements of both.
“By the time 2028 rolls around, iPadOS should be advanced enough to run macOS apps, but it also makes sense to support iPad accessories like the Apple Pencil,” he adds.
This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.
