Apple has been granted a patent for “ Foldable Electronic Devices With Object Detection Sensors” that hints at features for the rumored foldable iPhone, perhaps a foldable iPad, and even a foldable Mac.
About the patent
In the patent Apple notes that electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones may be provided with the ability to fold to enhance portability. A foldable device may be placed in an unfolded configuration to expand the size of the device and thereby facilitate user interaction with the device. When it is desired to enhance portability, the foldable device may be placed in a folded configuration.
Per Apple’s patent, a display in a foldable device is sometimes provided with a thin cover layer to protect the display while also permitting the display to bend as the device is folded. However, if care isn’t taken, damage can be caused to the cover layer or underlying display layers if the device is folded while an object is on the display. Apple’s patent involves ways to overcome this with any foldable devices it releases.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “An electronic device may include a foldable housing having first and second housing portions coupled by a hinge. A flexible display may overlap the hinge and may have first and second display regions respectively overlapping the first and second housing portions. An object detection sensor may be configured to detect objects on the display that might cause damage to the display if the device is folded closed while the object is present. The object detection sensor may include an image sensor, a capacitive sensor, a strain gauge, and/or other suitable sensors. In response to detecting an object on the display with the object detection sensor, movement of the first housing portion relative to the second housing portion may be restricted, an alert may be issued, air may be blown across the display, and/or other actions may be taken.”
About the iPhone Fold
According to The Information, the outer display on the book-style “iPhone Fold” will have a 5.3-inch cover display and a 7.7-inch main display.
The iPhone Fold will almost certainly arrive in the last half of 2028, probably with a price tag of around US$2,400. Here are some other rumors about the first foldable iPhone:
° There are still some technical difficulties to be solved regarding the crease in the foldable display.
° It may be in short supply at launch due to production challenges.
° It will be a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display.
° The design will prioritize thinness, so there will be a side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but no Face ID or an under-display fingerprint sensor.
° Apple is placing great emphasis on hinger durability and crease reduction.
° The foldable iPhone will pack a a dual 48-megapixel rear camera system described as having a “large base.”
° It may have the biggest-ever battery in an iPhone.
° The rear camera will feature a dual-lens setup, with one front-facing camera available in both folded and unfolded states.
° It will measure 9–9.5mm thick when folded and 4.5–4.8mm when unfolded.
° The hinge will combine stainless steel and titanium alloy, while the casing opts for titanium alloy.
° It will use the same high-density battery cells as the ultra-thin iPhone 17.
About the ‘iPad Fold’
A foldable iPad had been rumored for 2027. Then 2028. Now Bloomberg claims it won’t arrive until 2029.
If the report is right, you better start saving your money to buy it now. Bloomberg says it will cost around US$3,000.
The article says Apple is working with Samsung Display to on an 18-inch display panel that has little to no chance of creases developing in the middle of the screen. However, sources told Bloomberg that the large screen has become a complex and expensive problem to solve.
About a foldable Mac
Apple is preparing a series of foldable products including a 19-inch Mac laptop and a foldable iPhone, according to The Wall Street Journal in a December 15, 2024 article
The article claimed the laptop will essentially be the largest-ever MacBook with a foldable 19-inch screen, while the other is a foldable iPhone that would unfold to have an inwards-facing display that’s larger than the one on the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max. The WSJ claimed the iPhone will arrive in 2026 or 2027 with the Mac laptop coming later than that.
Rumors of a “MacBook Fold” go back at least three years. In February 2022 analyst Ross Young said Apple was considering a 20-inch foldable MacBook. He said a foldable laptop could form a new product category. If it arrives, it could be a dual-use product: able to work as a notebook with a full-size on-screen keyboard when folded and as a monitor when unfolded and used with an external keyboard. The foldable could also allow for 4K resolutions or higher at the size Apple is investigating, Young added.
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