Current rumors suggest that Apple will launch its first foldable device in 2025 in the form of a MacBook Fold or iPad Fold. So far, the details are few and far between. Thankfully, developments in the patent department keep us in the loop and suggest that behind the curtain Cupertino is continuing to work on its possible foldable laptop.
- Apple’s first foldable device could be a MacBook-iPad hybrid.
- It is now described that the device will take the form of a “laptop”.
- It features a flexible inner and outer screen.
- It is rumored to be on the market in 2025.
Apple MacBook Fold oder Apple iPad Fold?
The US Patent and Trademark Office has recently published an application filed by Apple, as discovered by “Patently Apple”. While the entry doesn’t reveal anything groundbreaking, it does reveal the shape and folding mechanism of the company’s foldable device, which is primarily described as a laptop.
Apple MacBook-iPad hybrid: foldable and dual-screen
It also explains that this computer will have an inner flexible display of unknown diagonal, stretching from top to bottom. These two halves of this mega foldable are then connected with a hinge in the middle. There’s also mention of an external display that only features a single touch panel, unlike the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold we reviewed or the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold (for hands-on).
On top of that, the patent mentions a touch sensor that records the touch input on the lower part of the foldable instead of using its own mechanical keyboard. It says that the touch sensor will also be used on the outer screen.
The recent filing is one of the patents related to this foldable device. Unfortunately, it says nothing about the exact timing or the name of the device, i.e. whether it will be called the MacBook Fold or something similar. But according to Bloomberg editor Mark Gurman, the foldable device could appear as early as 2025, before it’s joined by an Apple iPhone or iPad Fold.
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