Apple said to be prepping foldable iPad for release as soon as next year
Supply chain sources have told DigiTimes that Apple is working with suppliers to develop a foldable iPad with “small-scale production” that could begin “as early as the end of 2024.”
Apple patent application illustration (USPTO)
Hartley Charlton for MacRumors:
Apple has apparently been working on foldable products for four years and continuously made design changes in this time, planning to release a foldable iPad before working on a foldable iPhone. Apple chose to focus on the iPad because it makes up a comparatively small proportion of the company’s sales, meaning that potential issues are easier to manage and less impactful.
The company has reportedly not yet finalized the design of the foldable iPad. Initially, Apple’s product design team led the project but this role is now said to have shifted to the procurement department to bring down costs. Apple’s main objective at this stage is to achieve a more cost-effective design, motivating contentious changes to the device…
Apple is seemingly able to obtain sufficient supply of the device’s hinge, but is still seeking a design that is more cost-effective and easy to mass produce, which could require further simplification and reduction in the number of parts.
MacDailyNews Take: You know what would make for a good hinge? Liquidmetal.
Foldable displays make far more sense for tablets than for smartphones. – MacDailyNews, January 30, 2023
“Too thick when folded” is why it makes perfect sense for Apple to do a foldable display first with iPad, a device that is not carried in pockets and where thickness when folded is therefore not an issue. – MacDailyNews, February 17, 2020
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