While most smartphone manufacturers have started to pursue foldable smartphone options or already have at least one in their portfolio, Apple seems to be treading a completely different path. For according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young, Apple won’t have a foldable iPhone ready for launch until at least 2025. Rather, the company seems more interested in launching a foldable MacBook instead.
This makes for an interesting scenario considering that there were rumors earlier of Apple working on a foldable iPhone device. In fact, some even claimed the Cupertino giant was in a fairly advanced stage with its foldable iPhone device so that a launch around 2023 or the latest by 2024 was being considered quite feasible. However, the latest report from DSCC has put paid to such hopes so that a foldable iPhone does not seem feasible before 2025.
This might also make things uncomfortable for the iPhone as rivals such as Samsung is already into three generations with their foldable phone offerings. By the time Apple is ready to offer its first-gen foldable smartphone, Samsung would already have a wider lead in the segment that could be hard for the iPhone maker to make up, unless its iPhone turns out to be really special three or four years down the line.
As for the foldable MacBook that Apple is devoting all its attention to at the moment, it is turning out to be an exciting device what with the all-screen design it is expected to come with. Sources also mentioned Apple is already in talks with several display manufacturers to supply it with a 20-inch foldable display for fitment onto the upcoming MacBook device.
That said, even a foldable MacBook device with all the resources the company is able to put into it still isn’t expected to be ready for launch before 2026 though a launch around 2027 would be a more reasonable target. Further, such a device will no doubt be unique and would easily be the most high-profile foldable device the tech world has ever seen. Lenovo did offer such a device in the past though it feature two separate displays instead of a single continuous display that folded in the middle. That however never became mainstream and has since drifted into oblivion.
Apple, in the meantime, has an interesting mix of devices set for launch in the foreseeable future. These include the new third-generation iPhone SE, a new iPad Air along with new 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro and Mac Mini devices. Apart from these, other devices forthcoming from Apple include a Mac Mini powered by an M1 chip, a bigger iMac Pro featuring M1 Pro and M1 Max chip versions, and a Mac Pro having Apple Silicon at its core. Besides, a 24-inch iMac and a new MacBook Air powered by the M2 Chips are also in the wings. Not to mention, there is also the iPhone 14 series due out during the fall season.
