Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports on Twitter that Apple will launch a “completely redesigned foldable iPad” with “a carbon fiber stand” next year. According to his supply chain sources, Kuo says he is “positive” about the next-gen tablet launch, a rare proclamation from the analyst who usually errs on the side of caution.
Kuo gives few details about the new device, but there are already rumors that Apple is working on an iPad larger than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, possibly as large as 16 inches. It’s not clear how Apple would market the device or how small it would be when folded.
Despite there being numerous foldable phones in the market from Samsung, Motorola and Oppo, Apple has yet to launch a foldable device and there are few rumors that one is imminent. Despite Samsung shipping nearly 10 million foldable phones by 2022, the market still accounts for a small portion of phone sales.
A carbon fiber kickstand would be “lighter and more durable,” according to Kuo. It’s not clear if he’s referring to a feature of the iPad itself or an accessory, as Apple has never made a device with a built-in kickstand, though cases like the recently released Magic Keyboard Folio do include kickstands.
Little else is known about the foldable iPad, including whether it has an outer screen to use when folded, like the Galaxy Z Fold, or how it closes without leaving a gap. Samsung’s foldable devices all have a small U-shaped opening when closed because of the hinge, a design choice Apple is unlikely to use. A recent patent (translation) shows Samsung developing a “waterdrop-type hinge” that allows the case to fold flat, but it has yet to make its way into a shipping product.
According to Kuo, the foldable iPad will follow an unprecedented pause in releases that could last more than a year without a new iPad. Apple released the M2 iPad Pro and 10th generation iPad in October, but Kuo doesn’t expect any new models in the next 9-12 months. He expects the iPad mini, which was last updated with a completely new design in September 2021 and will likely bring little more than a new processor, “to begin mass production in 1Q24.”
