I recently came across this post from AppleHub on X, formerly known as Twitter, which showed off a render of an iPad beginning to fold in half. At first glance, it looked great. Who wouldn’t want their iPad Pro to fold in half, right? But then, as I started to think about how I use my iPad, I began to wonder if I would actually like that – would you?
Apple and foldable
As of now, Apple has been reluctant to get into the foldable game. Apple seems to take the ‘wait & see’ approach, letting other brands battle it out with new cutting-edge form factors. It sees how the market reacts, and then, once the technology has gotten to a point where Apple thinks it can innovate, it pounces into that market. There has been a recent report that Apple is actually on pace to announce its first foldable device in late 2024, but it will be an iPad and not an iPhone.
As an iPad-first user and enthusiast, I really began to think about my iPad and how I would feel if it folded in half. I have a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, so if I folded it in half, I would get roughly an 8-inch outer display. What would I do with that display that I couldn’t already accomplish with my iPhone 15 Pro Max? I could use it to read books or scroll through some websites. But again, my iPhone already serves that purpose, and my 12.9-inch iPad Pro serves more as a computer when it comes to my personal workflow.
Folding iPhone or iPad?
I actually would first want to see Apple give us an iPhone that unfolds into a smaller iPad-type experience. That way, I can use my iPhone as intended and then open it to consume some content when I don’t want to bring my iPad. Then, I’d have the iPad Pro still be my workhorse computer. In theory, having a 12.9-inch iPad Pro that folds in half sounds great, but what would the advantage be? It will still be too big for a pocket or small purse, so you might as well leave that form factor alone. And I haven’t even begun to consider how a soft folding display could negatively impact the Apple Pencil experience on an iPad. There’s also the OS situation. What OS would an iPhone that unfolds into an iPad run? A mixture of iOS and iPadOS? These are all questions that Apple would need to answer.
Final Thoughts
I would say that Apple is still at least a year away from giving us any form of folding tech, whether it be with the iPad or iPhone. I don’t think Apple sees the appeal or the need to get into that space for now. Personally, I would love to see it happen just to see what Apple’s take on a folding device would be.
What do you think? Is a folding iPad or folding iPhone a better idea? Should Apple get into the folding tech game? Let’s discuss this in the comments!
