Speculating on the adoption of foldable design, analyst firm CCS Insight believes that Apple will launch a foldable iPad in 2024 before it introduces a foldable iPhone. The prediction was part of the firm’s annual forecast report on future products and trends.
In the past two years, several sources have reported that Apple was developing a foldable iPhone. Tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the tech giant was “actively” testing a 9-inch foldable iPhone with an OLED display to be launched before 2025.
Apple’s experiment with foldable screens will begin with the iPad to wrinkle out cost and other issues
Apple’s rival Samsung introduced its first foldable smartphone “Galaxy Fold” in 2019 and since then it has been mocking the iPhone maker for offering the same design.
In spite of the criticism, CCS Insight believes that it makes more sense for the Cupertino tech giant to first launch a foldable iPad instead of a foldable iPhone so that it can learn to handle pricing and other issues related implement and scale of foldable screen technology.
Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight told CNBC:
“A folding iPhone will be super high risk for Apple. Firstly, it would have to be incredibly expensive in order to not cannibalize the existing iPhones.
Wood also said that if Apple had any technical issues with the foldable phone, then it would be a “feeding frenzy” with critics attacking Apple for the problems.
Wood acknowledged that the tech giant has no other option than to give into the trend toward foldable devices and it will begin with the adoption of foldable screen tech in iPad. He speculates that a new design would “breathe new life into the iPad range”.
Previously, analyst Ross Young said that the Cupertino tech company had delayed the launch of its foldable iPhone until 2025 and was exploring a larger 20-inch all-screen foldable MacBook. Corroborating Young’s report, Mark Gurman said that the company’s rumored 20-inch foldable device could be a MacBook/iPad hybrid.
