Apple's 18.8-inch foldable is reportedly still on track for a 2027 launch
and I hope it's a MacBook rather than an iPad

Date:
Thu, 22 May 2025 14:44:48 +0000

Description:
Is Apple working on the long-rumored MacBook with a folding screen? New
rumors suggest so and hopefully it wont be long before we find out for sure.

FULL STORY ======================================================================A well-known leaker has said Apples 18.8-inch foldable is still inbound
possibly as early as 2027 Amazon also has a similar large foldable in the pipeline, though With Huawei recently airing a foldable laptop, Apple may
feel its falling behind rivals and we still dont even know the exact nature of its device

Apples rumored big foldable device which might be a MacBook thats
all-screen and no physical keyboard, or a huge iPad tablet has popped up on the grapevine once again with a claim that it could be here in 2027. However, Amazon might beat Apple to the shelves here, were told.

As Wccftech noticed , renowned Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X to let
us know that Apples 18.8-inch foldable is still set to go into mass
production in either late 2027 or 2028 (a timeframe hes previously mentioned, and Ill return to that point later). Apple's competitors in the large-sized foldable device market may not be limited to Huawei. My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not
yet officially kicked off. If development progresses as planned, it is projected to enter May 20, 2025

This comment came after Huawei revealed its MateBook Fold laptop at Computex 2025 earlier this week, which is an 18-inch device, so very similar in size
to Apples theoretical product here. (I should note that both this and the rumored Apple foldable are 18 to 19-inches when fully unfolded, so thats the total size of the device).

Kuo further observed that Amazon is developing a similar product which has
yet to be made official, but it could be due to hit the production lines in late 2026, or perhaps 2027 (add plenty of seasoning with all of this). Analysis: Falling behind rivals? (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The hint being dropped here, then, is that Apple is falling behind the pacemakers in the giant foldable device arena, with Amazons timetable apparently being a year in advance of Apples. Although that said, for something which isnt even officially underway yet, the Amazon device debuting at the close of next year seems like a pretty fast track through development.

The key question, of course, is will Apple be producing an 18.8-inch foldable MacBook or iPad ? (Incidentally, if a foldable laptop seems like an odd term and it is, given that all notebooks fold up it refers to a folding screen, rather than chassis. This is a notebook that doesnt have a keyboard, and instead uses a virtual keyboard displayed on one half of the screen).

This is where things get a bit odd as rumors have suggested Apples foldable device could be either a laptop or tablet. Kuo comparing it to Amazons foldable which is surely a Fire tablet would seem to suggest its a huge iPad. But then a direct comparison is also made to Huaweis foldable laptop. Furthermore, the leaker notably uses the neutral term device rather than any hint of mentioning a laptop or tablet.

What that suggests to me is that Apple is working through concepts on both sides of the fence, tablet and laptop, and still hasnt made the decision of which OS to go with, macOS or iPadOS, and whatll be more useful: a MacBook with a folding screen (and virtual keyboard), or an iPad that can fold out to be a giant display.

Personally I think the MacBook idea is the frontrunner (and rumors about
Apple working on a notebook with a virtual keyboard have been around for ages). Although more innovative and attention-grabbing, that is the riskier move, admittedly, in terms of getting Mac fans to accept the ditching of a physical keyboard in favor of a screen-based effort. Itd have to be a very good virtual keyboard, thats for sure. A big iPad would be a safer avenue to tread when you look at these ideas in that light.

Whats also interesting is that Kuo hasnt changed the release timeframe for this 18.8-inch foldable since talking about it in mid-2024 , which could be read as Apple being on track with its development schedule here. Or Kuo
simply hasnt heard anything else, especially regarding that decision on whether to make the hardware a laptop or tablet.

All in all, thats a bit of a worry, but if this large foldable device really is coming from Apple, we should receive some firmer hints soon enough. And
its certainly true that plans from rival laptop (or tablet) makers will help spur Apples thought processes and the realization of this product, or Id imagine so, anyway. You might also like MacBooks are now legitimate gaming machines and the future looks promising Ive been reviewing Dell laptops for years, and I'm still shocked at how much I like the Dell 14 Plus Cant upgrade to Windows 11? This Linux project wants to save your old PC from the
scrapheap when Windows 10 support ends



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/macs/apples-18-8-inch-foldable-is-reported ly-still-on-track-for-a-2027-launch-and-i-hope-its-a-macbook-rather-than-an-ip ad


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