Numerous reports suggest that Apple is developing an 18.8-inch foldable device, potentially an iPad or MacBook. A recent leak indicates that there is a prototype featuring Face ID technology integrated beneath the screen.
While various supply-chain sources have pointed to evidence of a folding display measuring 18.8 inches, there are mixed opinions about whether this device will be categorized as an iPad Pro or a MacBook.
18.8-inch Foldable iPad or MacBook
Our roadmap for foldable notebooks now includes Apple. There appears to be an interest in a size around 20.x inches. This size could pioneer a new category for Apple, resulting in a truly dual-use device—a notebook with a full-sized keyboard when folded and usable as a monitor when opened with an external keyboard.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also identified a large folding display in Apple’s supply chain, estimating it to be 20.3 inches diagonally and suggesting it was intended for a MacBook.
Kuo later mentioned that Apple might be opting for a slightly smaller 18.8-inch display. This claim was subsequently supported by Young, who clarified the exact size to be 18.76 inches, rounded to 18.8 inches by Apple.
Fast forward a few months, and industry insider Jeff Pu weighed in with a third perspective, though it remained uncertain whether the focus was on an iPad or MacBook.
Prototype Features Embedded Face ID
Guoguo also has a Foldable iPad Pro, an engineering prototype featuring an 18.8-inch display, utilizing a metal superstructured lens that mainly incorporates Face ID Rx and Tx for under-screen 3D facial recognition.
Apple holds multiple patents for this type of technology and has reportedly addressed significant challenges linked to its implementation.
iPad Pro or MacBook?
- Creating a comfortable experience with a non-physical keyboard
- Emulating the tactile sensation of a physical keyboard
- Ensuring compatibility with touch-typing
