If Apple Keeps Making iPads Bigger… They Need To Fold in Half
There’s no other way.
According to a questionable Digitimes report via MacRumors, Apple might add a 12.9-inch iPad Air to its extremely bloated tablet lineup. Such an iPad Air would be the same size as a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, likely without any “pro” features like Mini-LED or 120Hz ProMotion.
Maybe the data shows people want a more affordable 12.9-inch iPad. But a larger iPad got me thinking... if iPads are going to keep getting larger, Apple should do the obvious: make them fold in half. Hear me out.
If you’re anything like me, you probably feel that a 13-inch tablet is ridiculous; anything beyond 11 inches is excessive, really. Sure, you get a really large screen to play Candy Crush on or watch Netflix, but you lose all portability.
A large iPad with a screen that bends in half would have no such tradeoff and even add laptop-like functionality.
Foldable Laptops Are Here
We’ve come a long way since the 9.7-inch display on the first-generation iPad. For over 13 years Apple has been steadily increasing the size of its iPads to where we’ve now got the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. If Apple wants to go even bigger, a foldable display might be a must.
Just look at the PC world. The HP Spectre Fold and the LG Gram Fold are both 17-inch tablet PCs running Windows. But their foldable displays allow them to bend in half and become 13-inch laptops. The foldable design even allows for other modes. For example, you could use the whole screen with a wireless keyboard and mouse or hold it like a book.
There are for sure kinks and concerns (like durability) that need to be ironed out, but if there’s any company with the resources to figure things out and then manufacture a foldable tablet at scale, it’s Apple.
We’re reaching a point where iPads are getting too big for their own good. It’s time for change. A foldable iPad would take up less space when closed up while adding a ton of functionality when opened.
Apple already has some examples to reference, like the HP Spectre Fold.
NOW OR NEVER
According to that Digitimes report, Apple could start mass production of a foldable iPad as early as the second half of 2024, which seems like a very optimistic timeline. Other companies like HP, LG, and Asus have already launched their own foldable laptop PCs. I think Apple should firmly plant its flag to gain some early traction in a very new market segment.
An iPad that folds would come with some caveats. Existing foldable laptops are expensive and an Apple-branded version would easily cost more than its already pricey iPads. If the rumors are true, we’re likely to hear more about a foldable iPad next year. In the meantime, we might just have to settle for a 12.9-inch iPad Air — assuming that rumor also comes true.
