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Apple reportedly releasing foldable iPad in 2028, potentially running macOS apps

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is aiming to release its first foldable in 2028. Gurman describes it as “something akin to a giant iPad that unfolds into the size of two iPad Pros side-by-side.”

Rumors about an Apple foldable have been off and on for years, but according to Bloomberg, Apple is finally zoning in on one product, one that’ll release in a few years.

The report also states that Apple wants to avoid creases on its devices, and that’s been a large focus during development. The crease is nearly invisible currently, but Apple has yet to eliminate it entirely:

Prototypes of this new product within Apple’s industrial design group have a nearly invisible crease. But it’s too early to tell if Apple will can get rid of it altogether. Samsung Electronics Co., which launched its first foldable phone five years ago, has tried unsuccessfully to remove the crease.

When unfolded, this display will apparently be around 20 inches or so. Gurman describes it as a “single, uninterrupted piece of glass.” It’s also described as a “higher-end device.”

Apple appears to be focusing its foldable strategy on creating much larger screens that fit in your backpack, rather than offering a suboptimal tablet experience for your pocket.

When addressing the operating system, Gurman suggests that the product will likely run a version of iPadOS. However, there’s one interesting detail here:

I don’t believe it will be a true iPad-Mac hybrid, but the device will have elements of both. By the time 2028 rolls around, iPadOS should be advanced enough to run macOS apps …

It’s unclear whether or not this is just speculation from Gurman, but the possibility of running Mac apps on this foldable iPad (and potentially other iPads as well) is quite exciting!

As for foldable iPhones, the company is exploring the idea, though we might not see it until 2026 at the absolute earliest.


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Avatar for Michael Burkhardt Michael Burkhardt

Michael is 9to5Mac’s Weekend Editor, keeping up with all of the latest Apple news on Saturday and Sunday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and has published numerous apps over the years.

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