A report from Display Supply Chain Consultants claims that Apple has shelved plans for a foldable iPhone until 2025. However, the company remains interested in exploring the possibility of foldable laptops.
Based on inputs from supply chain sources, the firm’s analyst Ross Young claims that Apple has delayed plans for a foldable iPhone until 2025, which is two years more than the last-reported timeline of a 2023 launch. The analyst notes that Apple doesn’t “appear to be in a hurry” to enter the foldable smartphone market.”
The report adds that Apple is said to be in talks with suppliers for a foldable notebook computer of some kind. The product category is years away from becoming mainstream, but the Cupertino company has reportedly set its eyes on a foldable notebook with a 20-inch display. According to Young, building a foldable notebook could create a new product category for Apple and become an authentic dual-use product in the company’s lineup. He suggests the device could be used as “a notebook with a full-size keyboard when folded and for use as a monitor when not folded and used with an external keyboard.”
Young believes the foldable full-touchscreen notebook would have a 4K display resolution or higher. However, according to the analyst, the launch timeframe is in 2025 or even later. The development of such a product would be “good news” for the foldable display segment as a whole, he adds.
To recall, this isn’t the first all-screen foldable notebook concept we have heard of. Samsung showcased a similar product at CES 2020. Dubbed the Flex Note, the concept showcased a foldable display housed in a notebook-style form factor, completely eliminating the keyboard and trackpad. Samsung hasn’t launched such a product yet. Do you think Apple will launch a foldable iPhone or a foldable all-screen notebook in the years to come? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
[Via DSCC]