There has been a growing number of reports and rumours that Apple is working on foldable screen devices. Most have related to phones, similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, but there has been a growth in reports that Apple is planning to focus on a MacBook Pro with a foldable display. We investigate.

It Started Back In 2022

In 2022, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young revealed that Apple had delayed its foldable iPhone until 2025 but was investigating the idea of ‘foldable notebooks’.

Based on conversations with supply chain sources, Ross said that Apple was investigating the idea of a foldable notebook of some sort, with the company reportedly in discussions with suppliers showing its interest in a 20-inch foldable of some sort back in 2022.

“On the other hand, we are now showing Apple in our roadmap for foldable notebooks. We hear there is interest at the largest size yet, around 20.x”. This size could create a new category for Apple and would result in a true dual use product, a notebook with a full-size keyboard when folded and for use as a monitor when not folded and used with an external keyboard. It may also allow for UHD/4K resolution or even higher at that size. The time frame is likely later than 2025 though, it could be 2026 or 2027.”

In the same year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman corroborated Young’s report and said Apple was interested in launching a foldable device with a 20-inch display. He wrote…

“The company could go with a foldable 20-inch screen attached to a physical keyboard or just have one side of the display serving as a virtual keyboard. I’m told Apple has indeed been exploring a dual-screen, foldable MacBook/iPad hybrid that would take the second approach. It would trade in the physical keyboard and trackpad for a fully touch-screen base.”

Again in 2022, a report from supply chain analysts at The Elec suggested that Apple would produce a foldable with a MacBook Pro with a 20.25-inch display that would fold shut into a 15.3-inch device, which wouldn't be ready for release until 2026 or 2027.

Onto 2023…

According to a report by The Elec, in 2023, Samsung performed an organizational reshuffle that affected the team that handles supplies for Apple. The team's shake-up allegedly focused on improving its capabilities, specifically with Apple's foldable in mind. AppleInsider commented…

“The small and medium-sized display division handles smartphone OLED and foldable panels, including development for the flexible screens. This division is now being strengthened to work more on making foldable devices more mainstream.

Samsung Display, along with fellow supply chain member LG Display, is already working on panels for future foldable products from Apple. The report says this includes one measured at 20.25 inches.”

Into 2024…

Earlier this year, an article surfaced in The Information reported Apple was facing difficulties with its designs for foldable smartphones and tablets. 9to5Mac reported…

“The report claims Apple’s industrial design team wanted to create a device that is half as thin as current iPhone models, so that when folded shut, it isn’t too thick. They have also explored adding screens that face outwards, so that they can be seen when the device is closed. However, the practical realities of components like batteries and displays have made it difficult for engineering to reach these lofty goals.”

In addition, earlier this year, a report from a Chinese blogger with 1.7 million followers said that Apple folding screen prototypes failed to pass tests set by the company. 9to5Mac observed…

“Apple has been evaluating folding displays from its suppliers for years, and subjecting them to all kinds of tests, and isn’t yet happy with what it has seen. The fact that recent offerings have failed to satisfy the company is nothing new.

But a more generous reading would be that Apple isn’t satisfied with the crease in existing prototypes, and has asked its suppliers to go back to the drawing board and take a completely different approach to the fold. That would require more of a lull in the project on the Apple side, while it waits for new samples.”

Now, in March this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to release a foldable product with a clear development schedule: the 20.3-inch MacBook, which is expected to enter mass production in 2027. The post on X said…

“Recently, I've received many inquiries about whether Apple plans to mass-produce the foldable iPhone or iPad in 2025 or 2026. My latest survey indicates that currently, Apple's only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027.”

It is interesting that Apple's current largest laptop is the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Although the company once offered a 17-inch MacBook Pro, it was discontinued in 2012. It seems that Apple plans to increase screen real estate on laptops by making a foldable model, which would have a screen that measures around 20 inches diagonally when fully expanded, with a software keyboard replacing the hardware.

What No Keyboard?

Yes, and it isn’t the first time this concept has been raised. in 2021 in our article How Will Future Computer Design Help Audio Producers? we explored this possibility. There is no doubt that for the vast majority of professional audio practitioners, a computer of some kind is at the centre of our studio, largely being focused around a conventional computer with a CPU, mouse, keyboard and screen, with most of the human interaction focussed around the mouse and keyboard. But will it always be like that? Perhaps not?

We looked at some successful patent applications to see how computer developments could change how we relate to the computer in the studio.

For example, imagine a laptop with two screens, one in the conventional location with the second replacing the keyboard and trackpad and filling the entire surface of the lower section.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has finally granted Apple a patent for a dual-display MacBook with a virtual keyboard replacing the traditional keyboard. What, no keyboard?

The patent, which took three years to be approved, shows examples that include dedicated button arrays, the option for a rest-on rotatable dial, and more conventional laptop features like a fingerprint sensor, Touch ID, and wireless recharging.

In the patent, Apple suggests…

“because the images of the keys of the virtual keyboard are produced by a display below the top case, different keyboard layouts could be supported like in FIG. 16B using an ergonomic keyboard layout. As another example, we’re able to see in patent FIG. 16C above that dual-display based notebook could use the virtual keyboard area and use another available user interface that could double as a game controller.”

This could allow the virtual keyboard to be rearranged at will, perhaps by swapping the trackpad and keyboard. Different language keyboards could be available at the click of a virtual button, as could dedicated controllers for specific applications.

Imagine a virtual keyboard with a dedicated Pro Tools virtual controller layout that gives you direct shortcuts to various options, similar to those on the Avid Control app.

However, for those who prefer actual buttons to press or real faders to push, the idea of using virtual controls on a glass screen doesn’t really deliver. But could it be in the future?

It seems that, with the announcement from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we are indeed several steps closer to seeing this idea become a reality.