Rumors suggest Apple could be working on a foldable iPad with 5G support
The iPad has seen some rather big changes in recent years, with the release of the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and keyboard support, new screen sizes over the years, and then the current complete redesign and rethinking of the hardware of iPad, and the new iPadOS software release coming to iPads everywhere in September.
However, if rumours are true, the upheaval and innovation in the iPad space is not slowing down. Jeff Lin, an IHS Market Analyst, predicts Apple could be working on a foldable iPad with 5G support that could be arriving as early as 2020, thanks to supply chain sources.
Rumours suggest the new iPad would be the same size as the current MacBook lineup, which would show Apple is not shying away from the larger screen iPads first introduced in 2016 with the 12.9 inch iPad Pro. It would have 5G built-in, making it the first 5G equipped tablet, which Jeff says would allow for many ‘business friendly’ features.
The iPad currently has a possible release date of 2020, and could even ship with a time-of-flight rear camera system. This would mean the new machine could capture a editable 3D image, that could be manipulated by the Apple Pencil.
However, as good as this may sound, Apple has not been previously linked with any folding display panel production or experimentation, so a new folding iPad coming as early as 2020 may be a stretch.
Companies like Samsung have highlighted the troubles of incorporating a folding display, with them having to delay their Galaxy Fold launch to redesign the phone before a new, yet unannounced launch date.
So Apple having a folding display panel at the size that is rumoured would require an engineering feat of great proportions, that we will have to wait and see if true.