Apple may release a foldable iPad in 2024, predict analysts from CCS Insight

Apple may release an iPad with a foldable screen in 2024, analyst firm CCS Insight said, predicting that the American tech giant will soon begin experimenting with flexible display technology, reports CNBC.

CCS Insight has published its annual report, in which the group’s analysts make predictions about future products and trends. They believe that Apple will release a foldable iPad in two years, while the iPhone will remain in the standard monoblock format. This contrasts with the approach of other manufacturers, such as Samsung, which primarily produced foldable smartphones, not tablets.

“Right now, it doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. We think they will avoid this trend and probably try to release a foldable iPad,” said Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight.

The analyst also noted that the foldable iPhone will likely cost around $2,500, while the 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is Apple’s most expensive smartphone model at the moment, costs around $1,599, that is, it is quite expensive. Wood also noted that if Apple had any technical problems with the foldable smartphone, it would be difficult for the company to deal with critics.

With all that said, Apple “has no choice but to react because the foldable smartphone trend is gaining momentum,” Wood said, and that’s why the company will start with the iPad. The analyst notes that this will give the company a chance to learn how to implement and scale folding screen technology, as well as “breathe new life” into the iPad line.

Apple’s intentions to release products with a folding screen have already been reported several times. Earlier this year, market research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants stated that Apple is unlikely to enter the foldable smartphone market before 2025. However, the company said that Apple is studying technologies for flexible displays around 20 inches in size.

Forecasts about a foldable iPhone, meanwhile, have existed for at least four years. Last year, Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, a well-known Apple analyst known for his accurate predictions, said that the company could release an iPhone with a foldable screen in 2024.