A new inside report from a very reliable Apple leaker claims the company is lining up a foldable iPad for 2024, but that the company might not release any new iPad products in 2023.
In a series of tweets early Monday, prolific insider and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the best in the game, stated that Anjie Technology would benefit from “the all-new design foldable iPad,” which Kuo says is coming in 2024 and will boost Apple’s iPad shipments and improve the overall iPad lineup.
As for specific features, Kuo claims “the foldable iPad will feature a carbon fiber kickstand” to make it lighter and more durable.
No new iPads for 2023?
However, Kuo also revealed some surprising news about the immediate prospects of the iPad line-up. Namely, “there may be no new iPad releases in the next 9-12 months,” suggesting a completely blank 2023 when it comes to iPad. Kuo seems to think that the new iPad upgrade on the docket, a new iPad mini, is “more likely” to begin production in the first quarter of 2024, pointing to a similar release window.
As a result, Kuo says he’s “taking a cautious approach to iPad shipments for 2023” by predicting a fairly hefty year-on-year decline of 10-15%.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors of a folding iPad from inside Apple. It has previously been reported that Apple is working on a foldable display that could be up to 20 inches in size (when deployed).
More recently, Kuo stated that Apple was actively testing a 9-inch foldable device that could either be an iPad or a hybrid of Apple’s iPhone and its larger tablet. He has also predicted that Apple is working on a foldable iPhone that could ship in 2023, although that was almost two years ago.
Apple’s best iPad, the iPad Pro, currently offers Apple silicon, Apple Pencil support, hefty processing power, and a fantastic mini-LED display.