According to a well-known market analyst, Apple could launch an iPad model with a foldable display for the first time in 2024. The Cupertino-based company is also working on a refreshed iPad mini model that could go into mass production next year, while year-on-year (YoY) shipments of iPad models currently offered by Apple could decline. The analyst has also shared details on the construction materials used for the rumored foldable iPad model, which could feature a built-in kickstand.
Details of a new iPad with a foldable display were shared on Twitter by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. According to Kuo, the company may not release any new iPad models for the next 12 months, while a new iPad mini model could go into mass production in 2024. Apple earlier started the iPad mini (2021) with an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and the company’s A15 Bionic chip in September 2021.
Kuo predicts that iPad shipments will fall by 10 to 15 percent in 2023, adding that a foldable iPad launching in 2024 will expand the company’s product portfolio and give iPad shipments a boost.
The rumored foldable iPad will come with a carbon fiber kickstand for improved durability, according to Kuo’s latest survey. Jiangsu-based Anjie Technology, a Chinese company that supplies internal and external functional components for consumer electronics companies, will be the biggest beneficiary of a growing trend toward foldable devices with stands, according to the analyst.
In December Kuo claims that Apple is unlikely to replace the iPad mini with a foldable iPad by 2025, and that the company would have to sell the latter at a “significantly” higher price, making it an inappropriate replacement. The analyst had previously predicted that a new iPad mini model with a new processor would start shipping to customers in late 2023 or in the first half of 2024.
Last year the market research and consulting company CCS Insight predicted the launch of a foldable iPad with a flexible display in 2024. In its annual report, “Predictions for 2023 and Beyond,” the company claimed that Apple will release a foldable iPad — expected to be in the “super premium” price bracket — on the market , before trying to introduce a foldable iPhone. It is worth noting that Apple does not yet announce any plans to launch foldable smartphones on tablet models next year.
