Apple has scrapped one of its biggest experimental hardware projects to date, a big foldable computer that was supposed to marry the iPad and the MacBook. The product, which would have brought a whole new category to Apple's ecosystem, has been removed from the company’s development roadmap as it reexamines its hardware needs for the future.
The acquisition comes at an interesting time for Apple. John Ternus became the new CEO of the company recently and Tim Cook left Apple after 13 years. Ternus, who has worked in Apple’s hardware engineering and product development departments, is now the person of record for the company in the next phase of innovation. A research note from Omdia says that Apple has decided not to go forward with the huge foldable iPad-MacBook hybrid.
Apple has not publicly confirmed that such a product was ever in development. It has also not issued any official statement about reports that the project has been canceled. So details about the device are still based on industry reports and supply chain speculation.
The rumored product had a large flexible display that could fold to allow various ways to use the device. When opened, it could function as a tablet with a much larger screen, while its folded form would make it work as a laptop. The concept attracted attention because it was not expected to fit comfortably into Apple’s existing MacBook or iPad categories.
As such, the device could have been meant to combine two major Apple products into one piece of hardware. A big foldable screen would have allowed users to see content, work with multiple apps, and use the device as a portable computer while also offering the flexibility of tablets.
But turning such a concept into a commercial success would have been a big technical and financial challenge. Foldable displays are far more difficult to make than traditional screens, and hinges and flexible display parts are always more difficult to manufacture. Apple is known to have very high standards for product durability, and to make a durable foldable device that will last would be particularly challenging.
Cost may have been another factor. A large foldable device with tablet and laptop functionality could have been expensive, and it could have been hard to buy for mainstream consumers. Apple may have concluded that the market opportunity did not justify the investment needed to bring such an experimental product to a wider audience.
The cancellation is especially telling because the project had previously been related to John Ternus and Apple’s wider hardware ambitions to explore new hardware categories. Ternus has worked on hardware development at Apple for years and is closely connected to Apple’s engineering team.
However, dropping one experiment doesn’t necessarily mean Apple is moving away from foldable technology entirely. Rather, the company may be focusing on products with better access to a larger market. The most obvious one is the widely speculated foldable iPhone that Apple is going to make for future hardware.
A foldable iPhone would allow Apple to enter a product segment that several major smartphone manufacturers have already explored. Unlike a fully new MacBook-iPad hybrid, a foldable iPhone could build on the company’s existing smartphone ecosystem and appeal to its massive global iPhone user base.
Such a device would offer Apple a new premium product category that would enable them to test foldable technology in a familiar form factor. The success of a foldable iPhone would be dependent on durability, display quality, battery life, software optimization, and pricing.
As John Ternus starts leading Apple into its next chapter, he must prioritize projects with a focus on hardware and artificial intelligence, the reported decision shows. And the company is still one of the world’s best tech companies, yet it’s coming up with big innovations in hardware and artificial intelligence.
Apple’s decision to cancel the big foldable hybrid suggests that not every experimental product that is being considered internally at the company, at least at this point in time, will eventually be a consumer product. It seems to be a far more selective strategy, and it’s focused on products that could have a better commercial potential.
For now, Apple’s foldable future is largely unknown to Apple itself. Although the big foldable MacBook-iPad hybrid may not be moving forward, the prospect of a foldable iPhone is still very much on the table. If those reports are true, Apple’s strategy might be as much about bringing foldable technology to one of its most important existing product categories as it is to create an entirely new one.
