Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain analyst, in a series of tweets, claimed that Apple might launch a foldable iPad in 2024 along with a revamped version of the iPad Mini with a processor upgrade.
Although he didn’t offer too many details on the new product, however, he told that the new iPad foldable will feature a carbon fiber kickstand manufactured by Anjie Technology, a Chinese company specialising in the manufacture and distribution of functional component manufacturing. Carbon kickstands will make the kickstand lighter and more durable.
Kuo also predicted that Apple will launch no new iPad models in 2023 along with predicting a year-on-year decline of 10-15% in iPad shipments for the current year.
Kuo had stated in 2021 about the foldable iPhone, which was to be launched in this year. However, this device seems to be much smaller — 7.5 to 8 inches when compared to other iPhones. With Apple entering into the fray, the global folding phones market will surely boom.
This latest news comes as a surprise as analysts had claimed that it will take Apple at least three years to develop and mass manufacture a foldable iPad. Last year in February, display supply chain consultant Ross Young reported that the foldable iPad will be around 20 inches and will be available to the public in 2026, The Verge reported. Bloomberg also reported that Apple had been toying with the idea of developing a foldable iPad whose bottom half would serve as a virtual keyboard. In October last year, Gruman reported that Apple will release a foldable iPad line later in the decade.
On January 18, Apple introduced the M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, which are more powerful than their predecessors. Apple also teased a second-generation HomePod at $299.
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