Apple's purported 18-inch foldable iPad is 'now in flux', postponed until 2029 at the earliest

Apple's plans for its 18-inch foldable iPad are 'now in flux' with some 'hiccups' and could see the new iPad delayed until 2029 'at the earliest'.

Apple's purported 18-inch foldable iPad is 'now in flux', postponed until 2029 at the earliest
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Gaming Editor
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TL;DR: Apple's highly anticipated 18-inch foldable iPad faces delays, now expected no earlier than 2029 due to prototype weight, advanced folding OLED panel challenges, high costs exceeding $3000, and uncertain market demand. Manufacturing issues and pricing concerns put the foldable iPad's future release in doubt despite ongoing development.

Apple's purported 18-inch foldable iPad plans are "now in flux" according to the latest reports, with the foldable iPad postponed with a release in 2029 "at the earliest".

Apple's purported 18-inch foldable iPad is 'now in flux', postponed until 2029 at the earliest 84
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In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is preparing a slew of new products that would be the "most compelling" in its history, including the first foldable iPhone, a revamped iPhone Pro smartphone for the device's huge 20-year anniversary, new smart glasses, a tabletop robot, and other home tech.

One of those exciting devices was meant to be an 18-inch foldable iPad, but Gurman writes that unfortunately, "this device is suffering some hiccups". Apple reportedly had plans -- just like the last 6+ months of rumors have teased -- to release the foldable 18-inch iPad sometime in 2028, but the company has "run into challenges tied to the weight of the prototypes and the ultra-advanced folding OLED panel".

Gurman writes that there are "also concerns" surrounding the price, which is "likely to be north of $3000", and whether there's even a market for the foldable iPad. This lines up with rumors recently of Apple experiencing manufacturing issues and citing a lack of demand for a foldable tablet, which you can read more about in the links above.

It's really a "toss up" whether the foldable iPad ever actually comes to market according to people working on it writes Gurman, adding that the foldable iPad is a "wildly expensive and tricky-to-build concept". He adds that Apple may "glean some insights from China" where Huawei has built a similar product that costs around $3400.