Many years ago there was a device called the iPod that became very popular. A few years later, the first iPhone came onto the market, but the iPod lasted a few more years. Now a new product category could be added to the Apple universe – foldable devices. According to previous rumors, the first Apple foldable will not be an iPhone, but an iPad. As The Elec reports, the iPad Fold will also herald the end of the iPad mini.
Apple iPad mini (2021)
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo disagrees with this assessment and the reason is simple. The foldable iPad will have a “significantly higher price” than the Mini. And that’s despite the fact that the iPad mini (2021) has recently gone up in price due to the ongoing global chip crisis.
Kuo also added that a new iPad mini with a faster chipset is already in development. The 2021 model came out with the then current Apple A15 Bionic processor. The new Mini is expected to arrive in late 2023 or in the first half of 2024. By then, the A16 and A17 chipsets will be available. However, iPad production could migrate to India by then. So far almost all factories are located in China and have been affected by every COVID wave including the current one.
Apple iPhone Fold prototype
As for the iPad Fold, analysts believe that Apple will start with an iPad-sized device. This would be easier to produce and less risky than an iPhone-sized device. Current plans are reportedly targeting a 2024 launch. The market could pick up sharply as a result – there are reports that Apple is already working with Samsung and LG to develop foldable 20.25-inch OLED displays.
