While Samsung is launching its fourth-generation foldable phone, Apple has yet to start. But according to Samsung, that will change within the next two years with the launch of the first foldable iPad or MacBook.
Representatives from Samsung’s mobile division met with suppliers in October to discuss the smartphone market, according to sources at Korean website The Elec.
Samsung attendees allegedly said they expected Apple to join the foldable market in 2024, but not a foldable iPhone that would rival the sixth-generation Galaxy Z Flip or Galaxy Z Fold phones. Instead, the company expects Apple to join the party with a foldable iPad or a foldable laptop.
While it’s in Samsung’s interest to talk about the possibility of Apple backing its innovations, this isn’t the first time Apple’s possible foldable tablet-first strategy has been rumored. Last month, research firm CCS Insight also predicted that Apple would test folding screens on iPads first, not wanting to go all out to fundamentally change its biggest seller.
“It doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone right now,” lead analyst Ben Wood said at the time. “We think they’ll steer clear of this trend and probably dip their toes in the water with a foldable iPad.”
A smart, if risk-averse approach
Competition in the tablet space is also less intense. Not only are there only a handful of foldable tablets, but Apple’s monopoly on the tablet market is not to be underestimated.
About 28% of people worldwide use the iPhone, and more than 50% of the tablet market is the iPad brand. Granted, it’s a much smaller pie, but that just makes it a relatively low-risk testing lab.
This makes sense to a certain extent. The main thing that prevents me from carrying the iPad mini in my pocket all the time is that I physically can’t – it’s too wide. If Apple can create an iPad that folds to half its width or height, that would be a big selling point — especially if it still supports the Apple Pencil.
Of course, the line between phones and tablets has been purposely blurred by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series, and in theory it’s not impossible for a 5G foldable iPad to do something similar, depending on where the fold line is. After all, at 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches, the iPad mini 6 isn’t much bigger than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (6.1 x 5.1 x 0.21 inches).
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