Apple’s 18-Inch Foldable iPad Hits Major Snags, Pushing Launch to 2029 or Later
Apple’s ambitious project to introduce an 18-inch foldable iPad has hit significant engineering roadblocks, forcing the company to postpone the device’s anticipated launch from 2028 to 2029 or later, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
The Cupertino-based tech giant is grappling with challenges related to the tablet’s overall weight, complex display technology, and prohibitively high component costs, raising internal questions about whether the device will ever make it to market.
Weight and Price Challenges Cloud Future
Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the primary obstacles revolve around cost and portability. The foldable iPad, internally codenamed J312, is expected to feature a massive, approximately 18-inch OLED panel, a component Apple is co-developing with Samsung Display Co. The goal is to minimise the crease typically seen on foldable screens, a technical hurdle that is proving extremely complex and expensive.
The cost of this advanced foldable display is reportedly three times that of the 13-inch iPad Pro panel, which could push the final retail price of the new foldable tablet into the USD3,000 to USD3,900 range.
Furthermore, current prototypes of the device are substantially heavy. Test units reportedly weigh around 3.5 pounds (1.5kg), comparable to a MacBook Pro, making them nearly three times heavier than today’s sleek iPad Pro models. This excessive weight challenges the portability central to the iPad’s identity.
Design Resembles a Mac Laptop
The foldable iPad’s design also presents a usability puzzle. Prototypes lack an external display, meaning users must unfold the device every time they want to interact with it. When closed, the aluminium-encased device resembles a Mac laptop, and when opened, it provides a large, 13-inch laptop-sized screen without a physical keyboard.
The delays come as Apple is trying to enter the foldable device market, where rivals like Samsung and HUAWEI have already launched products. HUAWEI, for instance, introduced its 18-inch MateBook Fold earlier this year, a product which insiders say is similar in concept to Apple’s troubled prototype.
Given Apple’s history of cutting projects that no longer align with its strategic vision, such as the autonomous car initiative, the ongoing struggles with the foldable iPad have led some involved in the project to express uncertainty about the product’s ultimate viability.
