Apple Could Be Launching Folding iPad By 2024, Still No Word On Bendable iPhones

It seems like Apple is skipping a step in the foldable phone market and heading straight to an iPad, ahead of an anticipated bendable phone.
 
Flexible phones have been slowly making a mark on the tech world with the release of Samsung’s Flip and Fold series, and other companies such as Huawei, Motorola, and Oppo releasing their own iterations.
 
Apple, most notably, has been conspicuously absent in all of this, possibly choosing to take time harnessing the technology before stepping into this niche sector. But recent reports from CNBC’s annual CCS Insight suggest that a folding device from the tech company could arrive as early as 2024.

It is speculated that the new iPad could come in a modest size before opening out into a large form factor, giving users more real estate or the option to use it as a full touchscreen “laptop.”
 
According to Ben Wood, head researcher at CCS Insight, the company is looking to sidestep the folding phone in favor of a tablet first to test the waters before diving head-in. He notes that part of the reason is to avoid the bendable option from being priced too “incredibly expensive.” 
 
Besides this, there is also a chance that providing a mobile device that folds out into a tablet may “cannibalize” the iPad range altogether. So perhaps releasing it before a foldable smartphone is an attempt to safeguard the line’s future.
 
Apple has taken to sitting back and learning from others’ initial mistakes, but it will only be a matter of time before it begins dabbling in the field.

The supposed new gadget is also deemed to cost about US$2,500.
 

[via Apple Insider and 9to50Mac, cover photo 31780748 © Pindiyath100 | Dreamstime.com]