Apple's Foldable iPad Could Be the All-In-One PC I've Always Wanted

Rumors have resurfaced that Apple is developing a large foldable iPad. But now we have some new details, and as an avid iPad user, I'm pretty excited, although a few key questions remain.

Foldable iPad with 18.8-inch display in the works

Rumors have been swirling for a while about a foldable iPad and/or an all-screen MacBook. I've never seen the point of a full-screen Mac, and now a new report is leaning more and more toward that future product being an iPad after all.

Mark Gurman wrote this weekend:

Apple designers are developing what looks like a giant iPad that folds out to the size of two iPad Pros placed side by side. The Cupertino, California-based company has been tweaking the product for a couple of years and, I'm told, aims to bring something to market sometime in 2028… Last week, a document purported to show Apple's display plans was published on X. It said the iPhone maker is aiming to use an 18.8-inch foldable screen between 2028 and 2030. That's basically in line with what I've heard about Apple's foldable computer.

My initial reaction to the report? This could be the device I've been dreaming of for a long time.

Here's why.

Why the Foldable iPad Could Be My Dream Device

I'm an avid iPad user, and have been for many years.

I've owned many major iPad models since the original iPad debuted in 2010.

From 2010 to 2015, I used an iPad and iPad mini as my third device. It perfectly complemented my Mac and iPhone as an ultra-portable tablet.

Starting in late 2015, everything changed with the release of the first iPad Pro.

At first, I thought the iPad Pro was ridiculously big. But then I had an idea: what if it could replace my laptop?

The rest is history. I've used the iPad Pro as my primary computer for almost a decade, with very few exceptions.

But there’s always been a problem: The 13-inch iPad Pro is my favorite model, and it’s great as a laptop. But in my opinion, it’s too big to work well as a tablet.

The 11-inch iPad Pro has the opposite problem: It’s a great tablet, but a bad laptop due to its limited screen size.

Now Apple is working on a device that could actually find a way to balance the two, being a proper laptop and tablet in one.

There are a lot of unanswered questions and unknown details, but Apple’s foldable tablet has the potential to offer essentially the 11-inch iPad Pro’s body, but with laptop-style functionality — and even more thanks to its huge display.

Outstanding Questions and Concerns

Despite my overall enthusiasm, there are still a lot of questions that are holding back my excitement. For example, here are three areas that I’m particularly curious about:

Tablet Mode: Will there be an option to use the device in “half-screen” tablet mode? Essentially providing the equivalent of an 11-inch tablet. If not, this foldable tablet may end up being worse than the 13-inch iPad Pro, not better.

Keyboard Options: Can the foldable model accommodate a Magic Keyboard-style accessory? My guess is that the new form factor isn’t well-suited to using a case with a physical keyboard. Perhaps the extra space available for an on-screen number pad will negate this issue, but it’s an open question for someone who uses the current Magic Keyboard 24/7.

iPadOS Changes: 2028 is still a few years away, so Apple has plenty of time to update iPadOS before then and optimize it for multitasking. However, if the company releases an 18.8-inch iPad with the same multitasking system that exists today, I fear the extra screen space will feel like a waste.

Foldable iPad Review

Apple isn’t the type of company to create something just because it’s a trend. And that’s proven by its foldable devices. While other companies have been shipping foldable phones and tablets for years, Apple has held off.

So I’m confident that if and when a foldable iPad does come along, it will have a compelling reason to exist. And I really hope that this reason is to offer the best of both worlds to the iPad Pro.

You could say that it is a kind of iPad Ultra that meets the needs of both tablet users and laptop users.

What do you think about the rumors of a foldable iPad? Let us know in the comments.