Apple's first foldable screen might not be on an iPhone or iPad

Apple's just released new MacBook Airs, and there were very few surprises in their design. But it seems the tech giant is possibly preparing to make a major innovation in MacBook design not too far in the future.

There's long been speculation about whether Apple will ever release a touchscreen MacBook. According to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it's planning to go further still, with the launch of a foldable MacBook. While we've heard rumours in the past about the possibility of a foldable iPhone or foldable iPad, Kuo says that a 20.3-inch MacBook is "Apple's only foldable product with a clear development schedule". 

It reminds us of the incredible 2024 Asus Zenbook Duo OLED, which we recently reviewed. What will be interesting is to see if Apple manages to do away with the separation between the two screens.

In a post on X, Kuo wrote: "Recently, I've received many inquiries about whether Apple plans to mass-produce the foldable iPhone or iPad in 2025 or 2026. My latest survey indicates that currently, Apple's only foldable product with a clear development schedule is the 20.3-inch MacBook, expected to enter mass production in 2027."

That claim doesn't come entirely out of the blue, and we have seen plenty of fan design concepts for MacBooks with a dual screen. A reportedly leaked roadmap of OLED Apple devices shared by @Tech_Reve last year suggested that such a foldable was in the works, but it was labelled as an iPad Pro not a MacBook laptop. If it does turn out to be a laptop, we wonder if will follow the lead of the latest Asus device, which has a detachable keyboard module capable of running on its own as a Bluetooth device.

Apple has so far snubbed its nose at the trends of touchscreen laptops and foldable devices in general. Steve Jobs himself had rubbished the ergonomics of touchscreen laptops, but they have since become almost the norm for Windows devices, and 2-in-1 devices are some of the best laptops for drawing.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, has previously suggested that there will be an OLED MacBook Pro in 2026. For now Apple has no touchscreen or OLED screen laptop, but the MacBooks are still some of the best performing and best designed laptops available (see below for deals in your region).