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Folding IPad Will Launch in 2024, Top Apple Analyst Kuo Says

Nic Coury | Bloomberg | Getty Images
  • Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he thinks the company will launch a foldable iPad with a carbon fiber kickstand in 2024.
  • Kuo's prediction matches an October report from CCS Insight, which said it expects Apple to launch a foldable iPad instead of a foldable iPhone.

Apple will slow the pace of iPad releases for the rest of 2023, with an eye toward releasing a foldable iPad by 2024, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote Monday.

"I'm positive about the foldable iPad in 2024 and expect this new model will boost shipments and improve the product mix," Kuo wrote on Twitter. Kuo's prediction aligns with a report from analyst firm CCS Insight, which wrote in October that Apple would launch a foldable iPad before it launches a foldable iPhone.

Several other manufacturers, including Lenovo and Samsung, make laptops or phones with full-size foldable displays. Apple has so far shied away from taking advantage of OLED technology in the same way. Rival Samsung has released multiple foldable phones, but Apple has maintained the rectangular shape of the iPhone since its launch.

"Right now it doesn't make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. We think they will shun that trend and probably dip a toe in the water with a foldable iPad," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC in a 2022 interview.

In 2021, Kuo had predicted the release of a foldable iPhone in 2024, the same year he now predicts a foldable iPad to launch instead.

Kuo said he expects a foldable iPad to feature a carbon fiber kickstand sourced from Chinese manufacturer Anjie Technology.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kuo is one of the most prolific and respected Apple analysts. The analyst has predicted multiple details on the iPhone SE 3, the 2021 MacBook Pro, and numerous iPad releases that have been substantiated at launch. Most recently, Kuo predicted a delayed launch for Apple's highly anticipated mixed reality headset.

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