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- Apple may start mass producing a 20-inch foldable MacBook in 2027, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says.
- A new patent may offer a peek into what that could look like, but details have yet to be revealed.
- The laptop could be the first foldable device Apple will produce.
If the rumors are true, Apple may start manufacturing a new version of the MacBook in just a few years — and it'll be foldable.
"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," analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, translated from Chinese to English. He noted that Apple could produce the laptop before the foldable iPhone and iPad — devices he initially saw the company starting to make in 2025 or 2026.
Kuo is a much-watched technology industry analyst who has previously made accurate predictions about Apple's product developments, features, and release timelines.
Still, it's unclear what "foldable" means — since all laptops technically fold when opened and closed — and Apple didn't respond to Business Insider's request for comment when asked about the device. But if it's anything like Asus' Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, that could mean the new MacBook would be one big screen that folds in the middle and can be linked to a separate Bluetooth keyboard.
Apple's patent for a "foldable electronic device" published on March 7 may provide some clarity. The document says that an "electronic device may be provided with a foldable housing that allows the device to fold and unfold about a bend axis" and that a "display panel may be configured to bend along the bend axis as the device is folded."
What we do know for certain is that a 20.3-inch MacBook would be Apple's biggest laptop screen to date. MacBook Airs are available with 13-inch or 15-inch displays.
The possible new version of the MacBook would be the latest addition to Apple's elusive slate of foldable devices. According to a February report from The Information, it's working on prototypes of at least two iPhones that would fold widthwise and has reached out to at least one manufacturer to inquire about parts for phones of different sizes. The company is also looking into producing a foldable iPad and is working with LG and Samsung on displays for its prototypes, The Information said.
Apple has seemingly been working on foldable products for over a decade. Since 2014, the company has filed patents for a foldable case, covers, and displays, as well as colors and specs designed for foldable displays. The company also filed patents for a foldable electronic device that would leave part of the display still exposed, and a foldable iPhone that would close on its own when it's dropped to prevent damage to the screen.
While there isn't a clear timeline on when devices will be launched, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman may agree with Kuo that the laptop could come sooner than the iPhone and iPad, saying in a newsletter last year that the company is more "focused on larger foldable devices."