Expect Apple to release a foldable iPad before a foldable iPhone. That's what CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood believes we should expect — and it's coming soon.
As part of the CCS Insight annual predictions report shared this week, the analysts believe that Apple will launch a foldable iPad as soon as 2024 and that Apple's foldable iPhone is still a little further out.
Bending the rules
While many had expected Apple to release foldable iPhone first, pitting it against foldables from Samsung and Motorola amongst others, CCS Insight believes it will be a foldable tablet that comes first. Speaking with CNBC, CCS Insight's Ben Wood says that " it doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone" right now. Instead, the analyst expects Apple to shun that trend and probably dip a toe in the water with a foldable iPad.”
Wood believes that a foldable iPhone would be a risk for Apple given the expensive price that would be attached to it. Wood expected a foldable iPhone to cost as much as $2,500, making it considerably more costly than Apple's current costliest iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Wood also believes that there would be a "feeding frenzy" should Apple's foldable launch with problems, likely similar to those that Samsung suffered when it first launched the Galaxy Fold.
Rumors of Apple entering the foldable market have come and gone over the last few years, with some reports pointing to a release window at some point in 2025 and no sooner. That could marry well with this latest report by CCS Insight, with Apple launching a foldable tablet in 2024 to test the water.
Apple is getting ready to announce new tablets right now, it's believed. The best iPad you can buy is getting a refresh, with the updated M2-powered iPad Pro just around the corner. We also expect a refreshed 10.2-inch iPad to be announced imminently, too.
