The Future of Laptops: Apple Secretly Developing 20-Inch Foldable MacBook

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo highlighted Apple's likely intentions to release a breakthrough 20-inch MacBook with a foldable screen within three years. Kuo, famed for his reliable forecasts, said in a recent post on X that Apple's development roadmap includes a 20.3-inch MacBook, which is expected to go into commercial production in 2027. However, the specifics of the 20-inch MacBook technology remain unknown.

 20-inch MacBook: Websites that indicate the foldable MacBook

Kuo's statement is consistent with rumours from other industry insiders, such as display industry analyst Ross Young and Korean website The Elec, which also indicates a 20-inch MacBook. To provide background, Apple's current most extensive laptop product is the 16-inch MacBook Pro, with the 17-inch MacBook Pro being discontinued in 2012. Despite defining the approximate screen size, Kuo declined to reveal additional details about the design of the rumoured foldable MacBook.

 20-inch MacBook: Do we expect the future foldable versions of the iPhone and iPad?

Kuo emphasised the 20-inch MacBook's uniqueness within Apple's foldable product portfolio, implying that foldable versions of the iPhone and iPad are not on the horizon. Speculation concerning a foldable MacBook is not new. In 2022, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman alluded to Apple's research into foldable notebooks, explicitly mentioning a device with a 20-inch display. Adding to the mystery, The Information claimed earlier this year that Apple has been experimenting with foldable iPhone prototypes since 2018. These prototypes have two separate designs, one resembling a standard smartphone and the other comparable to an iPad, albeit with foldable capabilities.

 Apple's current focus on folding technology revolves around the expanded MacBook

According to Kuo's recent statement, Apple's current focus on folding technology revolves around the expanded MacBook, implying that foldable iPhones or iPads are unlikely shortly. While Apple keeps quiet about its foldable product intentions, its biggest competitors, Samsung and Google, have already made significant progress. Samsung has released numerous versions of its clamshell and book-style foldable phones, but Google introduced the Pixel Fold last year, with whispers of a second-generation gadget in development.