Apple is working on a 20-inch foldable MacBook, claims expert

Apple's first foray into folding devices might not be a folding iPhone or folding iPad, but could instead be a folding Mac.

Rumours of a (very specific) 20.3-inch folding device from Apple won't go away, with a notable analyst saying that it will go into production in 2027.

Ming-Chi Kuo has a good reputation when it comes to forecasting future moves from tech brands – especially Apple. Taking to Twitter to update his followers on the situation, Kuo says that the folding MacBook is the "only foldable product with a clear development schedule."

This isn't the first we've heard about this device. Through 2022 and 2023 there were various rumours about them. Apple wouldn't be the first brand to launch a folding laptop either: we've previously seen the likes of the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold and the HP Spectre Fold, although Apple seems to be thinking bigger than these current devices.

What a folding display means for the Apple MacBook

A folding display makes for a very different device. Rumours suggest that Apple has been looking at a device that has a 20.3-inch display when open, but 15.3-inch when "closed". That means you're getting something with the display size of a regular MacBook expanding to have a display closer to the size of the iMac.

It raises an interesting question about touch, however. Apple has so far avoided moving to touch on the MacBook, saving that for the iPad instead. As iPad and Mac get closer together in terms of intended functions, would this device limit touch, or would it forge a new case for touch across all the Mac models?

The keyboard is likely to be a separate module, just like the HP and Asus versions we've seen, able to be folded into the centre of the device and sitting over the bottom half of the display when using it like a conventional laptop. But you'd need touch to allow the device to function without that additional physical keyboard, which could indicate a change of direction across Apple's MacBook line.

We're not expecting to hear anything official on this: Apple has just announced the M3 MacBook Air - essentially the same as the previous M2 offering - and Apple's folding Mac is not expected to launch until 2027, so there's plenty of time to wait.