Apple’s concept of a foldable MacBook is now alive in the form of some conceptual renders, which give an idea of what the device might look like based on current details.
Designer Antonio De Rosa has dubbed the proposed product the “MacBook Folio” and has released image and video renders of his take on the potential Apple product. The concept is based on several reports that surfaced last week.
His renders show a device that looks like a standard MacBook laptop in its folded form with a hinge on the outer area; however, it can be folded back into a flat form. It includes a trackpad, but its keyboard is all virtual.
De Rosa notes the accompaniment of an Apple Pencil, as well as other keyboard forms other than an alphanumeric, such as a musical keyboard, suggesting several creative use case options.
Initially, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young claimed that Apple has plans to create a foldable MacBook with a 20-inch display and screen resolutions of at least 4K, with higher options likely.
Young also claimed that the device could be used both as “a notebook with a full-size, on-screen keyboard when folded” and “a monitor when unfolded and used with an external keyboard.”
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has also backed the claim with sources telling him that the device would be a cross between a MacBook and an iPad, but it would be a completely touch-screen product in lieu of having a physical keyboard and trackpad.
Apple isn’t expected to have any such product on the market in the near future, with a potential launch timeline for the foldable notebook being sometime in 2026 or 2027. However, the company does appear to be looking into making the virtual keyboard technology that would make such a product a reality.
Apple already has patents for making a virtual key on a flexible display feel like a physical keyboard, adding haptic feedback to a virtual display to emulate typing of real keys and adding an electrostatic charge to a display to make it feel as if keys are under the fingers before you type.
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