Apple and LG are working on a folding OLED display for the iPad and MacBook

According to information from The Electric, often in the front row on these issues, Apple has reportedly begun to collaborate with LG’s Display division to move its recognizable visual leg up a gear; this shock team matters”develop a new foldable OLED panel”.

The Elec affirms that the panel in question would be intended to equip “tablets and notebooks”. In the ecosystem of the Apple brand, this inevitably refers to its famous tablets in the iPad range and MacBook computers.

The wording also suggests that this partnership would not concern the iPhone, about which we had already seen a few rumors flourish on this subject. Since this format is currently a test bed for brands that want to flaunt their engineering prowess, a fundamental point in Apple’s reputation, we can expect an iPhone Flip to end up showing well. the tip of his nose. But as it stands, there is no indication that it will be equipped with the LG panel in question.

The latter would also take the opposite of the trend; instead of opting for a polyimide surface, like the majority of folding devices at the moment, Apple and LG would have set their sights on an ultra-thin glass panel. So it seems that the plastic coating PET one so much considered by LG Display has been scrapped.

A completely credible rumor, but with a still very vague perimeter

Be that as it may, this is already the second very evocative sign pointing in this direction in less than a month. Indeed that Ross Younga well-known analyst in the display industry, had already hinted at folding Apple devices last February.

The interested party affirmed on this occasion that Apple intends to release a range of devices “hybrids“. Laid flat, they would work like a tablet or touchscreen; when folded, they would turn into a real PC. The lower part would then turn into a virtual keyboard serving the upper part of the slab.

Now, there is no smoke without fire; knowing the obvious marketing interest of this segment, we can consider that these speculations go beyond the stage of mere hallway noise. They do indeed seem well-founded, but the chronology, on the other hand, remains extremely mysterious. What seems obvious is that you shouldn’t be in a hurry.

Folding screens are notoriously difficult to develop, Samsung and the like can attest to. Apple therefore has every reason to take its time. Always according to Young, we should not expect to see landing devices of this type before 2025 at the earliest. It is therefore not tomorrow that we will be able to rub shoulders with an iPad or a folding iPhone. See you in a few months, or more likely years to find out more about it!