Foldable MacBook Launch Expected Next Year, Can Apple Outdo The PC Rivals?

The foldable market is gradually picking up pace across the globe. We have seen phones and even laptops sporting the form factor and soon Apple could join the ranks with its foldable avatar of the MacBook. New reports claim LG has already started working on the crease-less foldable panel that the rumoured MacBooks are likely to adopt. The details come via Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst who keeps a track of Apple developments.

Apple’s Foldable MacBook: Crease-less Magic But Will It Come?

The post suggests Apple will have a 20.2-inch MacBook model for its foldable initiation in the segment. The analyst points out that the company could also consider an 18.8-inch form factor for the product as well. The screen size itself sounds humongous, add to that you might get a foldable panel which is another costly affair to build a product.

When you combine the expensive panel cost along with the engineering needed to make the hinge durable, Kuo suggests, we are looking at the overall price of around $800 (Rs 65,000 approx). Knowing Apple, the cost of the product will be inclusive of the material cost, taking the final number well above Rs 3 lakh or maybe even more.

We have seen the current crop of foldable laptops priced around Rs 2 lakh and eventually we expect the number to come down. But Apple is unlikely to follow that trajectory, which makes the rumoured foldable MacBook all the more unrealistic for the market.

Also, let’s not forget that a foldable MacBook will need to offer touch support, which Apple is clearly not keen to introduce on the Macs, as it is claimed to be a different device compared to the touch-friendly iPads. We would rather hope to see a foldable iPad (Air or Pro) model first, which can take advantage of the existing 13-inch form factor, rather than going for a less-than-expected 20-inch MacBook which is a strange size option for the product itself.