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Despite ongoing rumors, Apple has so far steered clear of the foldable device trend, but a new patent suggests that the company is working on its own way of producing foldable, or even “stretchable,” displays.
Apple is reportedly set to release something foldable in 2025, and a new patent filing spotted by Apple Insider may suggest the Cupertino-based company is working on a new type of display.
The application filed with the US Patent Office is titled “Stretchable Display” and lists as many as 55 inventors, suggesting that Apple is no doubt assembling a team of people from both the US and Taiwan on the project.
The device described is an OLED display with a “stretchable section with sealed, rigid pixel islands.” The application doesn’t provide a specific example of how a stretchable screen would work, but it does suggest it could be used in a variety of devices, including laptops and mobile phones.
The filing also describes “small devices such as watch-type devices, pendant-type devices, headphones or earpiece-type devices, devices embedded in glasses, or other equipment worn on the user’s head.”
In fairness, even if that doesn’t happen, Apple is likely preparing for any devices that might feature stretchable screens.
While this is speculation, there are rumors that the Apple Watch will have a wrap-around display, with the stretchable display apparently designed to wrap around rather than fold or bend like Samsung’s foldable phones and Motorola’s new Razr foldable phone.
There have been rumors for a few years that Apple is working on a foldable MacBook. It’s unclear whether the hypothetical device is more similar to the Pixel Fold phone or a Lenovo ThinkPad, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has argued that it could be a folding screen device that could be a precursor to a foldable iPhone. Of course, there are rumors of a foldable iPad coming, but that won’t happen until 2026 or 2027.
I often wonder if Apple is actually working on a foldable device, or if it’s just wishful thinking within the tech community about something that will match or even surpass the actual performance of foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 .
Even if a patent is granted, there’s no guarantee that the proposed ideas will make it into the final product, but it’ll be interesting to see what Apple has in mind for the future of its products.
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