For several months, rumors have been circulating about the possible development of a foldable device by Apple. An absolutely plausible hypothesis given that foldables have now reached such a maturity and diffusion that they are no longer considered niche products.
Samsung, to date, dominates this sector, having believed in it right from the start and also having the competitive advantage of being a leader in the production of folding panels. In recent months, other manufacturers have also created folding smartphones, definitely inspired by those of the Korean company, but great attention is obviously paid to Cupertino which usually begins to use a technology when it considers it really mature.
Analysts and insiders have pointed to 2025 as the possible year in which Apple’s first leaflet will be released. We will therefore have to wait a long time but in the meantime there is certainly no shortage of “rumors”. The latest in this regard concerns the possible exploration by Apple of the EPD technology, or Electronic Paper Display. More commonly, it is color e-ink displaymade in this case by a company called E Ink, which could be used by Apple on the outside of a foldable iPhone or iPad.
The indiscretion was launched via Twitter by authoritative analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that this solution would be significantly more energy efficient compared to other solutions, therefore ideal for allowing greater autonomy in devices that are hardly able to accommodate large capacity batteries.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3, for example, has a 1.9-inch OLED external display, which is very small, which mainly allows information to be displayed and notifications to be displayed. Difficult to do much more even if there is no lack of possibilities. However, by imagining to use an e-ink display instead of the OLED it would be possible to achieve similar functionality significantly extending battery lifeAchilles heel of this device.
Apple is testing E Ink’s Electronic Paper Display (EPD) for future foldable device’s cover screen & tablet-like applications. The color EPD has the potential to become a mainstream solution for foldable devices’ must-have cover / second screen thanks to its excellent power-saving.
– éƒæ˜Ž 錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 17, 2022
According to Kuo, Apple’s foldable roadmap will initially focus on midsize devices, followed by devices with larger displays, before finally expanding to smaller devices like the iPhone as well. Currently, Apple would be testing a device equipped with a 9-inch foldable display, a cross between an iPhone and an iPad, although it could only be a concept created to evaluate the technologies that will then actually be used (or not) on others. products under development.
Also Ross Young, analyst and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, had stated last February that among the various Apple projects there would also be a development phase. MacBook with 20-inch foldable display.
