New leak got me thinking about Apple’s foldable iPhone-iPad hybrid I’ve always wanted, and we’ll never get

Being an iPad enthusiast has had its ups and downs over the past few years. At first, it seemed like the iPad would forever just be a big iPhone, intended for video consumption and basic web browsing. But Apple changed the plot and gave it the type of advanced user features I always wanted.

All of a sudden we got mouse support, proprietary keyboards with trackpads, and powerful multitasking with real external display support. Best of all: we actually have iPad versions of powerful MacOS productivity apps, like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro.

We'll talk about what my dream iPad would be in a moment, but first let's see what we're actually expecting in the coming days, in terms of iPad updates.

New iPads will arrive soon, fixing minor but glaring issues. Also surprise new accessories?

An iPad Pro with the current Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil 2

So this year, Apple didn't have a big event in March with a ton of new product updates, but quietly announced new MacBooks via a press release. We expect the same thing, but for iPads, in the coming days; probably by the end of the month. And these new iPads are rumored to include a larger-than-usual iPad Air model, a significantly thinner iPad Pro, and a new iPad mini, all with improved processors. Hopefully at least some of these new models will finally have their FaceTime camera in the right place, i.e. centered in the top frame, in landscape orientation.

Of course, Apple had trouble fitting the iPad's front camera there because the Apple Pencil magnetic charging dock took up internal space in the same location, but some leaks suggest a workaround has been found .

Speaking of the Apple Pencil, we've also heard rumors about a new Apple Pencil 3, which I'm a little skeptical about and don't see the point. Another new accessory we might get is a new redesigned Magic Keyboard. for iPad, supposedly partially or entirely made of aluminum this time.

Now that's what I really hope for! A larger trackpad and more durable material than the current Magic Keyboard (which, in my experience, scratches a little too easily)? I'm sold!

So this is what we expect in the near future. Good stuff, plenty to get excited about, especially if Apple also adds iPadOS upgrades into the mix. Although a new version of iPadOS won't be released to the public until September.

Now let's move on to the next-level iPad update that I really want to see in a year or two, and why I think it's entirely possible…

Leaks suggest Apple is still working on foldable iPhones and iPads; here's what I expect from it, and why it would be awesome…

A Samsung Galaxy Z Flip next to an iPhone

A recent report from Information (via The edge) claims that Apple continues to quietly work on two foldable (clamshell) iPhone models and at least one foldable iPad model, perhaps the size of an iPad mini.

These two iPhone models are now both said to resemble the Galaxy Z Flip, meaning they are flip phones meant to fit in small pockets, with a small outer screen and a foldable inner screen. No Z Fold type iPhone is mentioned.

However, a Galaxy Z Fold-like iPad is plausible and, in my opinion, would be fantastic.

As a dedicated iPad user who has done legitimate professional work on iPad for years, including writing, music production, and video editing, I'm very happy with the direction the iPad has taken so far. here.

It's emerging as a competent alternative to the MacBook, doing things its own way, but still capable of desktop-quality multitasking and more than suitable for professional work.

In my overly optimistic opinion, the next big step in the evolution of the iPad would be a foldable iPad. But not only that: an iPad that transforms into an iPhone.

Imagine an Apple version of something that looks like the Google Pixel Fold. A fairly normal iPhone when closed, but it can transform into an iPad once unfolded. A productivity beast in your pocket, that does absolutely everything you need: it's a phone, it's a tablet, it's a computer.

An iPad Pro M2 in action

Like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but more refined, and thanks to it, it runs iPadOS – with much more advanced professional applications.

Something you can actually make calls with, but also go to the office, unfold it and use it as an iPad. Or plug it into a monitor and use it as an iPadOS desktop.

Right now, this is my dream device, and we know for a fact that Apple is fully capable of doing it. From what we've heard, the billion-dollar company has been secretly experimenting with foldable devices for years now. It's not too unreasonable to expect a surprise Apple foldable in a year or two, when it believes the folding technology is sufficient for an iPhone or iPad.

However, deep down I know that exactly what I described, an iPhone turning into an iPad, will never happen, because Apple… is Apple.

We have a pretty good idea of ​​how it works and how much it wants to avoid releasing products that cannibalize other Apple products. No way in a million years will Apple release an iPad that cannibalizes both the iPhone and MacBook. In the world of a profit-making, billion-dollar business, this is a bad idea.

It's a shame for us consumers that Apple isn't more like Samsung – willing to throw everything at the wall and not bothering to separate its products, but that's the world we live in.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… dream. Unrealistic, but hey…

The Apple Vision Pro wouldn't be what it is without the iPad

On a much more positive note, the iPad has actually evolved considerably this year, even if you haven't noticed it. Its operating system – iPadOS – became the basis for the Apple Vision Pro headset operating system – visionOS. Just like the iPhone's iOS was the basis for iPadOS.

The iPad has now split into two pieces of hardware: the slab tablet we know and love, and an AR/VR headset, this could well be the form factor of the future. The successor to iPadOS, visionOScould well be the operating system of the future.

It's possible that Apple will ignore foldable devices altogether and focus only on producing thinner, more affordable headsets, and possibly smart glasses.

I'll be honest, as an AR/VR headset user, and while I love what they are capable of, I would definitely miss holding a physical tablet in whatever future we might be heading towards.

And I'm not really in a hurry to live in that future. To be honest, technology won't move too fast either.