Tech Desk 
May 23, 2024
Apple is developing all-screen foldable gadgets. Unlike its rivals, it appears to be more focused on an all-screen foldable laptop rather than foldable smartphones and tablets.
Ming-Chi Kuo previously indicated that Apple was creating a 20.3-inch MacBook for 2027, but the analyst has now revealed various important new information regarding the futuristic MacBook model. Moreover, one such tidbit is that Apple is now planning to debut the device earlier, in 2026. — a year sooner than previously announced.
Expected features of the first all-screen MacBook
Kuo anticipates the all-screen MacBook to include the following major features:
- Multiple foldable screen possibilities remain viable, with the rumoured 20.3-inch display being replaced with an 18.8-inch panel. In addition, when folded, the former resembles a contemporary 14-15-inch MacBook, and the latter corresponds to a recent 13-14-inch model, such as the smaller MacBook Air.
- The MacBook is scheduled to receive an M5-series processor, which aligns with the M4's expected spread over the whole Mac lineup by the end of 2025.
- Apple intends to create a crease-free design for the foldable display.
Read more: Apple Mac Pro & Studio M4 update delayed
The Cupertino-based company wants to make the panel as crease-free as possible, which necessitates stringent design criteria for both the screen and the hinge. As a result, the price of the panel and hinge is quite expensive.
Moreover, current preliminary estimates place the panel and hinge prices at $600-650 and $200-250, respectively.
Because of the high component cost, this MacBook is projected to start at a much higher price point than Apple's existing laptop range. Kuo explains:
The foldable MacBook will most likely be pricey due to the high cost of the display and hinge. Unless Apple can drastically increase yields and cut costs before mass production, the foldable MacBook's BOM cost might approach that of the current Vision Pro.
