Apple’s foldable iPad | annotated by Roberto

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Hey everyone, it’s Mark. Apple’s new vision for the future of computing is a giant, iPad-like foldable device. Also: The company rethinks the mouse, its next AirTag will have a new chip that lets you find items from farther away, and a shift to in-house Wi-Fi chips will kick off next year. Apple also is planning satellite and health upgrades for its smartwatch.

Last week in Power On: Apple and Sony discuss teaming up on gaming controllers for the Vision Pro.

This is the subscriber-only edition of Power On. If you were forwarded this by a friend, you can sign up here — but you’ll need to be a Bloomberg.com subscriber to receive this full version.

The Starters

The iPad Pro. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Every so often, Apple puts forth a bold new vision for the future of computing. Its most recent version of this, of course, was the Vision Pro headset.

In that case, Apple laid out a scenario where consumers accomplish the majority of their computing tasks in mixed reality — the melding of virtual and augmented reality. And it’s easy to see the appeal of this, at least in the abstract. The Vision Pro and other mixed-reality headsets provide you with endless screen space and more of an immersive experience than you get with a phone or computer.

But the concept has some drawbacks, such as the discomfort of wearing a device on your face for long periods of time. It can easily take a person out of the real world. Moreover, the Vision Pro’s $3,499 price tag ensures that few consumers will be embracing this experience just yet.

So for now, it’s hard to beat the traditional form factors — phones, laptops, tablets — when it comes to computing. But Apple is working on another approach that could become its next breakthrough device.

Apple designers are developing something akin to a giant iPad that unfolds into the size of two iPad Pros side-by-side. The Cupertino, California-based company has been honing the product for a couple of years now and is aiming to bring something to market around 2028, I’m told.

Apple’s goal for a foldable device is to avoid the crease that current products have when they’re in the open position. And the company has made progress on this front: Prototypes of this new product within Apple’s industrial design group have a nearly invisible crease. But it’s too early to tell if Apple will can get rid of it altogether. Samsung Electronics Co., which launched its first foldable phone five years ago, has tried unsuccessfully to remove the crease.

Right now, Apple’s largest iPad tops out at 13 inches. Apple knows that customers — gamers, software developers or just people watching movies — want the biggest screen possible. And the only way to sensibly ship a mobile product with a large display (one approaching 20 inches or so) is to make it foldable. Otherwise, it’s too hard to throw into a purse or backpack.

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i. Photographer: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg

Apple wouldn’t be the first to try such a concept. Microsoft Corp. prototyped something similar with the Courier more than a decade ago and then announced a dual-screen tablet called the Neo in 2019. The company abandoned both attempts, and the conclusion of the Neo cancellation was that consumers weren’t clamoring for a dual-screen tablet.

Lenovo Group Ltd. has taken a crack at this concept as well. Its Yoga Book 9i, which sells for less than $2,000, has dual 13.3-inch OLED screens that work side by side. Apple’s approach would be different because it wants the screen to look like a single, uninterrupted piece of glass. The Lenovo product is two displays attached by a hinge. Apple’s version also would likely be more expensive.

It’s not yet clear what operating system the Apple computer will run, but my guess is that it will be iPadOS or a variant of it. I don’t believe it will be a true iPad-Mac hybrid, but the device will have elements of both. By the time 2028 rolls around, iPadOS should be advanced enough to run macOS apps, but it also makes sense to support iPad accessories like the Apple Pencil.

It is my impression that much of Apple’s current work on foldable screen technology is focused on this higher-end device, but it’s also been exploring the idea of a foldable iPhone. In that area, Apple is the only major smartphone provider without a foldable option: Samsung, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Chinese brands like Huawei Technologies Co. all have their own versions. But I wouldn’t anticipate a foldable iPhone before 2026 at the earliest.

Last week, a document alleging to show Apple’s display plans was posted on X. It indicated the iPhone maker aims to use an 18.8-inch foldable screen between 2028 and 2030. That generally lines up with what I’ve heard about an Apple foldable computer. That road map also suggests that the MacBook Pro will switch to OLED screens in 2026, with the MacBook Air following in 2027. That too aligns with what I’ve heard.

The Microsoft Surface Neo that never ultimately launched. Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg

The big picture here is that Apple is trying to add as many hardware product variations as possible, with the goal of getting consumers to buy them for different uses. The company’s perfect customer right now is one who has both an iPad and Mac, in addition to mobile devices like the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.

This is why Apple never merged the iPad and Mac lineups: It wants consumers to have both. Now, when this foldable product comes out, it probably won’t be reasonable to get customers to buy three different computing devices. It’s more likely that people will use it to replace an iPad for creative tasks and light computer work. The Mac — outfitted with touch screens, perhaps — will still be the pick for more heavy-duty jobs.

In Apple’s ideal world, the Vision Pro headset will have caught on by the time this foldable product hits the market. And augmented reality spectacles could round out its offerings.

So you can imagine a scenario one day when the ultimate Apple fans are wearing the watch and glasses, have an iPhone in their pocket, a Mac on their desk, a foldable iPad in their backpack and a Vision Pro on the coffee table at home.

That’s no sure thing, of course. Even just the foldable device presents a steep marketing challenge. So far, the foldable concept hasn’t caught on beyond a core group of gadget aficionados, largely because the products are more expensive and clunky.

The question is whether Apple’s more elegant solution will win over consumers — in a way that the Vision Pro hasn’t managed to do. If Apple can pull it off, the device could emerge as the company’s most exciting new offering this decade.

The Bench

Apple’s current Magic Mouse. Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg

Apple starts rethinking the mouse for the modern era. Believe it or not, Apple’s Magic Mouse was introduced more than 15 years ago. Think of the Apple world back in 2009: The iPad hadn’t even been announced, Steve Jobs was still chief executive officer, and iPhones had tiny screens. The mouse was groundbreaking at the time because you could run your finger across the top to scroll and make gestures — something we now take for granted.

In recent years, Apple made some tweaks to Magic Mouse, but only minor ones. It moved from AA batteries to a rechargeable system, swapped in a lighter case with a smoother glide, and (just last month) switched from a Lightning connector to a USB-C port.

At no time over the last 15 years did Apple resolve the major complaints about the mouse’s design. From the start, critics have griped that it wasn’t ergonomic or comfortable to use. An even bigger issue: The charging port is located on the bottom of the mouse, so it can’t be used while plugged in. (I’ve never been too concerned about this myself. The mouse charges quickly, and you only have to do it so often.)

The good news is, there’s a new Magic Mouse in the works. I’m told that Apple’s design team has been prototyping versions of the accessory in recent months, aiming to devise something that better fits the modern era.

In a computing world now infused with touch screens, voice commands and hand gestures, the mouse isn’t as crucial as it once was. But it’s still the go-to input device when you need to make precise moves. Apple is looking to create something that’s more relevant, while also fixing longstanding complaints — yes, including the charging port issue.

As for when the mouse will arrive, I wouldn’t expect anything in the next 12 to 18 months. But the current Magic Mouse is nearing the end of its life, and Apple is working on a full overhaul. Once the design group settles on a final form, it will still take months or years of hardware engineering, software development and operations work to actually bring the mouse to market.

Apple’s first-generation AirTag. Photographer: The Washington Post

Apple’s new AirTag to be findable from longer range with new ultrawide-band chip. I’ve already reported a couple of times that Apple is preparing a new AirTag for next year, an upgrade that improves the onboard wireless chip and security features. Now I can share that the next AirTag will be getting a new ultrawide-band chip on par with the one introduced in the iPhone 15. That will considerably increase the range of the new AirTag, meaning it will be easier to find any items that you’ve attached it to. Right now, the AirTag can be located with Precision Finding from about 10 to 30 meters away, depending on conditions. The new model should triple that by using the next-generation ultrawide-band chip, I’m told.

Apple Watch Ultra 2. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Apple’s next smartwatch upgrades: satellite connectivity and hypertension detection. Apple’s upcoming Ultra 3 smartwatch will get the same satellite feature that’s currently available on the iPhone. That means outdoor enthusiasts can leave their phone behind and still reach emergency services and their iMessage contacts using the Globalstar satellite network. I don’t anticipate that this feature will be coming to non-Ultra models — it will likely be a perk used to justify the Ultra’s $799 price.

Apple also has made progress on a hypertension detection feature, which has been in development for several years and was previously planned for 2024’s models. Rather than giving users a specific reading, the system will notify them if it believes they’re in a state of hypertension. They then can get a traditional cuff reading of their blood pressure. If you used the sleep apnea alerts on the latest models, you’ll recognize this approach. That feature will tell you if it thinks you have the condition and then recommend you see a doctor. The strategy allows Apple to toe the line between offering helpful health features and creating an actual medical device.

The satellite and hypertension capabilities also fit with Apple’s broader plan of positioning its watch as a health and safety device. Further in the future, I still expect the Apple Watch to get noninvasive glucose tracking, but a number of challenges need to be overcome. That project is already one of the longest-running efforts in Apple’s history, and the technology won’t be ready for market anytime soon.

Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Apple’s other major chip shift: an in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth component. For years, analysts and investors have been waiting for Apple to switch to in-house cellular modem chips, a move that would displace components from Qualcomm Inc. Now that transition is finally getting close, with Apple preparing to put its own modem in the new iPhone SE and a thinner iPhone next year. Higher-end iPhones, iPads and other products are slated to adopt the homegrown part by early 2027.

But another more below-the-radar change is also underway: the launch of an Apple chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections — code-named Proxima — that will replace some components currently supplied by Broadcom Inc. This wireless chip will follow a similar pattern as the modem. It will launch in some products next year, including in a new Apple TV, HomePod mini and the iPhone 17. The component will then come to other products during 2026.

As with the modem switch, this is a risky endeavor. Nobody wants a device that will drop Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections. But there also will be rewards if Apple can execute a smooth transition. The company can eventually integrate its modem and wireless chips, allowing for new types of features and improving power efficiency. The payoff should extend beyond mobile devices: Apple’s renewed push into smart home technology also should benefit.

Post Game Q&A

Q: What do you think of Apple Intelligence so far?
A: My opinion of Apple Intelligence hasn’t really changed: I think the capabilities were rushed and mostly ineffective. Look at the summary features for incoming email and text messages. The email recaps are OK, but the text summaries don’t work very well. More impressive features are in the iOS 18.2 update, including an integration with ChatGPT, a visual intelligence service, Genmoji custom emoji and the Image Playground tool. The first two features are great, but they rely on OpenAI and Google to work, which just shows you how far behind Apple is in the AI race. I don’t use Genmoji as much as I had anticipated, while Image Playground — which lets you use AI to spruce up pictures — is fun to play with when you’re bored. The bottom line is that Apple is still far from being a force in AI.

Q: What’s your take on the Google Android XR announcement?
A: Last week’s unveiling of a new Android operating system for extended-reality devices highlights Google’s stark contrast with Apple. In Cupertino, the goal is to create a combined system — hardware, software and services — that provides a finely tuned experience. Google, meanwhile, wants to get its software on as many devices as possible. That was true of Google’s original Android operating system, and the approach extends to its new Android XR software for headsets and augmented-reality glasses. I got to spend an hour playing with Samsung Electronics Co.’s Moohan headset, which is set to be the first Android XR device to launch, and some Google AR glasses — and was generally impressed. Apple may have an advantage from tighter integration, but Google seems to be on the right track here. The OS itself is smooth and isn’t missing many obvious features. I also was impressed with the Samsung hardware, which seemed more comfortable than the Vision Pro. The AR glasses, however, don’t yet feel like polished products ready for market.

Q: How far off are Apple’s AR smart glasses?
A: I’m told that Apple continues to work on smart glasses with augmented reality, but that nothing is coming in the near future. The company needs to solve a difficult formula: getting a lightweight design to market with suitable battery life and compelling displays — all at a price that won’t break the bank for consumers. If Apple can’t pull that off, there’s little point in putting a product out under its brand. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple takes another three to five years to get the approach right, as surprising as that may sound given the momentum we’re seeing from Meta Platforms Inc., Google, Xreal Inc. and other AR players.

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The Starters

The Bench

Post Game Q&A

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