Apple may not have any current plans to release products with foldable screens this year, but that hasn’t stopped other companies from imagining what a foldable Mac screen might look like.
On Tuesday, April 30, Luna Display released concept images it developed to show its vision of a foldable Mac screen. A blog post from the display technology company also accompanied the images and explained its proposed design concept.
The concept image blog post contained three photos of the design concept. All three photos depicted different angles and uses of Luna Display’s proposed “Foldable Mac-iPad Combo” device.
This concept design is essentially a large, Mac-sized foldable screen that can either be folded with a portrait orientation to provide two-screens or unfolded and “turned horizontally, into a larger, flat display,” resembling a desktop Mac and appearing to need a stand to prop it up. Luna Display’s Mac-iPad hybrid concept also includes support for user interface interactions involving a mouse, keyboard, Apple Pencil, and touch display. Luna Display industrial designer Federico Donelli designed the concept images.
While Luna Display’s Mac/iPad foldable screen hybrid device isn’t real and only exists in these concept images, the company also provided a workaround for Apple-product enthusiasts who want a “foldable-screen experience” right now. The workaround is a workspace setup that combines the following products: A MacBook Pro or Air, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a Luna Display, a MacBook stand, and an external mouse and keyboard. The result is visually similar to the concept images Luna Display developed for its imagined Mac-iPad hybrid device. The main difference is that the MacBook stand also elevates the Mac devices above the desk.
The use of foldable screens in consumer technology is one of today’s most buzz-worthy design trends, and it’s unsurprising that people are curious to know when, how, or if Apple will address the trend with its products. While many other brands are quick to jump and join in on the foldable screen, 9to5Mac notes Apple is still “likely years away from a foldable iPhone and even further from a foldable tablet/Mac.” Hopefully, Apple’s slower start with foldable phones means they’re taking the time to get it right. After all, we don’t want another repeat of Samsung’s rough Galaxy Fold rollout.
