Apple analyst suggests foldable iPad might come as early as 2024

American tech giant Apple could be on track to release a foldable iPad as early as next year, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reported The Verge, an American technology news website.

According to the outlet, on Monday Kuo tweeted, "I'm positive about the foldable iPad in 2024 and expect this new model will boost shipments and improve the product mix,"

He expects it to be joined by a revamped iPad Mini, due to enter mass production in early 2024. The anticipated iPad foldable will reportedly have a "carbon fibre" kickstand made by the Chinese component company Anjie Technology, according to Kuo, who didn't provide many other specifics.

A 2024 release date is significantly earlier than the last significant foldable iPad prediction, which came from Display Supply Chain Consultant analyst Ross Young last February, reported The Verge.

He reported that Apple is developing a foldable iPad/MacBook hybrid with a roughly 20-inch folding screen, but anticipated that it won't be ready for release until 2026.

Later, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman stated that Apple had been investigating a dual-screen foldable, and he added that when the gadget is used as a MacBook-style clamshell, the bottom half of the display would function as a virtual keyboard.

Although Gurman did not provide a specific release date forecast, he did say in October that Apple's foldable iPad would debut "later in the decade," as per The Verge.