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Portables (Apple) Apple

Apple is Working on an iPad and MacBook Hybrid With a 20-inch Folding Display, Report Says (theverge.com) 56

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Apple may be working on a device with a 20-inch foldable display, which Apple tracker Mark Gurman describes as an "iPad / MacBook hybrid" in Bloomberg's Power On newsletter. The Verge: Gurman says that Apple is, indeed, exploring the possibility of a folding device of the sort, backing up the claims of Ross Young, the CEO and analyst at Display Supply Chain Consultants. Gurman claims the device will feature a dual-screen display that omits a physical keyboard and trackpad -- navigating and typing on the device will be entirely touchscreen-based.
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Apple is Working on an iPad and MacBook Hybrid With a 20-inch Folding Display, Report Says More

Apple is Working on an iPad and MacBook Hybrid With a 20-inch Folding Display, Report Says

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  • I swear they have an entire anti-ergonomics department.

    • Please explain in detail, the article didn't show the product, or any of the details, just the fact that they were using folding displays on a hybrid product.

      As someone who uses a normal PC, and Android based phones for years. When I got my hands on a new Apple product, I never though, on how bad it was to the user. Often it did a few things a little differently, but I could see why they did it that way, vs the way I am use to.

      • Please explain in detail

        Their keyboards are complete trash. Beyond that, I don't know.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zekica ( 1953180 )
        GP assumes that this foldable will have a screen instead of keyboard, which is what I also got from the article even if this is just speculation. They refer to Thinkpad X1 Fold which does that.

        • It's right in the summary quote:

          typing on the device will be entirely touchscreen-based.

          But they haven't had a good keyboard on anything for most of the last 20 years. Really a shame they put the fingerprint reader on the keyboard for the new iMac.

        • How is that Anti-ergonomics? This is from someone who uses a mechanical keyboard, because I like the feel of it. However, a touch interface done well isn't a big issue for me either. We don't know what Apple is going to do with a touch keyboard in that layout. They could bomb, or make something really good.

          • Are you serious? Have you tried touch typing on a touchscreen?

            It's uncomfortable, inefficient, and in general sucks ass. Which is there's a thriving market for external keyboards for tablets.

            OP is, I think, using the info in the article (that it has no keyboard, and is dual-folding screen, to infer that one of the screens will be a touchscreen keyboard.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by jddj ( 1085169 )

            You can't touch-type on an on-screen keyboard. Well, I and most other people can't. It's an AWFUL idea.

            No, please don't.

            I think my 2019 MBP 16 (a step up from the prior version, but just OK in many ways) is my last Mac, anyway. I've been trying to move as many use cases to Linux as possible, and with the exception of (a good) RAW photo and image editing workflow, I'm about there.

    • I swear they have an entire anti-ergonomics department.

      Apple (like many other companies) work on a crap-tonne of prototypes for all different things that never see the light of day. I have no trouble believing they are working on this and likely have a bunch of working prototypes but I doubt any of them would be released as products any time soon.

  • with all of the ios lockdown!

  • Jack of all trades, master of none. Hybrid sort of devices are usually crap, they do both tasks at a mediocre level. Maybe Apple will figure it out though...
    • It's probably their idea of a Chomebook, that their users will claim was entirely new and original.

      • that their users will claim was entirely new and original.
        Wow, you are not an Apple hater but an Apple Users hater?

        What did an Apple user ever do wrong to you?

        You know: users are users. They switch a device on and use it, thats it. They hardly know anything about the device, nor do they claim anything.

        So why do you care?

      • Their idea of a Chromebook is an iPad, with or without a Bluetooth keyboard. In fact, it was the original. Chromebooks are cheaper and that's an important selling point. But don't think the Chromebook would exist without the iPad being in classrooms already.

    • The full saying is “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

      A well engineered product, often has parts that serve multiple purposes. The reason why EV's have Glass roofs, isn't just because they look cool and seem futuristic, but because the floor is a few inches taller to deal with the battery pack, it is used to improve headroom in the car.

      Back 100 years ago, we had a set of single use technologies that we no longer use practically, as it has been

      • The full saying is “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

        That wive's tale is bullshit. [wikipedia.org]
        Feel free to go through the cites if you're about to throw out a blanket "but wikipedia" argument.

        • Either way, basing your views based on an old saying, is rather stupid.

          Because you can have a person who has no focus what so ever and does a lot of things poorly.
          or
          you have a guy who still does a lot of things and does them adequately
          or
          you have a guy who is good at one thing but does everything else poorly.
          or
          you have a guy who is good at one thing but does other things adequately.

          If you are a small business or an organization. You are much better off with Jacks of All trades, because they are more flexib

          • Either way, basing your views based on an old saying, is rather stupid.

            No argument there, but that doesn't in any way make a saying wrong.
            I.e., because something is a saying does not make it right OR wrong.

            In this instance, I'm pretty sure that "jack of all trades, master of none" is absolutely in no way wise.
            But I'm also really sure that "but still better than a master of one" is even worse.

            Jacks of all trades are great. Particularly if you live on a farm.
            But call me when one of those jacks of all trades builds you a cell phone.

            More relevant to this, if a device is m

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by lsllll ( 830002 )
            Don't get me wrong. I'm a jack of all trades, but I fully suspect that a jack of all trades was responsible for the web site in question in the Bobby Tables [xkcd.com] cartoon. I think a jack of all trades needs to know when the consequences of what s/he is doing are so great that s/he should talk with a master of one.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gtall ( 79522 )

      Yeah, it sounds like FrankenMac to me.

  • Hybrid (Score:3)

    by rossdee ( 243626 ) on Monday February 28, 2022 @10:52AM (#62311619)

    It runs on both electricity and gasoline.

  • Now if anyone can pull off something like this from a design and usability perspective it would be apple but I just cant imagine this working, it sounds both worse than an iPad Pro or a Macbook Air.

    We have seen dozens of concepts for touchscreen keyboards and all of them have fallen flat because typing is innately tactile. While one can correctly point out we had this discussion in the pre-iphone era when physical keyboards ruled the smartphone market until the iphone brought all touch typing to the forefr

    • On an iPad you - oops, my english - one uses all ten fingers for typing. And it works damn fine. for everything else, one connects a bluetooth keyboard. Like everyone else.

  • attention everyone (Score:3)

    by v1 ( 525388 ) on Monday February 28, 2022 @10:57AM (#62311649) Homepage Journal

    Please stop making foldable stuff just because it's trendy!

    Foldable is more expensive to manufacture, more difficult to develop software for, and takes many design iterations to achieve reasonable durability

  • That's the subhead under TFA. Apple has tried a lot of different concepts over the years, many of which are rumored but never come to fruition. Cold a foldable device as described come out someday? Maybe, especially if haptic technology gets to the point of mimicking keys and can provide tactile differentiation for keycaps on a glass screen. That would mean one device could have multiple keyboards as needed using software, simplifying the supply chain as well as making the device user customizable. The iP

    • Haptics mimicking the feel of keys is a best case scenario. The supply chain concerns are warranted but keyboard typing is still going to be a lifelong career for many. There is zero recoil cushioning to tapping on a touch screen and a lifetime of doing so will lead to RSIs.

    • The iPhones emoji keyboard would make it to the Mac.

      Isn't that already on the Macbook Pro's touch bar?

      • The iPhones emoji keyboard would make it to the Mac.

        Isn't that already on the Macbook Pro's touch bar?

        Only the non AS Mac

      • The iPhones emoji keyboard would make it to the Mac.

        Isn't that already on the Macbook Pro's touch bar?

        They got rid of that shit on last year's Macbook Pro refresh so only the old 13" model has it. They never really committed to it anyway, it wasn't available for their desktops or all-in-ones. Even then for the emojis it's a one-line display that you need to scroll along which was pretty crap anyway.

  • "This has no purpose."
    "It's not innovative. Company (X) did that in year (Y)."
    "Anybody who would buy this is (insert mental deficiency)."
    "I don't get it which means there's nothing to get!"
    "Get off my lawn!" (and simultaneously) "Apple's stagnant!"

    It's getting old. At some point people are just going to have to admit that 2.7T Apple's on to something.

    "Yeah, they appeal to sheep!"

    Maybe some. In the same way that I could peruse the linux dev forums and conclude that linux appeals to assholes.

    Nearly everybody

    • And then, "Apple invented foldable computers"

    • Well we all know nothing isn't as good as it was when we were the ages of 15-25. Those days where your parents paid for your room and board, you were old enough to have a degree of freedom, and often access to a job, which went straight into spending money. So you could get what ever was the coolest tech back then, and you had the time to fully embrace it and figure it out. Their flaws were just from Old People who didn't want to understand it.

      The stuff older then new stuff of our golden age of 15-25, s

    • Most people I know owning a Mac are either:
      a) software developers
      b) Professionals running a unique software that is either only available on the Mac, or is superior that the Windows version, or even was bundled with a Mac

      Number d) the home users exist, I know one - but only one.

      a) you would be surprised that the developers usually develop in Java, and have a few Linux VMs or at least some Docker containers running
      b) are either professionals who e.g. run their hair dresser shop (yes, such a triviality) becau

      • Let me guess... you're a developer and most people you know are developers. Sure, Mac market share is only 10%, so you'd need to know at least 10 ordinary people and their computer tastes to even have a sample size of one.

  • Sounds like people will be paying to Beta test something. I will stick to my Mac mini + Logitech gaming keyboard
  • "says that Apple is, indeed, exploring the possibility of a folding device of the sort," - is this really news?

    Tim cook might fart, news at 11.
  • You can read a prediction made in 2012 (ten years ago!) regarding this potential 2-screen setup here: http://www.eliax.com/index.cfm... [eliax.com] Or in english using google translate: https://www-eliax-com.translat... [translate.goog] Note: This was the very first time someone came up with the name "iPad Air" on the Internet.

  • I'm one of the owners of the failed attempt at super low travel keyboards (butterfly keys...rev 2 in case it matters). It felt like an attempt to take up almost the same space as not having a keyboard. Yeah, I can function on it. And better than typing on a touch screen, or using that laser light based projector/camera thing (fake keyboard on a table).

    Honestly I think small chorded keyboards are the best solution to a portable input device like a keyboard. No, I haven't bought one yet. In part because

  • Oh oh. I know what they can call this iPad and MacBook hybrid. The iBook.

  • I've said it before - I thought the whole point of those horrible (in my opinion) butterfly keyboards was to serve as a transitional device between the "old style" (circa 2015) Apple keyboards and a completely haptic keyboard with no actual moving keys - basically to get people used to drumming their fingers on a non-moving piece of metal or glass.

    I don't think Ive and Apple realized just how many people would loathe that keyboard.

    • I doubt that is what they were thinking... but if they get the haptics right, I'd be on board with a keyboard that doesn't collect dust and crap. The old iphone haptic button felt more like a real button than the butterfly keyboard.

  • What do apple fans think of this âoeproductâ? Iâ(TM)d say itâ(TM)s not a planned product, just too nonsensical.

  • I'm sure Apple are playing with many things, but why would you make a foldable Mac? I mean, you need a keyboard, and I don't fancy the longevity of pounding away on a virtual keyboard with that weak plastic foldable screen.

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