Apple’s long-rumored foldable “iPad Ultra” may be on ice, with new leaks suggesting the company has paused development of what was shaping up to be a super-premium iPad and MacBook hybrid.
The latest chatter comes from leaker Instant Digital, who claims Apple’s hardware leadership has started pivoting away from the foldable iPad concept. The big reason reportedly isn’t a lack of ambition, but a harsh business reality: recent high-end iPad Pro models haven’t been selling as strongly as expected. Even with top-tier performance and a cutting-edge OLED screen, demand reportedly softened across late 2024 and into 2025, making Apple less eager to gamble on an even more expensive, more complex iPad.
At the center of the story is a prototype said to feature a massive 20-inch foldable OLED display, essentially a go-anywhere workstation that blurs the line between tablet and laptop. Internally, the device was viewed positively from a design and concept standpoint, but the physical and financial costs appear to have become major roadblocks.
One of the biggest issues is weight. The foldable iPad prototype is rumored to have tipped the scales at around 3.5 pounds (about 1.6 kg), which would make it heavier than some popular Apple laptops. For a product meant to sell the dream of portability and flexibility, that kind of heft is a tough sell—especially when a traditional laptop can feel lighter, sturdier, and more practical for many buyers.
Then there’s the price. The foldable “iPad Ultra” is rumored to have started at roughly $3,900. That number matters because it pushes the device into premium laptop territory—and beyond—at the exact moment when even the current iPad Pro lineup may be facing resistance from shoppers. In other words, Apple would be trying to convince people to spend close to $4,000 on a foldable iPad when many consumers are already questioning where the iPad fits between a phone and a Mac.
The design direction would also put Apple into a category where at least one major competitor already has a similar idea on the market: a large foldable-screen computer built around the “one device that transforms” concept. That comparison only raises the stakes, because Apple would be expected to deliver a lighter build, a more refined folding mechanism, and a better software experience—while still keeping the product compelling at an ultra-premium price.
Importantly, this doesn’t mean Apple is done with foldables. The same leak indicates other “Ultra” plans are still moving forward, including a foldable iPhone Ultra and a touchscreen OLED MacBook concept that could land in 2026 (or potentially slip into early 2027). In that context, the foldable iPad appears to be the odd one out—not because Apple can’t build it, but because the economics and usability trade-offs may not work right now.
For the moment, the message is clear: a 20-inch foldable iPad-MacBook hybrid sounds futuristic, but between weaker iPad Pro momentum, sky-high production costs, heavy hardware, and a rumored $3,900 starting point, Apple may be waiting for the market (and the technology) to catch up before it takes that leap.
