Apple’s foldable Mac project may remain a long-term task rather than being halted, an analysis said. It said the biggest obstacle to commercialisation is not the foldable display itself but delivering a laptop-level keyboard experience when the screen is unfolded.

On Sept. 7, U.S. time, IT outlet 9to5Mac reported that Apple is not at the stage of releasing a foldable Mac or an iPad-based device soon, but it has not abandoned the direction of foldable device development.

There have also been reports that a foldable device project that ranked high in priority under John Ternus has been cancelled. The latest analysis said it is hard to conclude the project has ended completely, suggesting only that plans for a first-generation product may have been pushed down the list.

Apple’s long-term concept is also said to be closer to a foldable Mac centred on the display than a hybrid device that simply combines a Mac and an iPad.

The biggest issue is the input method. For a foldable Mac to launch in a form distinct from existing laptops, it must be able to use a wide single display when unfolded. But with today’s laptop structure, where a physical keyboard is fixed, it is difficult to fully leverage the advantages of folding and unfolding the screen.

That has led to discussion of a dynamic hardware keyboard as an early task Apple would need to solve. It would change key layouts or function labels depending on the app being used. For example, when a video editing program is running, it could show shortcuts and functions needed for editing rather than a standard QWERTY layout. The approach would allow the input environment to change by software while maintaining tactile feedback from physical keys.

Ultimately, the goal could be to use the display itself as a keyboard without physical keys. But the technical challenges are greater at that stage. Tapping on a flat glass surface for a long time is more fatiguing than using a standard keyboard. Users also confirm input through the tactile sensation of keys being pressed, and when touch-typing they feel key positions with their fingertips.

Apple has already presented technology to address this in patents. One approach is to use a flexible display so that when a user presses a virtual key, the screen surface physically deforms, or to use a haptic motor to provide feedback similar to pressing a physical key.

It has also proposed technology that uses electrostatics to deliver subtle texture changes to fingertips even on a flat screen. The idea is to let users feel the position of virtual keys shown on the display, aiming to deliver an input experience similar to a physical keyboard.

There are other research cases as well. In 2023, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University studied ways to implement tactile feedback on surfaces without physical keys, such as screens or trackpads.

Apple’s Mac trackpad is also cited as a precedent because it provides the sensation of an actual click without physically moving parts. If the technology advances sufficiently, a soft keyboard could also deliver a user experience closer to a physical keyboard in a way similar to a trackpad.

If Apple were to release a foldable Mac, how it is used could also differ from existing laptops. When used like a laptop, users could display a keyboard on the screen and change layouts to fit the task. When watching video, the device could be fully unfolded to serve as a large single screen. Sketching or note-taking using Apple Pencil could also be a representative function that takes advantage of the larger screen.

For these reasons, the analysis said it is hard to interpret Apple’s current foldable Mac development as a simple “launch cancellation”. It said the project can instead be seen as remaining a long-term task until technology to deliver a new input experience matures enough, rather than the foldable display itself.