Apple has indeed been advancing internally on development of a larger foldable iPad, a device described as a foldable tablet with a roughly 20-inch display. However, although the project is real, it is still full of uncertainty whether it will eventually be launched as an official product.
The report pointed out that the outside world has continued to focus on Apple’s folding screen product route in recent years, especially the folding version of the iPhone that is generally expected to debut later in 2026. In contrast, although this folding iPad, which has been rumored many times, is also under development, it is obviously less likely to actually make it to the market.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in the latest issue of the "Power On" newsletter, this foldable iPad has been secretly developed within Apple and was one of the key projects promoted by John Ternus, who will take over as Apple CEO in September this year, during his tenure as head of hardware.
However, even if the project is led by a future owner, it does not mean that it will be transformed into a product for sale to consumers. Many people involved in the project revealed that the device may ultimately remain in the experimental prototype stage and will not be officially released.
The report did not give a clear reason as to why this extra-large foldable iPad might have been abandoned, but outsiders speculated that this may be related to Turners' change in role. As he is promoted to CEO, he needs to coordinate the affairs of the entire company, and the time and energy that can be directly devoted to a single hardware project will inevitably decrease.
It is worth noting that rumors surrounding the folding iPad have been repeated many times before. As early as July 2025, there was news that Apple had suspended the advancement of the project; in October of the same year, Bloomberg also stated that the release time target of this product had been postponed from 2028 to 2029. In March 2026, Gurman further stated that this giant folding iPad may never even come out.
In addition to the challenges of the hardware structure itself, this device seems to also face practical use-level questions, such as how users should perform input operations on such a large folding device. Because of this, the future of this project is still unclear, and the final fate may not be clearer until Apple's new management completes the transition.