MacBook Folio concept smoothly merges laptop and tablet

By

MacBook Folio concept smoothly merges laptop and tablet
The MacBook Folio is proposal for the folding Mac Apple is reportedly working on.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio

If Apple makes a folding Mac, it might look a lot like the MacBook Folio. A concept artist dreamed up this merger of macOS laptop and tablet.

But it’s not a mere daydream — a reliable source says Apple is interested in developing a foldable MacBook with a 20-inch screen.

A vision for a folding MacBook

MacBook Folio is the creation of Antonio De Rosa of ADR Studio, a concept artist with a penchant for imaging possible Apple devices.

“When the foldable screens will be something reliable, a new kind of Apple device could appear on our desks,” says De Rosa. “Let’s imagine the first of his species, MacBook Folio, a foldable notebook with TouchId side-button, FaceID, a revamped AirPen and a gorgeous screen.”

The concept Mac has the general shape of a laptop but with an extra-large folding display stretching down to take the place of a physical keyboard. As De Rosa demonstrates in a video, that would give the user the option to hide the keyboard, or use a variety of on-screen keyboard layouts.

Flexible screens are a way to put a display too large for today’s MacBooks into a reasonable-size portable computer. And a computer with a sizable folding display would be both notebook and tablet.

But the MacBook Folio concept holds onto the traditional trackpad. And an AirPen stylus is also included in the design.

It’s really possible

While the MacBook Folio is only a concept, Apple is reportedly considering something similar. Ross Young, a display expert and a tipster with a formidable reputation for accuracy, said recently that Cupertino is interested in developing a MacBook with a folding screen. This could have a display as large as 20 inches in a chassis no larger than today’s macOS laptops.

De Rosa didn’t list any specifications, like screen size, for his latest concept. He’s floating an idea, not a finished design.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.