These are not three separate devices… This is one device… and we are calling it … Well… wouldn’t we all like to know…
Let’s rewind a bit. I’m sure many of you got the reference. When Steve Jobs presented the iPhone to the world for the first time on January 9th, 2007, he said that Apple was going to introduce three new devices:
A wide screen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough Internet communication’s device.
An iPod, a phone and an Internet communicator
An iPod, a phone… are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device.
And we’re calling it… iPhone. »
Fast forward to today and I’m convinced that Apple could do it again with the foldable iPhone rumored to be launched next year. Just imagine:
« A smartphone, a tablet and a computer: these are not three separate devices anymore. This is one device to do it all. »
Watch Steve Jobs delivering this legendary presentation
A trail of breadcrumbs
To get to this conclusion (or fantasy some might say), I followed a trail of breadcrumbs. It’s not chronological. And of course, it goes without saying that these are just suppositions. But hey…
First, there is the long-awaited upcoming Foldable iPhone that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has been talking about for months now, if not years. But everybody seems to agree now that the iPhone Fold (if it is its name) will be unveiled during the September 2026 iPhone keynote. An event indeed, since foldable phones from the competition have been on the market for years now. But one can easily imagine how it could be introduced: the new iPhone and boom, here, it’s also an iPad.
Second, iPadOS 26 and its new multi-window interface that works almost like a Mac (I wrote about it in French here: Avec iPadOS 26, la tablette d'Apple devient un parfait Mac portable… ou fixe !). Add a keyboard and a mouse and you’re in front of a computer. Try it on a 13inch iPad and it’s getting really close to a MacBook Air. And when you connect the tablet to an external monitor, the transformation is complete, reaching desktop level usage.
Third, the detail that coalesced everything in my mind. During Sept. 2025 keynote video, 46 minutes and 33 seconds in, Apple’s VP of platform architecture Tim Millet, simply says that the A19 Pro chip offers « MacBook Pro level of compute in an iPhone » (watch it here). And, mind you, he said this while introducing the iPhone Air, not even when talking about the iPhone 17 Pro, which also uses the A19 Pro chip in an even more powerful version. Before that, Apple was only talking about the iPad apps being "desktop class" (without anybody knowing what it meant).
Tim Millet, VP Apple Platform, saying that A19 Pro offer MacBook Pro level of compute on an iPhone, during Sept. 2025 iPhone event
So how would that work?
Well, if you put things together and basing this on the devices we have today, we can imagine the following:
- Take a Samsung Z Fold 7 or an Honor Magic v5 with the overall design of two iPhone Air put together
- Displaying iPadOS inside when you unfold it or…
- Displaying iPadOS only when you plug it in to an external monitor, via a connecting hub: in that case you could have a mouse and a keyboard waiting for you at a desk to use as your main computer. Just like you can do with the DeX feature that transforms Samsung smartphones into desktop. But, obviously, with the added benefit of the complete Apple ecosystem.
A case of cannibalism?
But, wait: Apple wouldn’t do that, Fabrice. They would rather sell you three devices than one, wouldn’t they? Sure. And it’s basically been the motto for years at Apple. If you listen to Tim Cook, he uses every single Apple product every day (see this article on The Verge) because they don’t serve the same purpose. Still, Apple is no stranger to cannibalizing its own products in order to close the door on their competition. Look what happened to the iPod: when the iPhone started its upswing, Apple didn’t try to save its share of the portable music player market. The iPhone could do both.
A lot of people consider that Apple is a little late in the folding phone game. One way for Cupertino to outsmart its competitors would be to come out with a foldable device that doesn’t only fold and unfold, but that could also really replace the computer. In the « What’s a computer » ad from 2018, Apple was already trying to make the case for the iPad being able to replace a Mac or a MacBook. Well, arguably, it could be done by very few people at the time, mainly because of the limitations of iPadOS. But now with iPadOS 26 and the extraordinary level of performance you can put in such a tiny package, basically residing in the camera plateau of iPhone Air, I think you can easily imagine a device that can replace replace the traditional computer for most of the users. Tech is ready now.
What’s in a name?
So, what would Apple call this new device? Well, that’s the trillion dollar question isn’t it? The iPhone is such a powerful brand that it’s difficult to imagine Apple abandoning it yet. So, here are a few thoughts, that I would gladly discuss with anyone:
- iPhone Max or iPhone Ultra? Thing is, it would still only carry the idea of being a smartphone, albeit maxed-out in any way imaginable.
- iPad Book… or even the return of the iBook name? Probably not, if only because it seems that Apple would rather not use the « i" too much
- A new « Apple
» device ? I would bet on that. Here are my few ideas : the Apple Unfold, the Apple Fusion, the Apple Omni
Any ideas? I’m all ears.
