Apple might never actually warm up to the idea of touchscreens on a Mac, but a concept artist has imagined what such a rumored Mac/iPad hybrid would look like. And the results are simply stunning. Display supply chain analyst Ross Young recently claimed that a foldable Apple device was reportedly in the pipeline and that it might arrive by the year 2026. Apple won't be the first to the foldable computer party, though, as Lenovo and Asus have already done the deed in the Windows ecosystem.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also supported the rumors, adding that Apple's Mac/iPad hybrid will reportedly offer a 20-inch canvas and can effortlessly switch from a traditional MacBook form factor to a large secondary display. The company has reportedly been exploring the idea for the past couple of years, but it is unlikely to see a market release within the next three years at a minimum.

Related: The World's First 17-Inch Foldable Laptop By Asus Looks Gorgeous

That's a long time, but for folks eager to see what the idea might look like in the flesh, there are finally some visuals to satisfy that curiosity. Digital artist Antonio De Rosa has created a bunch of renders and a concept video imagining a Mac with a foldable screen that he calls MacBook Folio. The idea is radical yet looks gorgeous. The device appears as sleek as Microsoft's doomed Surface Neo. The foldable screen occupies the entire frame, leaving just enough space for a physical trackpad and some wrist rest area. The keyboard is a fully on-screen affair. When folded, the device looks like a typical laptop but unfolding it turns the machine into a giant display that looks like a slim graphics tablet.

Satiating Curiosities For A Controversial Wish

apple macbook folio concept by artist
Credit: ADR Studio

The concept renders imagine an all-metal build and flat sides inspired by those seen on the pricey iPad Pro models. There are a pair of USB-C outlets, but that's just about as generous as the concept gets when it comes to port selection. The bezels are kept to a bare minimum, and there's a weird pill + hole cutout at the top that supposedly houses the Face ID sensors. Leaks suggest that a similar setup will be seen on the iPhone 14 Pro models later this year as Apple preps to ditch the wide notch on its phones.

Now, before hopes get too high and imaginations start running wild, it is worth remembering that these are just concept renders based on schematics in an Apple patent application. And as is the case with patents, the ideas might sound revolutionary, but they don’t always get a commercial release. Apple has historically been opposed to the idea of touchscreens on a Mac, even though a healthy number of users out there want one. The TouchBar gave hope that Apple would eventually warm up to the idea, but the company yanked that off its MacBook line in 2020 and has switched to the traditional design language for laptops, with a weird notch thrown into the mix.

Next: Will We Ever Get A Touchscreen Mac? These Patents Say Maybe

Source: ADR Studio