As is often the case, Apple has leaked its own hardware. Here are the signs that the folding iPhone and MacBook Pro with touchscreen are coming, and where they are.
The release of the first developer betas of macOS 27 Golden Gate, iOS 27, and others was followed by the inevitable deep dive into the changes. All to find out what Apple is planning for the future.
In Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman lays out multiple items that were found in the initial betas relating to inbound hardware. He refers to them as the first real evidence from Apple relating to the iPhone Fold and a MacBook with a touchscreen.
The changes, he insists, are made to support the new form factors.
iPhone Fold
For the iPhone Fold, Gurman first points to the iPhone Mirroring app included in macOS 27. The tool has been updated so it can be stretched wide enough for iPad-like layouts, like an opened iPhone Fold’s main display.
There were also a number of iPhone Fold code references in iOS 27, including mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees” and the number of hardware displays. This would directly tie into the iPhone Fold and determining how open or closed the device is.
The last bit of evidence Gurman talks about is the direction from Apple during the WWDC keynote. Developers should be taking a concept known as app adaptability into account, namely making the same app work on a variety of screen sizes.
This could be taken to mean accounting for differences between models and generations. It’s a more extreme concept when you consider the squarer display expected from the iPhone Fold.
Touchscreen MacBook
When it comes to the touch-enabled MacBook, Gurman starts off by pointing out how Sidecar now supports full touch input access across macOS from the iPad. This could really just be a much-needed improvement to how Sidecar functions, but it can be interpreted as a precursor to the supposed MacBook.
He also writes about the tweaks to the macOS user interface to support pull-to-refresh. This is a design idea more common to smartphones and tablets, but it does work with trackpads and mice, with touch support a future possibility.
For both of these points, it certainly plays into the idea of a touchscreen interface. It seems unlikely that Apple would build them into macOS just for a better Sidecar experience.
Lastly, he claims that the new pill-shaped Siri Search and Ask interface on the Mac is something that would work on a Dynamic Island-style interface. He believes that this could be coming as part of a future touch MacBook.
Expected evidence
Normally, when we talk about leakers, we discuss their track record and how much their claims line up with the reality of the situation. When it comes to Gurman, he has a pretty good level of accuracy when it comes to leaks and rumor sourcing, making him one of the top people in the Apple rumor mill.
This time around, it’s not really a piece detailing rumors, but instead collates known facts that have surfaced in the week of availability for the betas. He’s analyzing facts, and pinning the discoveries onto some well-rumored items.
Quite frankly, he is right to do so. Both are well-rumored pieces of kit that are still ever so out of reach of consumers.
When it comes to the touchscreen MacBook, it’s something that has surfaced regularly over the years. But there are rumors about a major MacBook Pro refresh on the horizon that could use it.
Back in February, Gurman insisted that the touchscreen models will arrive by the end of 2026, complete with OLED and using a Dynamic Island at the top center of the screen. Other leakers have also chimed in on the rumors, making a fall launch seem more likely.
As for the iPhone Fold, the general specifications for the model have been rumored for quite some time. It’s even reached the point that dummy units are being produced, which is usually an indicator of an impending launch.
With the iPhone Fold expected in the fall as part of Apple’s split launch strategy, the timing of the physical models is apt.
Ultimately, Apple’s operating systems are due to arrive in the fall alongside a bunch of hardware launches. This is business as usual for Apple, and it has been this way for years.
The company has a culture of secrecy that entails hiding as much as possible from prying eyes until launches happen. But it certainly can’t hide everything, especially when it needs to get developers prepared for those fall product announcements.
They are justifiable leaks. Not only utilitarian in preparing developers, but also helping to stir the pot and excite onlookers for what’s to come.
