Apple testing color Electronic Paper Display foldable screens, says Kuo

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple is testing with an Electronic Paper Display (EPD) from a company named E Ink, which could be for a cover, or part of a folding screen.

E-ink is best known as the technology used by Amazon Kindle, and Apple has previously been researching the use of it for many years. However, it's also the name of a company using unrelated technology.

Kuo belatedly followed this tweet with a second one clarifying that E Ink, as opposed to e-Ink, is the name of a company. There's no information that it has previously worked with Apple, but it does produce color screens called "ePaper," which has been used in BMW cars.

The claim that this EPD could be used as a cover because of its power-saving, suggest that the iPad might gain an always-on case. That could conceivably show basic status information such as the time and notifications, but Kuo expects unspecified "tablet-like applications."

A cover or second screen doesn't automatically have to be folding itself, it could mean that two halves of a folded screen might be separate displays. Apple has ">previously researched using multiple e-Ink displays.

Kuo revived his long-dormant Twitter account in March, 2022. Since then, he has been tweeting reports and predictions and seemingly rather than issuing his previous investor notes.

Those notes were always clearer about Kuo's sources, inasmuch as they said whether it was based on supply chain information. His tweets are sometimes less clear, and many appear to be supposition based on his previous experience with Apple.

In this case, however, despite him not citing any sources, it appears he means it as a factual account of what is happening at Apple right now, rather than extrapolating what could be soon.

Ming-Chi Kuo has recently predicted that Apple will release an iPhone Fold in 2023.