Is this the end of the road for the iPad?

With rumours hotting up about the imminent launch of both the fabled folding iPhone and a touchscreen MacBook, there's one Apple product that's starting to look a little, whisper it, redundant. The poor old iPad hasn't received a truly exciting update for a while, and if the Mac and the iPhone are set to close the gap from both sides, can the tablet survive the next few years?

It's already getting harder to decide whether to buy a MacBook or an iPad, thanks to the arrival of the MacBook Neo. Starting at the exact same price of the iPad Air, it's the cheapest MacBook ever, and one that makes the Mac accessible to those who might have otherwise been forced to stick with an iPad. It's getting harder to know who the iPad is for – and even Apple has seemed confused at times.

iPad Pro M4 on a desk with a keyboard attached — The iPad has been touted as a MacBook killer in recent years – but is the truth actually the opposite? (Image credit: Future)

For a long time, Apple kept the iPad and Mac at arms' length from one-another. This mainly took the form of software restrictions; the iPad languished with severely restricted multi-tasking capabilities. But with the advent of iPadOS 26, that all changed, leading to a chorus of chants of "they finally did it!"

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And not only does the iPad feature macOS-esque multitasking now, but hardware updates like the addition of M-series chips and, of course, the optional Magic Keyboard attachment, have turned the iPad into a bonafide laptop replacement.

iPhone Fold render — A folding iPhone could render the iPad mini obsolete (Image credit: AppleInsider)

But while these updates have led many to speculate that the iPad is turning into a MacBook killer, Apple's rumoured product pipeline is flipping the script. If the MacBook gets a touchscreen, and the iPhone gets a tablet sized folding display (potentially with support for Apple Pencil), then do we really need all of those iPad generations?

The budget MacBook Neo has made the Mac much more accessible to the masses (Image credit: Future)

Of course, for illustrators, the MacBook may never be able to compete with the iPad. That tablet slate design is perfect for drawing, and the best drawing apps for iPad are never going to translate to a clamshell laptop design. But that's a niche user base for an entire product line from Apple.

Time will tell what's in store for the iPad, but if the iPhone and the MacBook do gain that large display and touchscreen respectively, that's two of the iPad's biggest unique selling points that are no longer exclusive. It's hard to see where the tablet can go from there.

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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.