Have a very merry... iPhone Fold? Apple might not put its first foldable phone on sale until the end of the year, if one insider is to be believed.

Stock analyst Tim Long of Barclays said in a research note to the investment bank earlier this month that he expects Apple to begin selling its first foldable phone in December, three months after previous reports suggested. So far, Long is the only one advancing that speculation. Long said supply chain issues could be the reason for the delay, according to MacRumors.

The vast majority of Apple observers expect the Fold or Flip (neither is the official name) to be introduced and go on sale in September, along with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rumors and leaks are just that -- rumors and leaks. While fun to speculate on, they aren't facts. Apple Insider is skeptical about Long's claims for a December launch, citing Long's incorrect predictions about the iPhone X and iPhone 16.

In his note to Barclays, Long allegedly speculated that Apple might also bring back the iPhone Plus in its iPhone 18 series in March 2027. The Plus model had disappeared from the Apple roster last September, where it was replaced by the ultraslim iPhone Air. Reports show that iPhone Air sales have been weak -- even as our own CNET reviewer, Abrar Al-Heeti, "fell in love" with it. Currently, Long is also the only one speculating that the Plus will return.

Most Apple observers expect the company to launch the iPhone 18 base model, the budget-friendly iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2 next March.

Apple is late to the party, but so what?

Apple hasn't actually announced or confirmed the launch of its first foldable phone, though many say it's inevitable. The company is falling behind competitors who have launched foldables in recent years, including the Motorola Razr Fold, Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, OnePlus Open, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, Xiaomi Mix Flip and others. 

That lag time is why CNET thinks Apple needs to launch the foldable this year, with Andrew Lanxon writing that Apple "runs the risk of letting a rival like Samsung or Motorola becoming the go-to name for foldables."

But given that Apple is Apple, being late to the party might not matter, says Counterpoint Research. The global tech analyst says Apple's entry into the foldable space will "significantly reshape the competitive landscape," and that the iPhone foldable could capture 28% of the market after entering the game.

Plenty of speculation has been circulating around Apple's potentially intriguing design elements for a flip or foldable device. It might look like two iPhones linked together, and it might not have a crease, which has been a thorn in the side of foldable-phone makers.