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iPad Version 3 - Speculations

People are already complaining about the 4:3 AR...

The problem with 16:9 is it's great for video but it's stupid for anything else. Typing on a 16:9 in landscape would present a hideous line length. It would look silly too.

Think it all the way through though. The screen rotates 90 degrees. That would make typing manageable.

So the choice is either:
a) silly line length
b) midget fingers to type on the portrait keyboard

Um, no. The difference between the iPad and every other device (laptops, desktops, etc) is the iPad has to accommodate the onscreen keyboard too. They would either have to make the device ridiculously tall or so narrow as to be unusable for anything meaningful (other than watching movies that is).
 
I think the iPad 3 will definitely have a retina display.

If it also has 16x9, I might even buy one. I wouldn't buy an iPad that didn't (without 16x9, it wouldn't be enough of an upgrade from my existing unit). I mean, why wouldn't a future iPad have 16x9? All displays are in that ratio now. On iMacs, laptops, and of course TVs. Why should the iPad be any different?

16x9 is an awkward shape for a tablet, IMHO. When I used a Galaxy tab (7 inch, 16:9) I found that the only usable orientation was landscape, whereas the iPad works really well in both orientations. I'm guessing that Apple's going to stick with 4:3 for their tablet line.
 
The iPad could still have a 16x9 screen while not compromising the shape of the whole device. They could just have more of the surface area be the screen itself, as opposed to a border that surrounds it. The home button could even be made 'virtual'.
 
I think the iPad 3 will definitely have a retina display.

If it also has 16x9, I might even buy one. I wouldn't buy an iPad that didn't (without 16x9, it wouldn't be enough of an upgrade from my existing unit). I mean, why wouldn't a future iPad have 16x9? All displays are in that ratio now. On iMacs, laptops, and of course TVs. Why should the iPad be any different?

16x9 is an awkward shape for a tablet, IMHO. When I used a Galaxy tab (7 inch, 16:9) I found that the only usable orientation was landscape, whereas the iPad works really well in both orientations. I'm guessing that Apple's going to stick with 4:3 for their tablet line.

Yeah, the 4:3 aspect is a lot closer to book dimensions than 16:9 is, and considering the iPad is touted as an ebook/web surfing device, it makes a lot more sense in those dimensions. It's not the end of the world for videos to have a bit less space to work with.
 
The iPad could still have a 16x9 screen while not compromising the shape of the whole device. They could just have more of the surface area be the screen itself, as opposed to a border that surrounds it. The home button could even be made 'virtual'.

On a larger device the bezel is needed for the user to hold the thing, compared with a phone where you tend to grip it in one hand just touching the edges. Removing the bezel could cause problems with rogue taps to the screen.
 
The problem with 16:9 is it's great for video but it's stupid for anything else. Typing on a 16:9 in landscape would present a hideous line length. It would look silly too.

Think it all the way through though. The screen rotates 90 degrees. That would make typing manageable.

So the choice is either:
a) silly line length
b) midget fingers to type on the portrait keyboard

Um, no. The difference between the iPad and every other device (laptops, desktops, etc) is the iPad has to accommodate the onscreen keyboard too. They would either have to make the device ridiculously tall or so narrow as to be unusable for anything meaningful (other than watching movies that is).

I think you just like to complain.
 
Kataaran is right. Apple will never release a 16:9 tablet device, at least not as long as John Ive is designing their products. A 16:9 form factor just looks wrong, take the Samsung galaxy tab for instance, that looks looks ridiculous, same with the BB Playbook and HP Tablet. All of those also have smaller screens thanks to the 16:9 aspect ratio. 4:3 is the perfect ratio for a device such as the iPad, evidenced by the fact those things sold like hotcakes.

A retina screen that size is also a bit pie in the sky at this point, but I guess its feasible, even if it might be real pricey.
 
Is it that they look wrong or that they look different? Because I've been using a nearly 16:9 Nook Color as a tablet for the last few weeks and I don't think 16:9 is a negative at all. I don't look at it as not wide enough so much as having some extra space on the bottom when in portrait mode.

I'd certainly agree that Apple is going to stick with 4:3 for the foreseeable future, but talking about "wrongness" is pretty subjective.
 
Is it that they look wrong or that they look different? Because I've been using a nearly 16:9 Nook Color as a tablet for the last few weeks and I don't think 16:9 is a negative at all.

I was thinking the same thing.
It a good aspect-ratio for a device used mainly as an ebook-reader.
 
Is it that they look wrong or that they look different? Because I've been using a nearly 16:9 Nook Color as a tablet for the last few weeks and I don't think 16:9 is a negative at all. I don't look at it as not wide enough so much as having some extra space on the bottom when in portrait mode.

I'd certainly agree that Apple is going to stick with 4:3 for the foreseeable future, but talking about "wrongness" is pretty subjective.

Fair enough, personally I find the 16:9 aspect for a tablet device to be off putting. May I ask, are you using it as intended or have you rooted it into a fully fledged Android tablet?
 
Fair enough, personally I find the 16:9 aspect for a tablet device to be off putting. May I ask, are you using it as intended or have you rooted it into a fully fledged Android tablet?

I had it running Honeycomb literally 10 minutes after I took it out of the box. :p Though now it's running CM7 (based on Gingerbread) for the moment.

I don't want to drag the thread too far off topic, but as well as the aspect ratio (which I don't feel matters much one way or the other), I really like the 7" form factor. It's easy to carry around and hold without being bulky. Apple said a few months ago that they thought 7" was a dead end, but I very much disagree.
 
Kataaran is right. Apple will never release a 16:9 tablet device, at least not as long as John Ive is designing their products. A 16:9 form factor just looks wrong, take the Samsung galaxy tab for instance, that looks looks ridiculous, same with the BB Playbook and HP Tablet. All of those also have smaller screens thanks to the 16:9 aspect ratio. 4:3 is the perfect ratio for a device such as the iPad, evidenced by the fact those things sold like hotcakes.

A retina screen that size is also a bit pie in the sky at this point, but I guess its feasible, even if it might be real pricey.

This wasn't the first time I've been right about 16:9 AR in the pc space. Self-anointed "experts" were saying that 16:10 would rule the day because it was what ppl were used to and it would cost too much to change their manufacturing processes.

And that was true, until it wasn't. :) Now, 16:9 is common in the PC space, a bleedover from the Broadcast HDTV space where 16:9 is the standard.

Eventually, and I might be wrong about how quickly it makes its way to the iPad, but it will.
 
Fair enough, personally I find the 16:9 aspect for a tablet device to be off putting. May I ask, are you using it as intended or have you rooted it into a fully fledged Android tablet?

I had it running Honeycomb literally 10 minutes after I took it out of the box. :p Though now it's running CM7 (based on Gingerbread) for the moment.

I don't want to drag the thread too far off topic, but as well as the aspect ratio (which I don't feel matters much one way or the other), I really like the 7" form factor. It's easy to carry around and hold without being bulky. Apple said a few months ago that they thought 7" was a dead end, but I very much disagree.

To be fair, Apple tends to slag on products or segments just before they get into that space. maybe we'll see a broadening of the iPad line in the months/years to come. I used a Galaxy Tab over Christmas and my criticism of the 16:9 form-factor is that it seems to be designed to be used in landscape only. Using it in portrait was awkward and I could only imagine that a Xoom would be even more so because of the bigger size.
 
Kataaran is right. Apple will never release a 16:9 tablet device, at least not as long as John Ive is designing their products. A 16:9 form factor just looks wrong, take the Samsung galaxy tab for instance, that looks looks ridiculous, same with the BB Playbook and HP Tablet. All of those also have smaller screens thanks to the 16:9 aspect ratio. 4:3 is the perfect ratio for a device such as the iPad, evidenced by the fact those things sold like hotcakes.

A retina screen that size is also a bit pie in the sky at this point, but I guess its feasible, even if it might be real pricey.

You're assuming a lot. For example and foremost that John Ive dislikes 16:9.
 
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