All iPads Why do people act like iPads are large screens?

[pdoherty]

When I see discussions of larger tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and the rumored iPad Pro (both being above 12 inches) reviews always make comments like "gigantic" and other such terms. But in reality these tablets get used at roughly the same distances as a laptop and laptops come in sizes ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches with 14-15 being the norm. So if the weight/bulk of the tablets can be kept reasonable I don't see why we should continue with smallish screens like the 9.7-inch iPad.

 

[Badrottie]

Big business, hospitals, etc want big screens.
Family, students, etc is fine with 9.7 screen size
kids, smart infants should play with 8.9 or 7 inches screen.

 

[pdoherty]

I'm a home/portable user and I want the larger screen to make it easier to read. And I wish Apple would get off their duffs and fix the font rendering in all their apps (or make the apps honor the font size setting in the Settings app). For instance reading anything in the App Store, even on a full-size iPad, is ridiculously hard as the text is so tiny.

 

[perezr10]

It depends on what you do with the iPad. If you're reading it like a book, it is a big screen. I love my Air 2 and use it mostly for leisure reading.

I'm a financial analyst who uses spreadsheets most of my day. For me, the iPad Air 2 for work purposes is too small. To be fair,a 13" laptop is borderline too small too. Anybody who works with Microsoft Excel for a living will understand how much real estate you need to look at complex financial models. It's the main reason I hated the iPad Mini.

 

[donnaw]

Big business, hospitals, etc want big screens.
Family, students, etc is fine with 9.7 screen size
kids, smart infants should play with 8.9 or 7 inches screen.

This is a rather biased statement.

In reality the perception of what screen size is 'large, big, etc' depends on the task at hand. As stated above, some tasks simply require a lot of real estate, spreadsheets, designs, etc. Some tasks are fine with a smaller screen. And if holding a tablet/computer for a long time, size and weight become a real issue.

It's the same as a desktop vs a laptop. And why some people have dual 27" monitors with their desktop and carry an iPad mini.

It has nothing to do with age etc. It has to do with the task at hand.

 

[Jessica Lares]

But in reality these tablets get used at roughly the same distances as a laptop

No they don't. Look at how you hold an iPad, and look at how you use a laptop. Not even close to the same distance.

 

[KiwiAdventure]

No they don't. Look at how you hold an iPad, and look at how you use a laptop. Not even close to the same distance.

Well I have my MacBook air and iPad Air 2 at almost the same position and yes I would really like a larger screen to watch movies on planes.

 

[takeshi74]

When I see discussions of larger tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and the rumored iPad Pro (both being above 12 inches) reviews always make comments like "gigantic" and other such terms. But in reality these tablets get used at roughly the same distances as a laptop and laptops come in sizes ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches with 14-15 being the norm.

Context matters. They're large for tablets. Why does this bother you?

 

[pdoherty]

Context matters. They're large for tablets. Why does this bother you?

Because I want as large of a tablet as I can get and I don't want people discouraging it,by acting like these are all we need.

 

[Fzang]

Because I want as large of a tablet as I can get and I don't want people discouraging it,by acting like these are all we need.

Aren't you encouraging a tablet size that apparently no one else needs, essentially being the same as everyone else bickering about the size?

 

[saltd]

Because I want as large of a tablet as I can get and I don't want people discouraging it,by acting like these are all we need.

Don't worry-Apple will likely produce a larger tablet, regardless of how people grouse about it on this forum.

As a productivity tool, the iPad needs to be larger. It also needs split-screen support and the ability to use real stylus with pinpoint accuracy, not the pencil eraser sized ones we have now. That alone would go a long way towards making the screen real estate usefully larger.

 

[s2mikey]

It's a large screen for a tablet and when compared to the puny, useless screens on a phone it's like carrying around a flat panel TV in your pocket.

Perfect size screen as is.

 

[pdoherty]

Don't worry-Apple will likely produce a larger tablet, regardless of how people grouse about it on this forum.

As a productivity tool, the iPad needs to be larger. It also needs split-screen support and the ability to use real stylus with pinpoint accuracy, not the pencil eraser sized ones we have now. That alone would go a long way towards making the screen real estate usefully larger.

And Apple NEEDS these since Microsoft and Samsung already offer them. Theirs are laptop replacements, with attachable keyboards and the ability to dock to external monitors and bluetooth keyboards/mice. If Apple wants to play in that arena they need to provide the same. Otherwise their tablet marketshare may (likely will) fall. I'm already on the fence about jumping ship to either a SUrface Pro 3 or a Samsung Pro (both over 12 inches).

 

[MikeCBR]

12 inch is going to be more for a student. when im laying down watching netflix i fell the 10 inch is kind of too big. id never buy a 12 inch as portability takes a huge dive.

 

[Meister]

Compared to iPhones they are.

 

[pdoherty]

Compared to iPhones they are.

Compared to laptops they're small.

 

[Meister]

Compared to laptops they're small.

And most people use iPhones and not laptops.

 

[The Doctor11]

But in reality these tablets get used at roughly the same distances as a laptop

How do you hold you laptop

 

[pdoherty]

And most people use iPhones and not laptops.

Huh? Are you even being serious? Even if it were true there are more iPhones than laptops they're used for completely different things. By telling you that iPads were smaller than laptops I was refuting your comment about iPads being bigger than iPhones, since tablets and laptops are used for similar purposes (a lot more similar than iPhones and iPads are).

 

[The Doctor11]

Compared to laptops they're small.

Compared to jumbotron laptops are small. Right?

You can't compare anything to everything.

 

[pdoherty]

Compared to jumbotron laptops are small. Right?

You can't compare anything to everything.

Exactly why I showed his statement, comparing iPads to iPhones (as if iPads being bigger than iPhones meant anything in a discussion of the proper size for a tablet) to be silly by comparing in the other direction to laptops.

 

[Meister]

Huh? Are you even being serious? Even if it were true there are more iPhones than laptops they're used for completely different things. By telling you that iPads were smaller than laptops I was refuting your comment about iPads being bigger than iPhones, since tablets and laptops are used for similar purposes (a lot more similar than iPhones and iPads are).

I am serious. People are used to looking at phone screens and that's why they perceive the iPad screen as big.
Laptops, iPhones and iPads are all computers. Their uses are the same/similar for most people.

 

[pdoherty]

I am serious. People are used to looking at phone screens and that's why they perceive the iPad screen as big.
Laptops, iPhones and iPads are all computers. Their uses are the same/similar for most people.

And the use case for iPads is far more similar to laptops than to phones, IMO. Only teenagers use phones at anything close to the same use cases as a tablet. Who wants to squint at a tiny 5" screen to get anything other than the simplest tasks done?

 

[Meister]

And the use case for iPads is far more similar to laptops than to phones, IMO. Only teenagers use phones at anything close to the same use cases as a tablet. Who wants to squint at a tiny 5" screen to get anything other than the simplest tasks done?

People who integrate iOS into their daily life?
People who work on the go?

Teenagers? Teenagers did this 10 years ago. Those teenagers are adults now.

I feel the same way as you. I prefere a desktop over a macbook over an iPad over an iPad mini over an iPhone and soon over the watch.
But it's 2015. It's the age of the smartphone and I am traveling 300 days out of the year iPhones and iPads are just too convenient.

 

[Ubuntu]

When I see discussions of larger tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro and the rumored iPad Pro (both being above 12 inches) reviews always make comments like "gigantic" and other such terms. But in reality these tablets get used at roughly the same distances as a laptop and laptops come in sizes ranging from 11 inches to 17 inches with 14-15 being the norm. So if the weight/bulk of the tablets can be kept reasonable I don't see why we should continue with smallish screens like the 9.7-inch iPad.

Quite simply because it's relative. One might argue that those laptop screen sizes you mentioned aren't large when compared to the common desktop screen sizes (19 inches and up, etc) so I imagine people might see iPads as being large compared to smartphones.