Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

16:9

16:9 on the iPad

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 8.8%

  • No

    Votes: 125 91.2%
  • Total voters
    137
If you asking for 16:9 just for movie viewing, you're going to be very disappointed. A majority of movies being released are in 2.35:1 or 2.40:1 ration. Therefore, you will still have black bars on the top and bottom since a 16:9 screen is 1.78:1.

Just a thought.

I hear the same complains in many of the Home Theater forums that I follow.

IMO, movies is a small factor in the grand scheme of hints that this device can do.
 
There is a fundamental problem with this question and the people on these forums.

People here (not everyone) and often very keen on Apple products, hence may not be the most un-biased people to ask a question such as "Did Apply design something wrong"

Also, Apple have made the device already, so it's smacking of dissing them to say it's wrong.

Without even reading the posts I know the majority are going to say 16:9 would of been wrong.

Note: When I say this "I" mean 16:9 in that the screen stays the same physical height it just gets wider by say 1.5" ish on either end.

If Apple HAD made it 16:9 and then you ran the same pole asking should they have made it 4:3 instead, we all know what the majority of forums posters would be saying 😉

Yes, "NOW" it may seem a little taller, but if it had always been that format, almost no-one would even be questioning it.

16:9 would in fact be better in a number of ways:

1: Movies obviously
2: TV shows obviously
3: Apple Pages (word processor) when in portrait mode, you could have the keyboard on screen at the bottom and still have "almost" a whole sheet of paper in view on screen.
4: Web browsing. At the moment Apple are doing something very odd, like fooling a website the ipad has got more pixels and re-sizing it down for the display. Fonts would look nicer with more horizontal pixels.
5: A recent UK newspaper app, you have the newspaper on screen and calling up and option overlays iPad scrolling options over the bottom of the newspaper page.

Or to put it this way, thing of it that, in portrait mode and currently full screen, if it was 16:9 you could have the virtual keyboard in the extra space.

I for one hope (though I doubt) that Apple will do 16:9

What would be VERY interesting would of been if they had offered a 4:3 screen or for another $100 a 16:9 screen.

I bet well over 50% here would have gone for the larger screen option.

If we are honest of course 🙂
 
This is how it would look:

joojoo-ipad-comparison-07-580x385.jpg


Would you really want your iPad to be that tall and skinny? Websites and Apps would look… weird. Just for the occasional movie? You can see why Apple haven't done it.
 
Absolutely not.

Try cutting a piece of cardboard roughly the same size as the iPad, but inches taller, and slightly less wide. That sounds like an awkward rectangle to me, and would ruin the iPad's current slick form factor.

I can take 4:3 because 4:3 is what makes the iPad a joy to use. 16:9 would make it unpleasant to use.
 
Well, let's hope Apple never makes a 16:9 format higher spec iPad EVER in the future then.

Looks like almost no-one (apart from me and a tiny handful of others) would actually buy it.

Still, as least we'd have no queue to wait in at the store to get it this time 🙂
 
Piggie said:
What would be VERY interesting would of been if they had offered a 4:3 screen or for another $100 a 16:9 screen.

I bet well over 50% here would have gone for the larger screen option.

If we are honest of course 🙂
Click to expand...

I feel as if I have tried to articulate this point before.

You are essentially advocating a larger device that is in 16x9, correct?

Sure it might be better for watching video, but the rest of your points have some fundamental flaws.

First, on the hardware side. If you make the device with a larger screen, it's going to be bigger in all aspects - actual dimensions and the weight. At the moment, the iPad pushes the limits of reasonable weight for this category of device. Bigger screen also means more power consumption. More power consumption means bigger battery, thus more weight, or shorter battery life.

Second, on the software side. Yes, if all you are doing is watching video, the dimensions you want are better. For everything else, even what you point to, the dimension is poor. It's laughable that you even suggest typing in Portrait mode in Pages. If you are typing that way, you are using a physical keyboard, thus the additional room is not that essential. The built-in keyboard is just too cramped. For printed media that is presented electronically, the 4x3 makes better sense. For the email client, calendar, etc. it all makes more sense given the current iteration.

Third, we don't have to imagine what a 16x9 iPad would look like. In this thread there is a photo of a device sitting next to an iPad with your proposed dimensions. One looks awkward and it's not the iPad.

And no offense, if I was looking for a device that handles the web well, plays video, has an email client, works as an ebook reader, and is a reasonable canvas for app developers, all while maintaining all-day battery life and around 1.5 lbs in weight, I would trust Apple to make pretty good compromises more than almost any other person/firm.
 
For the reason that the OP said he/she wanted a 16:9 iPad doesn't make sense cause directors still use that damn 1.83:1 ratio that puts black bars even on 16:9 so it doesn't matter. I hate black bars just like every other person but a 16:9 iPad wouldn't solve that problem. I think 90% of my Blurays still have that stupid bar even though my Samsung LED is 16:9. So until the directors stop using it, the issue is null imo.
 
Crosbie said:
I find 16:9 laptop displays more annoying than not for most things. On a small Macbook, if the dock's not off to the side, you end up with a relatively narrow strip of screen for web viewing, for example.

How are magazines going to look at 16:9?
Click to expand...

The screen on the MacBook is not 16:9, it is 16:10.
 
EssentialParado said:
This is how it would look:

joojoo-ipad-comparison-07-580x385.jpg


Would you really want your iPad to be that tall and skinny? Websites and Apps would look… weird. Just for the occasional movie? You can see why Apple haven't done it.
Click to expand...

In portrait mode, is like comparing Legal size paper to Letter size paper.
Each one is good for its intended use.

IMO, having multiple aspect ratios could be an inconvenience to both developers and users.
 
Sorry, I'm with BergerFan on this one - whilst video might be improved on a 16:9 device, everything else would be compromised.
 
ChrisGonzales90 said:
Because you guys say so? I don't think so. You guys are not on the apple design team either
Click to expand...

You are right about none of us being on the Apple design team, but the design team has "spoken" by putting out the iPad in the size it is. Now, it's possible that as technology changes, factors that went into the size choice might also change, and in the future, Apple might make a tablet with a different aspect ratio. But for now, with the current state of technology and how they conceive of the iPad being used, Apple design team has ruled against the 16:9 ratio. That is a fact, whether we agree or disagree with them.
 
Let me explain why I have a little difficulty with some other posters current opinions here.

Shall we take ourselves back to the 1st sneaked shots of the the new iPhone on MacForums and forum members opinions of that product.

Cheap, Nastly Far Eastern copy, Apple would never produce anything as ugly as that, horrid, obviously a fake, etc etc etc.

Until it was clear it was genuine and Apples new baby,

Now we have done a full 180 degree turn around and its the most desired, well designed sexy product ever.

Can you see how I (looking in at this soft of opinion/behaviour) feels that many peoples opinions here swing violently depending on what Apple decide.

No offence, but it's very funny seeing so many people swing between hate and love for an item, depending on who makes it.
 
The preview pics of all the 16:9 tablets look stupid as hell.

I would not have purchased an ipad if it had a 16:9 screen. Would not even have considered it.
 
nando2323 said:
For the reason that the OP said he/she wanted a 16:9 iPad doesn't make sense cause directors still use that damn 1.83:1 ratio that puts black bars even on 16:9 so it doesn't matter. I hate black bars just like every other person but a 16:9 iPad wouldn't solve that problem. I think 90% of my Blurays still have that stupid bar even though my Samsung LED is 16:9. So until the directors stop using it, the issue is null imo.
Click to expand...

I think 2.5:1 is still the widest format.
 
ChrisGonzales90 said:
Because you guys say so? I don't think so. You guys are not on the apple design team either

" dude" 🙄
Click to expand...
No, no, no, dude. 😀 Not because we say so, but because the decision has already been taken by Apple. That's why it isn't gonna happen.
The reasons above, were probably major ones in that decision process.
 
BergerFan said:
No, no, no, dude. 😀 Not because we say so, but because the decision has already been taken by Apple. That's why it isn't gonna happen.
The reasons above, were probably major ones in that decision process.
Click to expand...

That does not make sense 🙂

The decision has already been taken for the current model, but not even Apple know what they will do in the medium to long term future.

Apple also decided to put a lightweight OS on the device NOW, but I'd guess in the future we will at some point in time see a touch enabled OSX on a tablet from Apple.

All the other tablets I've seen prototypes of have a 16:9 display, whilst that means nothing as such, it does mean there are people out these who are interested in other options.

The Notion Ink Adam being one model that some are interested in.

Does not make anything wrong, it's just different.
 
Anything other than 4:3 is also going to be awful for eBooks. Best to keep it at 4:3 and negate the Kindle somehow ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back