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About the 10.5" resolution...

Joseph C

Joseph C

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 5, 2009
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I gather the new iPad 10.5 has a new resolution?

Does this mean 3rd party apps will need to release updates to optimise for it? Will Facebook and YouTube, therefore, never update?

Will Safari in 50/50 split view show the tab bar or condense down to the compact view?

These questions are putting me off buying it.
 
Quick guess, it'll use the 9.7" interface until 3rd party apps get updated to support the new resolution.

As for the others, check out your local Apple Store to see if they already have any on display?
 
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Yeah, really curious to see this in person. Seems like it'll be closer to the 9.7's screen real estate than the 12.9.
 
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profets said:
Yeah, really curious to see this in person. Seems like it'll be closer to the 9.7's screen real estate than the 12.9.
Click to expand...
Yeah we were all wrong about the 326ppi thing. I didn't even realize it until after I ordered, but it's probably fine. I don't mind the iPad Mini control sizes and was looking forward to a more information-dense display where I could have extra toolbars and such open for editing things. We'll get that to a certain extent, but yeah, developers will have to update. Presumably if they use the adaptive user interfaces stuff in Xcode already for the iPad Pro 12.9" then it should be pretty easy to update. But then again, from what I've read around here, there are a lot of apps that still don't support the 12.9" size. And with the 10.5" growing another $50 more expensive, and the 9.7" becoming $100 cheaper, the app developers are more likely to care less about the iPad Pro than the regular iPad for anything but maybe niche pro apps. Not sure if it was smart to fragment display resolutions again with the iPhone Pro/Edition/8/whatever coming. I bet many developers prioritize updating that resolution before the iPad Pro. Hopefully they'll prioritize flexible layouts first and that will trickle down to everything else.
 
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macduke said:
Yeah we were all wrong about the 326ppi thing. I didn't even realize it until after I ordered, but it's probably fine. I don't mind the iPad Mini control sizes and was looking forward to a more information-dense display where I could have extra toolbars and such open for editing things. We'll get that to a certain extent, but yeah, developers will have to update. Presumably if they use the adaptive user interfaces stuff in Xcode already for the iPad Pro 12.9" then it should be pretty easy to update. But then again, from what I've read around here, there are a lot of apps that still don't support the 12.9" size. And with the 10.5" growing another $50 more expensive, and the 9.7" becoming $100 cheaper, the app developers are more likely to care less about the iPad Pro than the regular iPad for anything but maybe niche pro apps. Not sure if it was smart to fragment display resolutions again with the iPhone Pro/Edition/8/whatever coming. I bet many developers prioritize updating that resolution before the iPad Pro. Hopefully they'll prioritize flexible layouts first and that will trickle down to everything else.
Click to expand...

Great points. I hope more and more they keep moving to adaptive interfaces. It seems clear at this point that between different screen resolutions, split screen, different 'window' sizes, that building apps shouldn't necessarily be targeted toward a fixed screen size anymore.
 
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profets said:
Great points. I hope more and more they keep moving to adaptive interfaces. It seems clear at this point that between different screen resolutions, split screen, different 'window' sizes, that building apps shouldn't necessarily be targeted toward a fixed screen size anymore.
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As a web designer and developer, I only make responsive websites today because it's expected that modern sites will fit on any size display. If I can't get away with static sites, then these app developers shouldn't be able to get away with making static apps, lol. It's a good amount of work to set up but I don't have to update my websites each time a new phone, tablet or desktop comes out, lol.
 
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CatherineVeraGat said:
Why wouldn't Apple put the 12.9-inch screen resolution and put it on the 10.5-inch version? It would make things a lot easier for app developers to just scale down the apps to fit the new screen size, instead of having to make the app support the 10.5-inch current screen resolution.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think they want to keep consistent touch targets across all display sizes (9.7, 10.5 and 12.9).

I'm watching state of the union from WWDC right now, and for many years now they have emphasized auto layout and size classes. When developers implement those, their apps can scale accordingly to different sizes appropriately.

I kind of wanted to see the 12.9's resolution on the 10.5, but I'm happier that they've done it this way. I had mentioned it many times in other threads before the keynote - that it would be a bit strange seeing split screen apps shrink into the mini size UI and touch targets, and then in full screen growing back into the 9.7/12.9 UI and touch targets.
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
Why wouldn't Apple put the 12.9-inch screen resolution and put it on the 10.5-inch version? It would make things a lot easier for app developers to just scale down the apps to fit the new screen size, instead of having to make the app support the 10.5-inch current screen resolution.
Click to expand...
Because Apple is really pushing resolution independence. I'm sure that before too long they will be able to release new hardware and not need any app developer support for it to just work as it should. Hell right now that's how it should be but a lot of developers insist on not making responsive apps.

Apple doesn't want to make hardware choices beholden to a few devs who don't follow best (or even good) practices.
 
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CatherineVeraGat said:
Why wouldn't Apple put the 12.9-inch screen resolution and put it on the 10.5-inch version? It would make things a lot easier for app developers to just scale down the apps to fit the new screen size, instead of having to make the app support the 10.5-inch current screen resolution.
Click to expand...
Exactly, it makes so much sense from a variety of perspectives, whereas this doesn't. I can only imagine they didn't go with it because of price and battery life. Also it essentially makes the 10.5" feel superior as it has everything the 12.9" has but in a smaller, lighter package with a higher ppi. Right now in my view, the 2 models are both equal with the dreciding factor being portability and screen size.
 
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My guess is that un-optimized apps will looks slightly "blown up" and a tad fuzzy like when the iPhone 6 came out. Hell even some of those apps havent been updated. This too is making me question getting a 10.5 since so many developers honestly don't give a crap about iPads. Apple releasing final cut or more first party pro apps would have gotten the ball rolling. This is all about software in order for the iPad to survive into the future, not hardware. The hardware is plenty powerful and has been for a few years.
 
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jonnyb098 said:
My guess is that un-optimized apps will looks slightly "blown up" and a tad fuzzy like when the iPhone 6 came out. Hell even some of those apps havent been updated. This too is making me question getting a 10.5 since so many developers honestly don't give a crap about iPads. Apple releasing final cut or more first party pro apps would have gotten the ball rolling. This is all about software in order for the iPad to survive into the future, not hardware. The hardware is plenty powerful and has been for a few years.
Click to expand...

Well, if you want a good idea about apps that have been updated checking in with 12.9" Pro users would be helpful. Many apps have been updated to scale to different sizes, but many have not. Still, seeing those blown up from 9.7 to 12.9 (not updated) was pretty rough. I'm sure the 10.5 will look better.
 
MacDevil7334 said:
No, they just added additional pixels to fill the larger screen. Both devices have the same pixel density (264 ppi) and will have the same sharpness. You'll just be able to see slightly more on the 10.5" screen at one time.
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In what circumstances will you be able to see more on the screen? One of the biggest turnoffs the 12.9" had for me when I owned one was that websites looked exactly the same, except for blown up, as they did on my mini. This because all iOS browsers, Safari included, signal out with a "mobile" browser ID.

In apps?
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
Why wouldn't Apple put the 12.9-inch screen resolution and put it on the 10.5-inch version? It would make things a lot easier for app developers to just scale down the apps to fit the new screen size, instead of having to make the app support the 10.5-inch current screen resolution.
Click to expand...
To keep DPI the same across the line.
[doublepost=1496782025][/doublepost]
MyopicPaideia said:
In what circumstances will you be able to see more on the screen? One of the biggest turnoffs the 12.9" had for me when I owned one was that websites looked exactly the same, except for blown up, as they did on my mini. This because all iOS browsers, Safari included, signal out with a "mobile" browser ID.

In apps?
Click to expand...
Safari is one app.

And websites should be targeting display size, not simply user agent. Try complaining to the site.
[doublepost=1496782181][/doublepost]Apps these days should be using Auto Layout. If they support 9.7 and 12.9, they will support 10.5 without any adjustment.

Other Apps can be updated with modest effort.
 
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MyopicPaideia said:
In what circumstances will you be able to see more on the screen? One of the biggest turnoffs the 12.9" had for me when I owned one was that websites looked exactly the same, except for blown up, as they did on my mini. This because all iOS browsers, Safari included, signal out with a "mobile" browser ID.

In apps?
Click to expand...

There’s 20% more screen real estate compared to the 9.7”. Where it will really help, is multitasking I’d say.
 
Joseph H said:
Will Safari in 50/50 split view show the tab bar or condense down to the compact view?
Click to expand...
So far, the cutoff between the Regular and Compact size classes (on the iPad) appears to be between 639 and 678 points.

The divider is 10 points, then each half of a 50:50 Split View on the iPad Pro 10.5" would be (1112 – 10)/2 = 551 points. So my prediction is a Compact width for the halves.

(I don't know if things will change in iOS 11.)
 
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I loooove apps that are optimized for my 12.9". A great example is the app "kitchen stories" compared to the regular 9.7" version. So much more stuff that's being visible at the same time. I hope devs will find a good mix between the two, instead of just giving us a larger version of the 9.7" apps.
 
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iMacmatician said:
So far, the cutoff between the Regular and Compact size classes (on the iPad) appears to be between 639 and 678 points.

The divider is 10 points, then each half of a 50:50 Split View on the iPad Pro 10.5" would be (1112 – 10)/2 = 551 points. So my prediction is a Compact width for the halves.

(I don't know if things will change in iOS 11.)
Click to expand...

Looks like you’re right. Serenity Caldwell of iMore on twitter has been answering some questions about the new iPads. She’s mentioned that in split screen the 10.5 shows the smaller size classes like the 9.7.

Serenity Caldwell on Twitter: "New 10.5-inch iPad Pro uses Compact size class (iPhone-size UI), 12.9-inch uses Regular (iPad-size UI). https://t.co/tDDa1C6EeZ"
 
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I'm actually happier (if I decide to get the 10.5) with the slightly lower resolution....

On my 12.9, the app I spend most of my time in is Safari. Most websites, including this one, leave about an inch of blank white space on both the left and right sides when in landscape mode. This is just wasted space. If they were to keep the same resolution for the 10.5, then it too would have that same wasted space. The lower resolution will cut down on the blank white space, and the rest of the website should display the same size, with only slightly less height being shown.

Unfortunately websites seem to stop auto-scaling once they reach a certain width. I'd imagine the same issue presents itself if you have an iMac with a 4K screen.
 
profets said:
There’s 20% more screen real estate compared to the 9.7”. Where it will really help, is multitasking I’d say.
Click to expand...

Looks like according to the above, that's another nope. Using compact size classes just like the 9.7".
 
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