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

iPad Any good reason the iPAD still uses a 4:3 resolution?

Because aside from widescreen video playback, 4:3 works better for other stuff and weight is better balanced on larger tablets. The 16:9 aspect ratio is particularly frustrating when you've got the onscreen keyboard blocking the display.
 
  • Like
Reactions: navier, ilovemyibook, chuloo and 7 others
Because as a content creation tool/ internet device 4:3 will always be better.

The iPad isnt marketed as a media consumption device.
 
rui no onna said:
Because aside from widescreen video playback, 4:3 works better for other stuff and weight is better balanced on larger tablets. The 16:9 aspect ratio is particularly frustrating when you've got the onscreen keyboard blocking the display.
Click to expand...

Gav2k said:
Because as a content creation tool/ internet device 4:3 will always be better.

The iPad isnt marketed as a media consumption device.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I buy this. If this were true, then why are laptops overwhelmingly 16:9 or 16:10?
 
Probably because the iPad is a tablet, which is closest to mimicking a standard piece of paper.

US Letter size is 8.5" x 11", or 1.29
4:3 is 1.33333
A4 is 1.414

16:9 is 1.78

4:3 sits right in the middle of US and A4, and works best as how you would traditionally handle paper, in portrait orientation.

Laptops on the other hand.... when was the last time you used a laptop in portrait?
 
  • Like
Reactions: navier, neutrino23, Abazigal and 2 others
tobefirst said:
I'm not sure I buy this. If this were true, then why are laptops overwhelmingly 16:9 or 16:10?
Click to expand...

Just to repeat what I mentioned above, you'll almost never use a laptop in portrait, unless it's a laptop / tablet hybrid.

Another more obscure reason is handling / torque. For a large tablet, having an elongated aspect ratio means the center of gravity is going to be further when held in portrait, which makes it harder to hold for long periods.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yegon and rui no onna
I think I might be in minority here: I rarely used the iPAD in portrait mode. In fact I hate when faced with apps made for the iPhone in mind that can only be used this way, never in landscape.

And now for the reasons stated here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ipad-pro-movies-in-bed.1959892/#post-24877228

Since I don't intend to remove this tablet stand, I am not going to use portrait at all with it. I have another iPAD Pro 9.7, and may use it more freely, and dedicate the first to watching videos and a more restrict use.

However, even while browsing websites, reading ebooks or doing anything else, I always preferred landscape.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cass67
masotime said:
Laptops on the other hand.... when was the last time you used a laptop in portrait?
Click to expand...

All those Windows 2-in-1s think you should!

This looks fun, huh...

Tablet or lunch tray? :p

t0Zb8zX.jpg
 
Michael Scrip said:
All those Windows 2-in-1s think you should!

This looks fun, huh...

Tablet or lunch tray? :p

t0Zb8zX.jpg
Click to expand...

I already mentioned 2-in-1s. You can certainly use an elongated tablet in portrait by holding it that way, but it's really awkward to do so IMO. You're going to need a lot of bezel to make sure your hand / thumb doesn't interfere with the touch screen.

I'll stick with my pure tablet, thank you. However, if this works for you, more power to you. Just recognize that this isn't what the iPad was designed for. Competition is good.
[doublepost=1502394414][/doublepost]
Perene said:
I think I might be in minority here: I rarely used the iPAD in portrait mode. In fact I hate when faced with apps made for the iPhone in mind that can only be used this way, never in landscape.

However, even while browsing websites, reading ebooks or doing anything else, I always preferred landscape.
Click to expand...

This is fair. However, I would suggest finding a 16:9 tablet for your use cases. Again, the iPad wasn't designed around your use case, but the good news is you have options.
 
masotime said:
I already mentioned 2-in-1s. You can certainly use an elongated tablet in portrait by holding it that way, but it's really awkward to do so IMO. You're going to need a lot of bezel to make sure your hand / thumb doesn't interfere with the touch screen.

I'll stick with my pure tablet, thank you. However, if this works for you, more power to you. Just recognize that this isn't what the iPad was designed for. Competition is good.
Click to expand...

Oh that's not my computer.

I took that picture in Best Buy to show how silly 2-in-1s can be in "tablet mode"

I agree... pure tablets are the best tablets. :p

Sorry for the confusion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: masotime
Well, I was genuine in my assessment. Different strokes for different folks - but the iPad does have good reason to be 4:3.

I do agree that it isn't great for widescreen video though, and still recommend an android 16:9 not just for the aspect ratio but the much increased flexibility of sideloading video files of your choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rui no onna
rui no onna said:
I reckon the onscreen keyboard blocking the display isn't a problem with most laptops.
Click to expand...

Fair point. But, just to argue, using the keyboard in portrait would be less of an issue on a 16:9 than it would on a 4:3. And you'd likely be using the keyboard for the longest times when, say, working on documents, or replying to forums, and a keyboard on a portrait 16:9 would be great at that.

masotime said:
Just to repeat what I mentioned above, you'll almost never use a laptop in portrait, unless it's a laptop / tablet hybrid.

Another more obscure reason is handling / torque. For a large tablet, having an elongated aspect ratio means the center of gravity is going to be further when held in portrait, which makes it harder to hold for long periods.
Click to expand...

Definitely buy the torque argument and the argument you made in another post that it is the closest shape to paper....

Mephist0 said:
4:3 aspect ratio is the nearest to A4 and Letter paper sizes and it's the best size for reading books and documents
Click to expand...

...though I am not sold on it being the best size for reading books. The typical paperback book, which I would contend are probably the best selling books, are closer to a half sheet of paper, which is closer to 16:9 than 4:3. In fact, I find the iPad best for reading when in landscape mode with two columns. A column of text should be 7-10 words wide for best readability. In a single column, a thinner, longer screen would work best.

(As I said before, I'm just arguing, really. There are positives and negatives to both sides.)
 
tobefirst said:
Fair point. But, just to argue, using the keyboard in portrait would be less of an issue on a 16:9 than it would on a 4:3. And you'd likely be using the keyboard for the longest times when, say, working on documents, or replying to forums, and a keyboard on a portrait 16:9 would be great at that.
Click to expand...
Not really. It's even worse typing in portrait because of torque. It feels like it's gonna tip over unless you lay it down somewhere.

I've used a 16:10 10.1" Android tablet. Great for movies. For everything else, the iPad works nicer. 16:9/16:10 is just really narrow when used in portrait mode. Assets and text on webpages were much smaller than on the 9.7" iPad.

16:10 works pretty nicely on the Nexus 7, though.


tobefirst said:
...though I am not sold on it being the best size for reading books. The typical paperback book, which I would contend are probably the best selling books, are closer to a half sheet of paper, which is closer to 16:9 than 4:3. In fact, I find the iPad best for reading when in landscape mode with two columns. A column of text should be 7-10 words wide for best readability. In a single column, a thinner, longer screen would work best.
Click to expand...
Two-column landscape is actually my preferred reading mode. :D

Typical book is around 2:3 so in between 3:4 and 9:16 :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: masotime
Being that 4:3 is the golden ratio found in nature, I suspect it's the ratio that feels most natural in both landscape AND portrait.

Whether or not you believe the iPad should be used in portrait orientation is the subject for another discussion, of which there are already a number in these forums. Here is one that comes to mind: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/does-anybody-here-use-the-ipad-in-portrait-mode-at-all.1847428/

Edit- oops not golden ratio. I was thinking of the 345 triangle.
 
Last edited:
Please nooo..

The iPad is probably the most useable tablet for sheet music I have used (Surface Book, Surface Pro 3).
 
All things being equal, I didn't even realize the iPad was using a 4:3 aspect, but what I do realize, is that I'm happy with how its set up, and I'd not be open to anything else. I think Apple got the aspect ratio right in this case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Asp09 and boston04and07
The main thing that I use a tablet for is web browsing in the portrait orientation. Having previously used a 16:9 tablet, I can tell you that 4:3 is much better suited for this. In fact, viewing widescreen videos is the only thing that I found to be a better experience in 16:9.
 
The iPad is perfect as it is in 4:3. I would have a serious problem if they changed it. I tried working with 16:9 Windows tablets for years. They were a disaster. The Surface finally became usable when it went to 3:2.

I use the iPad primarily in portrait. It's best that way for reading, writing, note taking, browsing most web pages (nearly all of which fit perfectly in the space provided in vertical orientation with no wasted white space on the borders).

The iPad is the best-selling tablet in the world by a huge margin. Changing it would be dumb.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yegon and sracer
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