At this point I'm pretty sure the only reason Apple makes any device any thinner is so they can make the camera bump stick out even more. I'm waiting for the day the iPhone roles over to its side when placed on a flat surface. Can't be much longer.
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Apple's Upcoming OLED iPad Pro Models Rumored to Be Much Thinner
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I would happily trade the rear iPad camera for either no camera or a 720p bargain bucket option if it made the rear flat and the price lower.
iPad photography is such an optional extra - not many with an iPad who doesn't have a phone with a superior camera. Couldn't believe it when the biggest feature of the 2020 upgrade to the iPad was... a LiDAR camera!
iPad photography is such an optional extra - not many with an iPad who doesn't have a phone with a superior camera. Couldn't believe it when the biggest feature of the 2020 upgrade to the iPad was... a LiDAR camera!
Ofc no one cares if i buy a product from apple or not. But the iPad Sales speak for themselfs.
Revenue is not really growing but decreasing over the past years.
My 2 Cents maybe could shift this trend around, but ofc would it be at costs for the macs.
Little good reason that Apple can't bring the iPad Pro up to the same level as A17-A18 Pro cameras. The iPad Pro updates at a slower pace than the iPhone does, so periodically there will be a drift gap in the cameras. But that doesn't mean it has to be permanently behind.
There are movie shooting rigs for the iPad where you effectively end up with a far better viewer/composition-monitoring screen than you can with an iPhone. For example:
https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/how-to-build-your-own-ipad-mobile-journalism-rig
Go look at a 'pro' movie camera set and see if they are using iphone small monitors to compose the shot.
If there is going to be a Air 12.9" then that could be the iPad for folks who just want an 'mundane' camera iPad with a larger screen. There is zero rational reason why the iPad Pro 12.9-13" should try to substantively 'gap' the Air version. One of the major features Apple uses to gap the iPhone Pro from 'plain' iPhone is "camera". There is a more than decent chance they are going to do exactly the same "modus operandi" here also.
The 'outside rim' is where Apple should be trying to control the torsional forces on the device. They are going to need to try to keep most of the internal space "empty" ( for stuff like batteries and electronics).
The larger the screen larger the torsional forces going to deal with. ( a 'lever' with a longer handle generates more force). If Apple is chopping from 6.4mm down to 5.0 mm then they are dropping the material to hold rim rigidity down around 22%. They would pretty likely need to make that up with at least 22% more rigid material. (pragmatically can't add more internal bracing to compensate).
Perhaps they are just going with a more deformable screen. (OLED can slightly fold better and the glass is a bit less brittle. )
Some thoughts on the evolution of the iPhone and iPad
Hi comunity. I would like to contribute some opinions about what is next for iPad and iPhone. The fundamental thing i see is that the iPhone is steadily getting larger, heavier and thicker and over the years steadily gaining battery life. While the iPad was getting thinner and lighter while...
forums.macrumors.com
I dare to say that even at 5 mm there will be enough space for a bigger battery and somewhat lover weight.
The display on current iPad is a massive % of total thickness and weight, even a hybrid glass/polymer oled with tandem pixels should reduce both of those masivelly.
I am only sad that we did not get a mini LED smaller iPad... would be interesting to try out.
Regarding bending, the internal structure might be changed possibly with internal beams or thicker rim all around like an iPhone.
I absolutely hate the proposition of 4:3 display going away. Its never going to be the original iPad aggain. I understand the need to push for the torn notebook display form factor and its probably better for future foldables, but I really wish there would be some of those old 4:3 tablets and 3:2 phones still available. Maybe I am getting old.
Every time Apple announces a design change around (thinness, size, weight, etc), everyone comes out of the woodwork to decry the changes. Yawn....... Yes. Some of us actually like the idea of devices becoming bigger (screen size), while simultaneously shrinking other form factors. Personally, I can't wait to pick up an iPad with a massive screen, but feels like a true edge-to-edge piece of glass with some of the 'transparent' effects from the iOS design language being applied directly to the hardware itself.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Any changes to weight & thinness are welcome, as long as battery life is not sacrificed.
But what I really want is a more powerful, less iPhone-y iPadOS, WITHOUT resorting to macOS.
I know a lot of you want macOS, but the iPad is and should ALWAYS remain TOUCH FIRST.
So, more Mac-like FEATURES without renouncing touch or going the Win-crap route.
But what I really want is a more powerful, less iPhone-y iPadOS, WITHOUT resorting to macOS.
I know a lot of you want macOS, but the iPad is and should ALWAYS remain TOUCH FIRST.
So, more Mac-like FEATURES without renouncing touch or going the Win-crap route.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Agreed. I'm tired of using my phone in landscape and not having enough vertical real estate.Some thoughts on the evolution of the iPhone and iPad
Hi comunity. I would like to contribute some opinions about what is next for iPad and iPhone. The fundamental thing i see is that the iPhone is steadily getting larger, heavier and thicker and over the years steadily gaining battery life. While the iPad was getting thinner and lighter while...
I dare to say that even at 5 mm there will be enough space for a bigger battery and somewhat lover weight.
The display on current iPad is a massive % of total thickness and weight, even a hybrid glass/polymer oled with tandem pixels should reduce both of those masivelly.
I am only sad that we did not get a mini LED smaller iPad... would be interesting to try out.
Regarding bending, the internal structure might be changed possibly with internal beams or thicker rim all around like an iPhone.
I absolutely hate the proposition of 4:3 display going away. Its never going to be the original iPad aggain. I understand the need to push for the torn notebook display form factor and its probably better for future foldables, but I really wish there would be some of those old 4:3 tablets and 3:2 phones still available. Maybe I am getting old.
The Samsung Note 4 & 5 had it just right IMHO. And I really like the iPad ratios of both the 11 and the 12. I'd HATE for the iPad to get any narrower.
Actually it’s almost twice as bendy. The inertia around that bend axis has a cubic relationship to the height/thickness. So 80% of the height gets you half of the inertia and twice the bend deflection for the same force.
could you be a bit more specific? What exactly are you missing from your MAC on the iPadOS ?
I feel as though the iPad has stalled... Is it a TV, is it a tablet, what else can it do? If the Macbook's could detach their screens it would be a winner, surely, running MacOS with the functionality of a tablet and a laptop in one, which the iPad doesn't quite accomplish.
stalled - in which way has a coffee mug stalled? It's the perfect travel device with finger tip usage and built in 5G modem.
It is by no means a TV - it closes the gap between Smartphone and LapTop and in the space it is the arguably best thing to have - lightweight with estimate 400 g ( 470 g today for eat 11" ) and all day battery life.
I'd not want macOS on a screen only device - it would jut not make a lot of sense - I am a big fan of the 11" iPPs - my 2018 model has served me very well for five years now.
It is:
- a media consumption device while in a plane or on a train
- a PPTs emergency edit device
- an email machine to go
- a pixel peeping device for images while traveling
- a handheld internet browser
- a handbook or eBook reader
- a music station
- a remote control for roon
- a VPN hub while traveling
- a navigator
- a telepresence device with teams, zoom or other applications
- a 3D scanner
That's why Apple is hopefully making it thinner and thus lighter. For me a winning solution.
I agree with your assertion, however the evolution of the devices is what I meant by stalling, or plateauing. Going from nothing to an iPad affirms your points, though I was, perhaps unclearly, trying to convey that going from an exisiting iPad to the upcoming model brings minimal, indeed if any, valuable new functionality. A little lighter, an OLED screen; these are niceties but not additional functionality.
So what is the evolution of coffee mugs? They serve a certain market and they are 'stalling' for decades now - simple reason - they are perfect for what they are designed.
Let ma ask a question - what would you expect in detail from a new iPad rather than being smaller, lighter, faster and offer a better display and potentially better connection?
The Software has evolved tremendously over the past decade and we have a really good fit of functionality and form factor. Different form factors would be an ultra thin piece of glas or the Apple Vision PRO - as end game - a waerable iPad - so to speak.
I'd be interested what you're missing? From my perspective it is close to meting all my needs - a few things here and there but nothing to write home about. Nonetheless I am always excited when Apple finds a new tweak that I have never thought about but ultimately needed 🤣
How much thinner can you actually make it?! it can’t go any thinner than the USB-C port itself. And the USB-C port still needs a little bit of a frame around it. the current gen iPad pro’s USB-C port is practically edge to edge as it is.
Apple is planning to update the iPad Air and iPad Pro lineups as soon as March, and the new iPad Pro models will be significantly thinner according to dimensions shared by 9to5Mac. Citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans, the site claims that the larger version will be more than 1mm thinner.
The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro measures in at 6.4mm thick, but the new model is said to be 5mm thick. As for the 11-inch iPad Pro, it is currently 5.9mm thick, while the updated version is said to be 5.1mm thick. Both tablets may also be slightly bigger in size.
- Current 11-inch iPad Pro - 247.6mm x 178.5mm x 5.9 mm
- Upcoming 11-inch iPad Pro - 249.7mm x 177.5mm x 5.1mm
Such a slimmed down body suggests a notable design change, which is enabled by an even more significant update -- OLED display technology. OLED display panels are thinner than LCD panels, allowing Apple to cut down on the thickness of its tablets.
- Current 12.9-inch iPad Pro - 280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.4mm
- Upcoming 13-inch iPad Pro - 281.5mm x 215.5mm x 5.0mm
Alongside the iPad Pro, Apple is expected to introduce two new iPad Air models, including a larger 12.9-inch version for the first time. The larger iPad Air will be almost the same size as the current iPad Pro, measuring in at 280.6mm by 214.9mm by 6mm.
Apple is limiting OLED display technology to the Pro lineup, so while the 12.9-inch iPad Air will be similar in length and width to the iPad Pro, it will be thicker because it will continue to feature an LCD display.
All of the new iPads are expected to have Apple's M3 chip technology, which was first introduced last year in updated MacBook Pro models. We haven't heard specifics about an event, but we are expecting something in late March to early April.
Article Link: Apple's Upcoming OLED iPad Pro Models Rumored to Be Much Thinner
The USB C connector is 2,4 mm thick on the device side. If that is not enough then Apple can still switch back to lightning at 1.5 mm...
I’m not sure how many ways there are to put it, it’s already been said, and you have in fact reinforced my point; just like coffee mugs, their evolution has plateaued, or stalled.
you can put other colors or images on it and change the material and change the shape a bit or work on the content (aka software) and make events with it and use them indoors and outdoors, make them electrically powered and heated or cooled or foldable.
But most of all you know what you can expect.
I don't get the point why a coffee mug needs any innovation when all people want is drinking [put in your preferred liquid here] ?
The possible evolution has stalled because it is the pinnacle in design - no matter how you put it - there is no room for further progress except thickness and display technology - and I like it that way.
My current one has served me well for over five years and it will be an excellent companion in my garage as media engine. My new one in a few weeks will keep up with my needs for the upcoming 5+ years - to be replaced with the next incarnation - which will hopefully be a 2 mm glas substrate with similar functionality 🤓
I don't get the notion that innovation needs to happen in a fully functional design?
I am happy with what we got and I will be even happier with the new one hopefully offering 4 TB storage.
4 TB is the magic metric for me - OLED the 2nd and most wanted feature - King Charles on a coffee mug 🙃
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Better filesystem access, better window control (not that Stage Manager garbage), no full website wonk, a freaking built-in Calculator app, among other things I'm sure someone else can point out and I just can't recall at the moment.
The iPad still has some issues that keep it from being a full "computer" replacement (I tried this for a year), to the point where I reverted to the Mac and bought an M2 MBA.
Ironic, really, because my iPad now sits EXACTLY where Apple INTENDS it to be: between my iPhone and my Mac.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my iPad, but a Mac replacement it is not. But I also believe that slapping macOS on an iPad is NOT the answer.
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Why would you want a MAC replacement when you can buy a MAC?
Don't get me wrong but the iPad does exactly what I want it to do with finger input. My fingers are not the same thing as a mouse with precise ability to access things.
The iPad is a mobile devicee that must be usable with my fingers - the stand with the keyboard is adding some functionality but takes away some of the mobility.
I guess Apple see it the same way I perceive it - an emergency Mac replacement and for the most part a different use case when being mobile ( traveling, in meetings, off grid )
Would I want a MAC in the size of an 11" iPad - surely not - too small screen and too cumbersome to have a mouse with me.
The current iPad PRO 11" is surely not perfect - which device will ever be? It is close to perfection for the intended use case - ultra mobile computation and backup for the cases when the MacBook is not working.
It's a trade off between mobility and getting things done. The 14" MBP is 4x the weight and much larger. The iPP 11" is 70 % of the MBP and that's enough for traveling.
What's missing is larger storage - I hope this will get addressed now. 4 TB is my magic killer functionality.
Yes! The speakers on my iPad Pro 11 are amazing for its size. Now that it's a bit old I find myself using it without a case (somewhat amazed it's five years old, definitely my most used device outside of a work context). It's very thin and light, fine for one handed reading (the FT, academic papers etc). But what gives it that bit more utility is decent enough speakers for a video call, or to watch the odd video on it.
All that said, if they shave off 20% thickness, keep the battery life the same, keep the same speaker quality and make it sufficiently robust... then it's only a win. Hopefully they'll also manage to improve on all three as well (more efficient processor).
The M3 8C 16 GB RAM is a given - the question is how many GPU cores 8 or 10 ?
The way I see the value of a thinner iPad Pro is that it's actually quite thick at the moment when you factor in how it's being used most of the time (with a MK) and relative to the MBA, and also relative to how it was envisioned when the ID was finalised (iPad Pro 2018 with Smart Keyboard). Going thinner would give more space for the keyboard so that the full combo' looks more compelling.
If you look back at Apple's form factors over the year, they either:
If you look back at Apple's form factors over the year, they either:
- slim to down to reach their desired form factor
- slim down so that they get extra space to add additional features that are improving the product
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