Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All iPads Do you want a bezel-less iPad?
- Thread starter osx11
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Must agree here... The beveled edge on the white iPad air is simply striking; both for aesthetics and ergonomics.
But sadly, looking cool is a Core Value over functionality in AppleLand. Especially in the mobile space.
Fortunately my much loved MBA & MBP function very well and remain my favorite Apple products.
The bezel is thin enough to the point that that it is a liability. Apple should be taking a long hard look at the current design and making it a bit more robust. The extra glass around the display is the reason why they don't laminate the LCD to the glass, if they could replace the glass bezel with aluminium and have the screen and glass the same size they could laminate it and increase the durability in one swoop.
How many more times, do I have top post my idea that is the solution
(wonders if anyone has patented it)
We want a "Soft Bezel"
So the whole front of the device is screen, right out to say 1mm from the edge
So if you are watching a movie or having the phone laying on it's back it's totally all screen.
Then you pick it up, and black appears (on the screen) all the way around for a bezel, smooth scrolls or fades into view.
So it looks like a bezel, but it's just black screen area that is touch ignored when its in this mode
So you have a fully programmable bezel
Seems an ideal win win answer.
(wonders if anyone has patented it)
We want a "Soft Bezel"
So the whole front of the device is screen, right out to say 1mm from the edge
So if you are watching a movie or having the phone laying on it's back it's totally all screen.
Then you pick it up, and black appears (on the screen) all the way around for a bezel, smooth scrolls or fades into view.
So it looks like a bezel, but it's just black screen area that is touch ignored when its in this mode
So you have a fully programmable bezel
Seems an ideal win win answer.
Yeah. Even without a case you have to hold thing somehow. Just not a good idea. It's not just a screen like a TV or something that never gets touched.
We are talking about an iPad not your MBA and MBP.
FYI ...
The discussion involves product characteristics and durability.
MBA & MBP are made by Apple
NO! I would hate that so much! It would just be annoying and like already said developer nightmare.
There is no Dev work
The zooming is built into the hardware/firmware
This means Apple needs to get away from the 8-bit days of bitmapped graphics thought.
Zooming, sure, but we do have a slight issue: softkeys. What you're suggesting would mean removing the physical home button and going to Nexus-style softkeys. I admit I don't know iOS that well but if their keyboard implementation is any hint they don't do things quite like Android so it wouldn't be quite as plug-and-play to have that show up.
Not to mention it would eliminate all the benefits OF a physical home button. Apple isn't sticking with it because they're stubborn, the fact is that having one is just plain nicer than always relying on the screen itself (particularly now that TouchID is being implemented). So a bezel-free iPad would lose that.
Always worth looking at what's held up over time...
I couldn't agree more - if you look at what people found the most convenient for books, magazines, even notepads for the past 500 years, there's considerable bezel space that isn't even about touch input, but being able to hold the book without covering the content.
That's not done lightly - the bezel in printed media adds a lot to the amount of paper and weight of the product. Margins would be smaller if it were practical.
I couldn't agree more - if you look at what people found the most convenient for books, magazines, even notepads for the past 500 years, there's considerable bezel space that isn't even about touch input, but being able to hold the book without covering the content.
That's not done lightly - the bezel in printed media adds a lot to the amount of paper and weight of the product. Margins would be smaller if it were practical.
I'm going to play devils advocate here just to side with the OP.
How would you guys feel if the bezel was screen space?
Say for example normally it looks exactly like the current iPad. However fire up a movie and the bezel is also screen. There is just no capacitive input in that area.
This just wouldn't have to be limited to movies but games and anything else.
I'm just throwing up ideas. Might be neat though. Little extra viewing area without relying on accidental touch software.
How would you guys feel if the bezel was screen space?
Say for example normally it looks exactly like the current iPad. However fire up a movie and the bezel is also screen. There is just no capacitive input in that area.
This just wouldn't have to be limited to movies but games and anything else.
I'm just throwing up ideas. Might be neat though. Little extra viewing area without relying on accidental touch software.