FYI Notice: No vibration on iPad

[Don Kosak]

I noticed nobody mentioned this and deaf people need to know this; there's no vibration on iPad. It's a major accessibility issue for me. I don't know if it's hardware or software limitation and I hope Apple can fix this [more...]

The speakers in the iPad are much bigger than in the iPhone. When playing bass, at full volume, you can really feel the vibration.

From an accessibility standpoint, developers could adapt this as a notification method. (just don't use it in a library...)

 

[TurboSC]

My MacBook Pro doesn't vibrate.

Why come my MacBook Pro doesn't has Telephony?

 

[MikhailT]

...You could also get into the habbit of checking your e-mail every 10 minutes or so. I do this with my iPhone anyway because it automatically checks every 15 minutes and I tend to get 2-3 during that time.

With no multi-tasking, I lose my sessions every time I quit the apps to go check emails. iPhone is different since most of the time, I'm not doing anything longer than 5min. On iPad, I would stay in iBook/Readers/Safari for hours instead of minutes.

The speakers in the iPad are much bigger than in the iPhone. When playing bass, at full volume, you can really feel the vibration.

From an accessibility standpoint, developers could adapt this as a notification method. (just don't use it in a library...)

You're joking? Just because a person is deaf, it doesn't mean the people around him is deaf as well. You think my family is going to be okay with the random super-load noise every 5 min? Hell, I get annoyed whenever my roommates had IM sounds on and i'm deaf.

Ah, sorry for that, I missed it. Still, all the more so, if they are hard of hearing, a vibration won't work (in terms of its auditory signal that vibration makes on a table say) unless they actually hold (possible) or have the device on their bodies (not so possible). So, really if you are waiting for that one important email, don't read a book or browse, and keep checking the mail. Cause it's not that easy to include a vibration mechanism for such a large item, I 've not seen it in any other item of this size. And like another poster said, it's not a phone that you can keep in your pocket to feel the vibration at all times.

So my 2c's keep the iphone in your pocket for that push email, and work/play/read away on the ipad.

Dude, I can feel iPhone vibrating miles away, it doesn't have to be on me. Vibrations can travel and deaf people are very tuned to vibrations. I normally put my iphone next to the wall if i'm going to be in the next room and I can feel the wall vibrate knowing I got some email. It has a certain signature that people can tune into.

I mean no disrespect for the hearing-impaired people amongst us but they do still have eyes, right?

I have not seen a desktop computer or notebook vibrate when receiving new
mail but they are still used by hearing impaired.

My MacBook Pro doesn't vibrate.

You do realize your point has nothing to do with this? Two completely different categories of device.

1) iPad or iPhone has no visual cues to show updates and it has to be persistent as well. An example of a visual cue is an email icon on top with message count indictor. Push Notification is a horrible visual cue as well, it doesn't work for emails, multiple messages at same time and it's not even persistent. You close one push notification, it close any other push notifications as well.
2) It can't multitask so that people can see status from the applications at same time.

This is why desktops/notebooks don't need vibrations; menubar will show the status all the time as well as Growl notifications. Those visual cues are not possible on either iPhone/iPad. You can run mail.app, Adium, all other apps at same time as well with the Dock bouncing whenever there's an update with count indictors. While iPad/iPhone has a dock, it's not visually persistent. Once you open an app, you can't see the dock anymore.

 

[wovel]

because when you are carrying an ipad around, if you were to be exact, like an iphone, it would vibrate in your pocket, that's the main function of vibration, well one of them, to feel it through a pocket. Otherwise a sound played when receiving emails whilst doing other things will be just as good.

Unless of course you are deaf. (Please read the original post)

 

[poppe]

I would even go to say that vibrate would help the people who can hear. I've used my iPad in very busy/loud areas and missed many emails due to the fact that the Mail app's sound is such a quiet noise, even when the iPad is at full volume.

There has also been times where I've been somewhere and to not be rude I've had the iPad on silent or close to; again missing emails because of no vibrate.

Another thing that'd made me miss vibrate is there is a lot of games I play that take advantage of the iPhones vibration feature (mmmmh vibration), and when I play the iPad version of the sa,e game I find myself with this feeling that something is missing with in the game. Then I realize, the iPad doesn't have a way to vibrate.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

Because we need more reasons for people to make fun of ipad with iPad/iPhone references.

It's a basically a net book with much more limitations so let me ask you...does your net book or laptop vibrate?

 

[0101001]

A non issue for me think it would be stupid to have it on the iPad.

 

[PhoneI]

It would have to be a very strong vibration mechanism to vibrate a 1.5 pound object.

I do agree that Apple should come up with something for hearing impaired people.

 

[wgary]

I noticed the lack of vibration as well. However, I ended up turning push email off because I already have it going to my iPhone. I would be working on my laptop for work and hear my iPhone, iPad, and then the laptop! Was driving me crazy I guess I will just open up mail when I hear the iPhone and I am using the iPad.

Who else waits in anticipation for the others after the first one goes off? Usually my iPhone is first I think and laptop last...

 

[gwangung]

There is a value for the OP to have vibration.

There is a value for the OP to have a mode of notification that vibration provides. And I think Apple should provide it.

However, it's not clear that vibration is the best way to do it.

 

[Clix Pix]

Today I happened to have my iPad in hand when a new email came in and I felt the vibration when the audible alert sounded... That is fine and dandy but we aren't always going to be holding the iPad and unlike the iPhone it isn't going to be easily carried in a pocket so, yes, cues that a message has come in are missed. This is significant to hearing-impaired people in particular because between the two, the more useful means of communication is not the telephone, but...email.

I realize that for most hearing people the incredible significance of the emergence of email and text messaging is not fully appreciated because there is still the phone and voicemail for them to enjoy IN ADDITION. The hearing-impaired community has benefited greatly from access to easy and readily available communication that does not involve sound and the spoken word. This is something to be treasured but the notification system can still be improved, and really should be.



I am not profoundly deaf, I am able to hear with hearing aids, and so I am right smack between the world of the hearing and the world of the deaf. This has given me to appreciate things on both sides of the fence.

 

[cRuNcHiE]

Even without a Motor to make the iPad vibrate like in the iPhone , they could potentially use the speaker to emit the resonant frequency of the ipad to notify you. Just an idea!

 

[Clix Pix]

Even without a Motor to make the iPad vibrate like in the iPhone , they could potentially use the speaker to emit the resonant frequency of the ipad to notify you. Just an idea!

A visual cue is really what is needed. VISUAL.

 

[Liam8]

It should have been included for gaming too

 

[jzuena]

This is why desktops/notebooks don't need vibrations; menubar will show the status all the time as well as Growl notifications. Those visual cues are not possible on either iPhone/iPad. You can run mail.app, Adium, all other apps at same time as well with the Dock bouncing whenever there's an update with count indictors. While iPad/iPhone has a dock, it's not visually persistent. Once you open an app, you can't see the dock anymore.

If you like Growl notifications, have you tried Prowl? I haven't tried it, but it seems to get good reviews. It just forwards a push notification of messages on your computer, so you have to have mail running on your computer as well. I can't find any indication if their Prowl popup happens even if you are in an app.

Another option that works with any app that doesn't take over the whole screen (a.k.a. games) would be to put a little mail icon on the menu bar at the top of the screen in addition to having the number badge on the mail app icon. The iPad's bar is plenty long enough for putting icons like this.

 

[Clix Pix]

Another option that works with any app that doesn't take over the whole screen (a.k.a. games) would be to put a little mail icon on the menu bar at the top of the screen in addition to having the number badge on the mail app icon. The iPad's bar is plenty long enough for putting icons like this.

I like this idea, but how does one do it?

 

[jfyrfytr25]

to the OP:

you know, there are a bunch of little things that a small % of user think is needed. some want a camera, some want a USB, some want this, some want that. I dont see why the fact that you dont want to check your email periodically justifies pissing all over apple because they did not make the thing vibrate. as an Engineer let me say, you dont realize the size of the mechanism that would be needed to vibrate the ipad in a way that would be noticeable? along with space considerations there are battery ones. a large vibrating device will suck a battery dry in no time.

its fine to want, it may even be ok to suggest. But your entitled attitude and "how dare they" tone seems overly self involved. What got me was your comment about emailing Steve Jobs, OMG. do you think the CEO of a 40 billion dollar enterprise has nothing better to do than read an email from you whining about how your ipad doesnt vibrate and how you gotta close your app to check for email.

Steve has said it before, he does not care about market research and he is not interested in what users think they want.

 

[jzuena]

I like this idea, but how does one do it?

I'm guessing something like this would have to come with an OS update, but I have seen additional icons on the menu bar back when my touch was jailbroken. I don't know if Apple has an API to allow adding icons in their official SDK. If so, I would hope that Prowl would make use of it.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

This is silly comment and useless to the OP. If you can't fathom the challenges the OP may encounter, you should just ****.



Another useless comment, the OP is talking about a device that has more in common with an iPhone than a netbook. A netbook has other means to notifiy without leaving the app your in. Apparently you don't know the difference. There is a value for the OP to have vibration.

So ...if i start a topic.."WTF: No ketchup on Ipad", it will start a conversation thread on the fact that there should be ketchup on the ipad? Are you serious about this?

The fact is and always will be that vibration is only ONLY ONLY!!!!!!! brought up as a topic because of the operating system is closely related (99% similiar) to the 3 year operating system that is in the Iphone OS and Ipod Touch OS which in fact has applications that use vibration.

The fact of the matter is, you want to bring up vibration, you need to bring up vibration FOR ALL MOBILE DEVICES. This includes laptops, netbooks and then yes, even his Ipad as well as iphones.

Apparently, you don't know the difference from what is being put on the title. As he clearly states "WTF Notice: No Vibration on the Ipad" which means he was EXPECTING vibration. You don't put WTF until you think its a bit odd. This in turn gives the OP the assumption he was expecting a GIANT IPOD TOUCH. might as well put a phone icon and just make it a large Iphone. (oh yeah thats next year).

But what i have been saying is that, the Ipad is between a laptop and portable device. Do you see other devices in a similar region, includes smaller PCs with vibrational mechanism? because if its such as interesting topic, it should then steer towards how vibration can be added into all operating devices.

Another useless quote comment and not even understanding the whole picture.

WTF NOTICE: i can't use my ipad as dinner plate.
WTF NOTICE: Ipad can't solve mysterious of life
WTF NOTICE: Ipad can't cure all deceases.

Be realistic. Seriously. Or at least change the topic title so its not a RANT and more of a suggestion.

How about? "why apple didn't implement vibration into the Ipad?"

Meh.
______________________________________________________________________

That said, you want to talk about the vibration issue at hand. Look as much as the OP wants if its not wanted by alot of people (I mean millions) which this would lead to more sales, it won't be implemented. I keep my ipad on silent and don't even use it for sound notification. it's not your phone, it doesn't stay with you in your pocket. If you keep it in your bag, You won't feel it unit its a larger vibration unit. More importantly, it cuts into Apple's margins and it causes other issues like battery drain.

If this was a big issue and was seriously important to alot of people are hearing impaired, then it would implemented in alot of other products and operating systems. The usage as to be huge.

Adding a simple feature like vibration brings multiple legal issues and complications to the system that would sound dumb at any common person but its there.

Sorry OP. maybe in the future.

 

[vini-vidi-vici]

Sorry if this comes across as a bit brash, but come on... You're complaining that you can't get notice of new e-mails like it's some kind of critical feature?! Like you NEED to know NOW that you have an e-mail right when it happens, and not a second later?

People are so impatient... it has nothing to do with being deaf or not, it has to do with an "I want it right now" mentality... Sheesh Veruca...

I have no way to know that I have emails instantly, and I can hear. It's not a problem. If I want to check my e-mail, I check my e-mail... and I do it when I want to, and when I have time to do it. If you're getting 28 e-mails between checking, you either are getting e-mails constantly, in which case, the thing would be vibrating all the time, or you hardly check your e-mail, which tells me it's not that important to you. Either way, this feature makes no sense.

 

[Clix Pix]

How about, WTF, I can't hear, so how about a little extra help here? Visual cues or vibrational cues would be most appreciated........

The point that most of you hearing people are missing is that for deaf people, email and text messages are the primary means of communication. Therefore, it is really, really important to get notification that an email has come in.....


OK, let's spell it out so that maybe people can understand.

You are at a meeting place waiting for a friend to show up and time goes on, goes on. A hearing person can simply telephone his or her hearing friend to say, "wow, traffic is bad. I am really running late!" and the hearing recipient will hear the phone ring and be able to answer it and hear what is going on to cause the delay.

You are deaf and at a meeting place waiting for a friend to show up and time goes on, goes on. This is when the person who is delayed will send either an email or a text message to let the one who Is waiting know what is causing the delay. This is when it would be really good to have either vibration or a visual cue as an alert that a message is coming in.

Another example? You are hearing and you have scheduled an appointment for later in the day. The phone rings or you are on the iPad and it dings. Oops, a glitch and the appointment has been cancelled or postponed.

You are deaf and you are busy getting ready for that appointment. You are ready to leave the house and you pick up the iPhone or the iPad and only then see messages which came in earlier cancelling or postponing the appointment.... Or, worse yet, have already traveled to the appointment only to learn the news.

So, yes, while it may not be a problem for hearing people to miss notification of an email or text message, it most definitely can be for someone who is hearing-impaired.

 

[MacToddB]

WTF NOTICE: i can't use my ipad as dinner plate.
WTF NOTICE: Ipad can't solve mysterious of life
WTF NOTICE: Ipad can't cure all deceases.

Hold on. The iPhone DOES have vibration. It's not like the original poster's expectation is out of line. Your examples are beyond extreme (not to mention misspelled. "deceases"? really?)

I would have expected vibration to be supported. It might not warrant "WTF" but I've seen more outrageous "demands" here (like it's a conspiracy that Apple ran out of 16GB 3G's on the first day).

And the vibration doesn't have to shake the iPad off the table, but a slight physical buzz would do the trick.

Regardless, I've posted 2 devices that might help the original poster and the hard of hearing community. Apple's pretty good about accessibility so I think they'll consider this in future versions.

Hmm... I wonder if there is a 3.5mm headphone-jack-to-vibration gadget out there?

 

[MikhailT]

to the OP:

you know, there are a bunch of little things that a small % of user think is needed. some want a camera, some want a USB, some want this, some want that. I dont see why the fact that you dont want to check your email periodically justifies pissing all over apple because they did not make the thing vibrate. as an Engineer let me say, you dont realize the size of the mechanism that would be needed to vibrate the ipad in a way that would be noticeable? along with space considerations there are battery ones. a large vibrating device will suck a battery dry in no time.

its fine to want, it may even be ok to suggest. But your entitled attitude and "how dare they" tone seems overly self involved. What got me was your comment about emailing Steve Jobs, OMG. do you think the CEO of a 40 billion dollar enterprise has nothing better to do than read an email from you whining about how your ipad doesnt vibrate and how you gotta close your app to check for email.

Steve has said it before, he does not care about market research and he is not interested in what users think they want.

Entitled Attitude and "how dare they" tone? You're putting word in my mouth and assuming completely wrong things about me.

The WTF isn't to Apple. As I stated in my first line, this was a message to the deaf people that there's no vibration, it was a WTF notice to me because it's a surprise that there was no vibration. I can see how it might sound wrong to you but I did put it in context in the main post.

You also missed the next sentence where I said I don't know if it is a hardware or software limitation and I have email Apple to ask what is going on.

The entitlement you're referring to is because this is a matter of accessibility for hearing impaired people. If the sounds and notification can only work with sounds, how exactly does hearing impaired suppose to get notified with the screen off or while working in some apps full screen? Apple has not place a replacement for the lack of vibration in the iPad. There's no way to get notified of new emails other than sounds. Sounds do not help deaf, hard of hearing people and actually some hearing people who can't turn on sounds in certain rooms. With no rapid information screen when you first turn on the screen, you have to log in and check the email every single time. PNS does not work for email, SMS only does one message at a time. It doesn't say how many messages are missing or not.

I have emailed Apple feedback many times about this but nobody responded and I know they normally do not respond. So I figured why not Jobs since many people have done the same thing. It's not a matter of "want", it's a matter of accessibility for hearing impaired.

I'm guessing something like this would have to come with an OS update, but I have seen additional icons on the menu bar back when my touch was jailbroken. I don't know if Apple has an API to allow adding icons in their official SDK. If so, I would hope that Prowl would make use of it.

There was an application via jailbreaking that puts email,sms icons in the title bar, but that requires jailbreaking. It's something that should be there in the first place without jailbreaking. Even hearing people wants those icons.

Sorry if this comes across as a bit brash, but come on... You're complaining that you can't get notice of new e-mails like it's some kind of critical feature?! Like you NEED to know NOW that you have an e-mail right when it happens, and not a second later?

People are so impatient... it has nothing to do with being deaf or not, it has to do with an "I want it right now" mentality... Sheesh Veruca...

I have no way to know that I have emails instantly, and I can hear. It's not a problem. If I want to check my e-mail, I check my e-mail... and I do it when I want to, and when I have time to do it. If you're getting 28 e-mails between checking, you either are getting e-mails constantly, in which case, the thing would be vibrating all the time, or you hardly check your e-mail, which tells me it's not that important to you. Either way, this feature makes no sense.

That's because your life as well as working environment does not depend on you responding to emails. Deaf people have to rely on email/text/IM for both life and work. I did tech support mainly by email or text or IM, I need to be able to respond to people fast. If there's a problem with something and somebody need a fast answer, they email me directly and I normally respond right away, and if I can't help, I have to tell them right away to contact somebody else. My work expected me to respond within minutes, not every 15 minute and when I am working in IM app on iPad, there's no way for me to get an email notice since Push does not do anything for email and there's no icon on top. There's no vibration at all. Loud noises are not acceptable either in work environment or libraries.

 

[MikhailT]

I wonder if a Bluetooth bracelet would do the trick. I happen to have one, that supports vibration, that I bought from a Chinese company, via AliBaba.com. Here's another company that offers it:

http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/bluetooth-bracelet-with-vibration-and-lcd-display/

I'll play with it. Also, a company called Zomm (http://zomm.com) is making a keychain BT device. (I've seen them at press events at CES and CTIA... I write for iPhone Life magazine). Target audience is women. They'd clip it to their purse so they could answer calls without digging around for the phone in the purse. Unlike the bracelet, it's a handsfree speakerphone. Personally, as a man, I'd like it, mounted on a leather strap, like a Dick Tracy watch. No mention of vibration but I have submitted an inquiry to their PR folks.

Thanks for sharing that. I'm thinking while I still have my iPhone, i'll use that it's just I have to remember to put it on me all the time. Eventually i'm going to get rid of the iPhone and use iPad only with a dumb phone. Hopefully next phone I have will have vibration to help me.

 

[tomashi]

can't you buy a hearing aid