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Horizontal vs vertical

T

thibaulthalpern

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 2, 2008
241
2
East Coast, USA
Has anyone noticed that the iPad is often displayed vertically while the android tablets are always designed for horizontal? By that, I mean look at the design elements of the iPad and other android tablets. While you can use the iPad in pretty much any orientation, the Apple logo, dock connector and home button give it away which is the default orientation. Likewise, all Android tablets have their design elements such that the default orientation is horizontal.

Anyone know why? I much prefer vertical as the default. Easier to hold.
 
thibaulthalpern said:
Has anyone noticed that the iPad is often displayed vertically while the android tablets are always designed for horizontal? By that, I mean look at the design elements of the iPad and other android tablets. While you can use the iPad in pretty much any orientation, the Apple logo, dock connector and home button give it away which is the default orientation. Likewise, all Android tablets have their design elements such that the default orientation is horizontal.

Anyone know why? I much prefer vertical as the default. Easier to hold.
Click to expand...

I don't know why, but I agree that it's annoying. I was playing with the Xoom the other day and locked the orientation so it would quit jumping around on me. When you lock it, it's viewable in landscape only, which is extremely annoying. I haven't the foggiest why they do it, but I hate it. I almost never use my iPad in landscape...as a matter of fact I have it locked in vertical portrait mode.
 
I see use for the horizontal mode. Some applications are nicer to use in horizontal mode. For instance, Mail app is nice to use in horizontal mode since when it's horizontal, the sidebar is permanently displayed. Others, like most PDF reading/annotation programmes, are better used in the vertical mode.

The cynical part of me thinks that all Android tablets are built for horizontal (landscape) default in order to differentiate them from Apple. I don't actually know if this is true though.
 
I find landscape mode to be more comfortable to hold. Also web pages display more naturally in landscape mode, more of the bookmarks bar is visible, and the email app has the sidebar permanently docked (as thibaulthalpern mentioned). In other words, landscape mode is more natural feeling if I'm using the iPad for tasks I'm used to doing on my PC.
 
I keep my iPad locked on portrait mode, but I've thinking about giving landscape more of a push since lately though.
 
rowuncw said:
I find landscape mode to be more comfortable to hold. Also web pages display more naturally in landscape mode, more of the bookmarks bar is visible, and the email app has the sidebar permanently docked (as thibaulthalpern mentioned). In other words, landscape mode is more natural feeling if I'm using the iPad for tasks I'm used to doing on my PC.
Click to expand...

The general rule is that portrait is preferred unless the app demands landscape -- or is it the other way around?

I don't get the "I always use it (insert preferred orientation here)" posts. It's an exceedingly portable device intended to be rotated as need. Of course there are uses that make either orientation more practical in any given instance. That's why it's so easy to rotate.
 
Well, the fact that most Android tablets are coming out in widescreen aspect ratio makes portrait pretty useless on them. Apple got it right sticking with 4:3 for a tablet, IMO. One of the first things Steve emphasized when he introduced it was that there's no wrong way to hold it.
 
Due to widescreen format, most android devices are not wide enough in vertical orientation for web sites.

iPad works both ways, but Android don't work well vertically.
 
Consultant said:
Due to widescreen format, most android devices are not wide enough in vertical orientation for web sites.

iPad works both ways, but Android don't work well vertically.
Click to expand...

I take it you are not talking about the Xoom, Asus, Transformer, Acer Iconia, and the new Samsungs, as they have 800 pixels across when held in portrait mode, meaning they are even more suitable than an iPad which only has 768 pixels across in portrait.
 
Interesting - I hadn't thought about it much, but yes, the design definitely points you toward portrait. And yet many cases that double as stands only stand it in landscape.

I tend to use portrait when I'm holding the iPad myself, but when I'm using it at home I mostly use it propped by the case/stand in landscape. I do prefer landscape for typing, web browsing, and some games. One game I'm addicted to that only runs in portrait drives me crazy. In general I love that almost all my apps switch back and forth seamlessly. I only lock it one way or the other when I'm trying to use it in bed while lying down.
 
porcupine8 said:
Interesting - I hadn't thought about it much, but yes, the design definitely points you toward portrait. And yet many cases that double as stands only stand it in landscape.
Click to expand...

For instance the Apple case. I personally like it in landscape though, I find it easier to type and easier to just browse the web since the width becomes a normal width (1024 pixels).
 
poloponies said:
I don't get the "I always use it (insert preferred orientation here)" posts. It's an exceedingly portable device intended to be rotated as need. Of course there are uses that make either orientation more practical in any given instance. That's why it's so easy to rotate.
Click to expand...

I don't either. It puzzles me. I use it in both directions depending on what app I'm using and how I'm using them.
 
Piggie said:
I take it you are not talking about the Xoom, Asus, Transformer, Acer Iconia, and the new Samsungs, as they have 800 pixels across when held in portrait mode, meaning they are even more suitable than an iPad which only has 768 pixels across in portrait.
Click to expand...

Except they are 16:9 instead of 4:3 so they are physically smaller in portrait and longer in landscape.


I prefer my ipad2 in landscape and hate the 16:9 format of my android tablets.

My atrix has a 960x540 res 4" screen and isn't as wide as my iphone 4 was
 
I think the main issue is that 16:10 or 16:9 tablets just don't feel natural to hold in portrait mode. They're "overly long" so to speak. The iPad seems to be comfortable to hold in either orientation.

When I first started using my iPad, I used it in landscape almost exclusively. Now I've learned to use it in both orientations depending on the situation. Almost all of my web browsing is done in portrait mode now.
 
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