iFixit Explains iPad Mini 'Jelly Scroll' Issue in Teardown Video

[Macintosh101]

I would say it all depends on how you are reading, if you are following the text with your eyes it will be more noticable than if you leave your gaze fixed. If you are moving faster while reading it will also be more noticable. I would say it is hard for me to read at the same speed with my gaze fixed so I follow the text with my eyes, that means the text I am reading will be slanted at all times and the tilt will change up and down with scroll speed.

When you then have the side bezels in view at all times it makes it a weird perspective shift. I liken it to how it is when starting to wear glasses while out and about, having the stationary point of reference while moving disorients you until you stop seeing the frames. The problem here is that the bezels aren’t close enough to your eyes to “stop seeing them” so you will always have that stationary point of reference which will make the text slanted while reading it.

For me that was disorienting and taxing to use it for any web browsing, reddit app, real estate apps or anything with text or pictures where you scroll while in portrait mode. And since you see a lot more vertically on web pages while in portrait it is also the only orientation where reading while scrolling really works well. Like you I don’t have a problem with any previous device I’ve had, even though I can see it does exist on other devices while looking for it.

This is the best description / explanation of why this is such an issue on the new Mini.

I am baffled why Apple moved the display orientation to favour landscape on the new Mini. I bought the Mini primarily to use in portrait. The question for me now is whether I can get used to using it in landscape.

 

[MhaelK]

This is the best description / explanation of why this is such an issue on the new Mini.

I am baffled why Apple moved the display orientation to favour landscape on the new Mini. I bought the Mini primarily to use in portrait. The question for me now is whether I can get used to using it in landscape.

Yes, curious to find you why Apple made the change.

Apple has a tons of user-data on how the iPad(s) are used. Looking at iPadOS it is clearly designed to be used primarily in landscape mode, with multitasking only offering side-by-side windows rather than top/bottom view. But as the mini does not have the smart-connected it is clearly not seen as a laptop-replacement by Apple. Wonder if Apple thinks the mini‘s use case will primarily as a portable gaming/video Device, which could explain the emphasis on the landscape orientatio.

 

[Chlloret]

It can't be that bad. The only way its being showed is in slow motion so I don't see how it is in reality a problem.

It is not. It is another Apple "gate" and every "expert" in the world, mainly the ones that do not even have the device, have to say how it makes the device unusable.

 

[rfog]

The scary thing to me is that either a) nobody at Apple noticed or cared about this during testing or b) saw it and decided it was ok. Not the Apple I know.

Apple is not anymore the Apple we used to know. As other user said, Tim is a bean counter, and Apple needs to have not big earnings, but big **increase** of earnings year by year, and the line is so streamlined that since some years ago, Apple is earning more money producing with lower quality.

 

[Berti10]

Let me introduce: Rolling-shutter-Gate
Everytime I take a Picture with my iPhone 13 Pro of a fast moving object, the object appears tilted. 🙄 Same reason like jellygate. Yes, technically it is possible to remove this, but it takes a 4000+$ Sony A1 Camera or simply software.

 

[Jetscreamer]

I woudn’t mind at all either, if the screen wasn’t the part of the iPad mini that I am staring at 100% of the time.

 

[Chlloret]

I have to laugh. I have the new mini and can barely see the issue when I look for it. In the Youtube video he has to slow it down to frame by frame to show the issue. In practice it isn't an issue IMO.

How can you? It is wobble-gate, the device in UNUSABLE, never mind if you can see it or if it even exists. There was PROOF on Twitter? And anyway, ALL Apple products have this to a certain extend. So, how can you even consider using any of there products?
Written on the new mini6 without issues.

 

[tobybrut]

This is a total non-issue. This happens on every iPad. On the Air you’ll get jelly scrolling if you turn the Air landscape. Same with Pros. It‘s a little less noticeable on the Pros because the refresh rate is twice as fast. If people are offended by jelly scrolling do not ever buy an LCD screen. They all do it. Are people going to stop buying iPads completely? The vast majority will never notice at all. I have a new mini and I don’t see it unless I look for it. Why would I look for it?

People feel the need to invent a -gate scandal to get clicks with every Apple product.

 

[Smartass]

This is a total non-issue. This happens on every iPad. On the Air you’ll get jelly scrolling if you turn the Air landscape. Same with Pros. It‘s a little less noticeable on the Pros because the refresh rate is twice as fast. If people are offended by jelly scrolling do not ever buy an LCD screen. They all do it. Are people going to stop buying iPads completely? The vast majority will never notice at all. I have a new mini and I don’t see it unless I look for it. Why would I look for it?

People feel the need to invent a -gate scandal to get clicks with every Apple product.

Interesting, i've had LCD screens whole my life, and i've never noticed this jelly thingy ever, anywhere. I'm more amazed by how some of you are still defending apple with this crap that should've never happened.

 

[Chlloret]

Interesting, i've had LCD screens whole my life, and i've never noticed this jelly thingy ever, anywhere. I'm more amazed by how some of you are still defending apple with this crap that should've never happened.

You did not look for it? Nobody told you that your LCDs are really not usable? When did you last time scolled fast and filmed it in super slomo to see it?
Got nothing to do with Apple or defending it. Technically it happens on ALL LCDs. The fact, that nobody sees it except if pointed out (preferably on an Apple Device, Huawei or Samsung would not get the clicks) tells you that it is a non issue.

 

[Chlloret]

Yes, curious to find you why Apple made the change.

Apple has a tons of user-data on how the iPad(s) are used. Looking at iPadOS it is clearly designed to be used primarily in landscape mode, with multitasking only offering side-by-side windows rather than top/bottom view. But as the mini does not have the smart-connected it is clearly not seen as a laptop-replacement by Apple. Wonder if Apple thinks the mini‘s use case will primarily as a portable gaming/video Device, which could explain the emphasis on the landscape orientatio.

They also FINALLY moved the speakers to the right and the left for better stereo, because it is used in Landscape. One exception, Video calls. As you might have the device in your hand for that, they show you, that you can use it with one hand in portrait mode. Also the camera is placed on the small side for that.

 

[unchecked]

It's the modern day equivalent of eating the apple from the tree of knowledge.

 

[tobybrut]

Interesting, i've had LCD screens whole my life, and i've never noticed this jelly thingy ever, anywhere. I'm more amazed by how some of you are still defending apple with this crap that should've never happened.

No one else noticed it until iFixit brought it up. If they hadn’t, no one else would have noticed it still. Stop making a nothing burger into an actual issue. There are no iPads that don’t exhibit this behavior, yet Apple’s gone 11 years of making iPads without anyone noticing. It’s not because Apple used a cheap panel. It’s the fact that it’s an LCD screen. Like you, I’ve had LCD’s my entire life and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Stop looking for things that are nearly impossible to notice in reality and you’ll enjoy things better. If you want to eliminate this scrolling, buy an OLED. Right now, that’s the only way to make sure it isn’t there. This “issue” isn’t limited to Apple. All LCD’s exhibit this as that is how they are refreshed.

Let me ask you this. Why does the iPad Air have this problem, but yet the same panel has been in use for a year and nobody noticed? Because it isn’t a problem unless you go searching for one.

 

[frifra]

"Normal behaviour".

Reminds me about the first iPad Air in 2008. I ordered one for more than 3000 CAD.

Whenever you would look at someting white on the screen you could see small parallel lines (at an angle of ~20 degrees) on the entire screen. When I wanted to return it, they said it's normal and asked if I used photoshop or not.

For that price one could buy plenty of high quality laptops which could display the color white properly.

 

[HacKage]

"Apple has said that the jelly scrolling issue is normal behavior for an LCD screen"

Why has there not been this issue with the dozens of LCD Apple products in the past if it is normal?

 

[Virtua4]

A regular consumer would not see the issue. I don’t think it’s a normal behavior issue.

It’s just a cheaper display which Apple decided to use for the iPad Mini. That pretty much sums it up.

Some have suggested it should be recalled.

Cook should recall mini 6 immediately, period

Job would never allow such "Jelly" product out (knocking), which is against Apple's fundamental philosophy and defected by industry standard. By saying "LCD normal", "keep eyes elsewhere", "using landscape more", it is just irresponsible. Our fans purchase Apple's products not because "just...

forums.macrumors.com

You can see it easily - but it’s really a non issue….we just understand what causes it now.

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

It's also how CRT's and OLED's refresh. This article is about scan skew. I think you're thinking of image persistence, which effects the clarity of the image while in motion.

But if some people here saw a side by side comparison of motion clarity between a CRT and this iPad, they'd probably bring out their pitchforks for that as well and demand to know why their brand new device has worse motion clarity than decades-old CRTs.

Yeah I went on a side tangent with the motion clarity thing lol, I wasn’t implying it was the same issue.

Don’t CRT’s refresh in a completely different way however?

Video demonstrates the marvel of CRT displays at 380,000 frames per second

The video makes common display tech concepts easy to grasp.

arstechnica.com

 

[zenotds]

Doesn't take a genius to understand the "technicality" of the issue. And it's clear it happens on every lcd based monitor based on the direction of the refresh (higher refresh rates would have helped in that sense tho).

What baffles me is the presumption that Mini users prevalently keep the device in landscape mode.
I use mine mostly for reading and generally it's in portrait mode 99.9% of the time.
But i suppose they made the call based on some sort of data..

Anyway the issue is barely noticeable on normal use, it's just particularly evident if you scroll up and down on high contrast text pages at lightspeed.

All in all I'm still very happy with the device and most stuff i read is page based rather than scroll based.

 

[matrix07]

“Normal” or not, people are complaining about this issue. Apple should listen. The screen is quite an important part of a tablet.

The MOST important part I’d say.

 

[deeddawg]

Guess I will skip the mini then. To damn expensive for such a visual anomily. “Normal behaviour” Apple?! In the history of the iPad, why haven’t we heard of such an issue before then?

You're scrolling it wrong....

 

[Chlloret]

Guess I will skip the mini then. To damn expensive for such a visual anomily. “Normal behaviour” Apple?! In the history of the iPad, why haven’t we heard of such an issue before then?

Because nobody pointed it out before and said it is a problem. If nobody notices and nobody is bothered, it only affects people that read these forums. We got 40 mini6 for a week now with another 40 coming next week, we where an hour ago here at the Apple store and I asked a “Genius” about this and how many got returned (you have a 14 day return here whithout reason) and the answer was, none. Barcelona is not a small place but this is simply a non issue.

 

[Chlloret]

No one else noticed it until iFixit brought it up. If they hadn’t, no one else would have noticed it still. Stop making a nothing burger into an actual issue. There are no iPads that don’t exhibit this behavior, yet Apple’s gone 11 years of making iPads without anyone noticing. It’s not because Apple used a cheap panel. It’s the fact that it’s an LCD screen. Like you, I’ve had LCD’s my entire life and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Stop looking for things that are nearly impossible to notice in reality and you’ll enjoy things better. If you want to eliminate this scrolling, buy an OLED. Right now, that’s the only way to make sure it isn’t there. This “issue” isn’t limited to Apple. All LCD’s exhibit this as that is how they are refreshed.

Let me ask you this. Why does the iPad Air have this problem, but yet the same panel has been in use for a year and nobody noticed? Because it isn’t a problem unless you go searching for one.

But according to the forum experts it happens on iPhone as well? They have OLEDs? So, what to do? Throw everything away? I mean, I can’t see anything, I am probably scrolling wrong but it looks I can’t use my Apple devices anymore?

 

[dantracht]

Chiming in late here, but I can tell you, in my experience, of all the iPads I've owned since the very first model, I have never noticed this issue once. Not once.

Oh, there have been other issues, such as non-responsive touch screen issues on 3 of the iPad I've owned (2 2017 pros and an Air 3, all now sold) but never have I seen this issue on any iPad. Never.

My current fleet of Air 4, Mini 5, and Air 2 do not exhibit this issue, I would have noticed.

To those that are dealing with this, you have my most sincere apologies.

 

[Chlloret]

Chiming in late here, but I can tell you, in my experience, of all the iPads I've owned since the very first model, I have never noticed this issue once. Not once.

Oh, there have been other issues, such as non-responsive touch screen issues on 3 of the iPad I've owned (2 2017 pros and an Air 3, all now sold) but never have I seen this issue on any iPad. Never.

My current fleet of Air 4, Mini 5, and Air 2 do not exhibit this issue, I would have noticed.

To those that are dealing with this, you have my most sincere apologies.

How do you know you would habe noticed? Nobody noticed on the mini6. Now all over sudden it is everywhere. I have the new 6, and I notice nothing. I did notice the horrible spacing of app icons, not really usable widgets compared with the 5 but are optimistic that this will be fixed. I did however have no scrolling issues but I might do it wrong.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

No one else noticed it until iFixit brought it up. If they hadn’t, no one else would have noticed it still. Stop making a nothing burger into an actual issue. There are no iPads that don’t exhibit this behavior, yet Apple’s gone 11 years of making iPads without anyone noticing. It’s not because Apple used a cheap panel. It’s the fact that it’s an LCD screen. Like you, I’ve had LCD’s my entire life and never noticed until someone pointed it out. Stop looking for things that are nearly impossible to notice in reality and you’ll enjoy things better. If you want to eliminate this scrolling, buy an OLED. Right now, that’s the only way to make sure it isn’t there. This “issue” isn’t limited to Apple. All LCD’s exhibit this as that is how they are refreshed.

Let me ask you this. Why does the iPad Air have this problem, but yet the same panel has been in use for a year and nobody noticed? Because it isn’t a problem unless you go searching for one.

IFixit published the video yesterday. Complaints about this issue already appeared before that (in threads here on MacRumors and on various other places on the internet). So it seems you have cause and effect twisted and/or your timeline is out of order. Apple also already gave a statement about this issue and complaints before IFixit published their video.

IFixit merely gave a technical explanation why and how this occurs after people complained about it.

Blaming IFixit for causing this and calling it a 'nothing burger' seems like shuffling facts (and history) to meet your own narrative.