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Piggie

macrumors G3
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
9,282
4,321
Just one very small and simple thing I would find a handy little feature and would cause no-one any problems.

I can't be alone with this...............

When I am using the iPad the screen, naturally is in the correct orientation for me. I then finish using my iPad and put it down in a place where I keep it for safety. During this putting down movement, as the iPad is still on the screen twists round depending on how I put it down.

Later I pick the iPad up and lay it flat as I wish to use it, press the home button and the screen is the wrong way round.

I then have to tilt the iPad up and back down again to put it in the right orientation for me.

This happens pretty much every single time I pick the iPad up and turn it on. And I can't be alone it finding when I turn it on the screen is not the right way round when I go to use it.

This is not THAT important of course, it's just a tiny tiny niggle. And I thought if a very simple solution to fix it that would not hurt anyone, or add any complication.

This is my idea:

When you press the home button and the screen is the wrong way round, you just tap once near the bottom of the screen facing you and the screen swings round to face you. Without you having to lift the iPad up.

Just one simple tap and that's it. No fuss, easy, logical, simple.

Would not get in anyone's way, would not interfere with anything.
 
To be completely honest i don't really find this annoying, id say just leave it as it is. i LOVE the fluidity of how easy it is to switch orientation's its no inconvenience.
 
I loved the fluidity of how easy it was to change the orientation back when the mute switch was the orientation lock...

Good news now... That hardware lock switch will last much longer. Before iOS4.2, I used that switch 6+ times a day. Now I use the mute switch like...er...never. I haven't touched the mute switch since I updated to the current iOS.
 
To be completely honest i don't really find this annoying, id say just leave it as it is. i LOVE the fluidity of how easy it is to switch orientation's its no inconvenience.

Just to clarify, I'm not asking for anything at all to be changed.

Only one, invisible if you don't use is tiny addition.

When you turn your iPad on, and it's laying flat, you just tap with one finger anywhere near the bottom of the lock screen and the screen spins round to face you.

No need to pick the ipad up, angle it to spin the screen to face you and lay it down flat again.

That is all.
 
Just to clarify, I'm not asking for anything at all to be changed.

Only one, invisible if you don't use is tiny addition.

When you turn your iPad on, and it's laying flat, you just tap with one finger anywhere near the bottom of the lock screen and the screen spins round to face you.

No need to pick the ipad up, angle it to spin the screen to face you and lay it down flat again.

That is all.

Wow People really are getting lazy these days. Its a hassle to pick the device up and tilt it a little bit? Guess I'm to old fashioned, I think the iPad orientation works great.
 
Wow People really are getting lazy these days. Its a hassle to pick the device up and tilt it a little bit? Guess I'm to old fashioned, I think the iPad orientation works great.

No...it has nothing to do with being lazy! I agree with piggie on this...it is a little cumbersome to have to pick up the device for it to tilt. Much easier and user-friendly with some sort of press or stroke..
 
How will the device know where you are. The screen could rotate to one of three other positions. Only 1 of those three would be correct. That is why the accelerometer is the best way of doing this. At least now that they have taken away the hardware switch.
 
How will the device know where you are. The screen could rotate to one of three other positions. Only 1 of those three would be correct. That is why the accelerometer is the best way of doing this. At least now that they have taken away the hardware switch.

To clarify.

You pick up your iPad and lay it flat in front of you to do something.
You press the home button to turn it on and (as usual) you find the screen is the wrong way round as when you went put it down after using it last time it swung round before it turned off.

So, it's sitting there in front on you. With, as I said the lock/swipe screen the wrong way round.

You, with just one finger tap on the screen, anywhere near the bottom of the screen. the bottom being the side that facing you, and the screen spins round to face you.

It's so simple it's obvious really, and has no minus points, and you would never know this function was there unless you used it.
 
To clarify.

You pick up your iPad and lay it flat in front of you to do something.
You press the home button to turn it on and (as usual) you find the screen is the wrong way round as when you went put it down after using it last time it swung round before it turned off.

So, it's sitting there in front on you. With, as I said the lock/swipe screen the wrong way round.

You, with just one finger tap on the screen, anywhere near the bottom of the screen. the bottom being the side that facing you, and the screen spins round to face you.

It's so simple it's obvious really, and has no minus points, and you would never know this function was there unless you used it.

The problem with your solution is that you can tap on the wrong part of the screen, which will then move you to the wrong orientation. That's why the screen orientation lock is the best option. I just wish they didn't take away the hardware switch for it.
 
The problem with your solution is that you can tap on the wrong part of the screen, which will then move you to the wrong orientation. That's why the screen orientation lock is the best option. I just wish they didn't take away the hardware switch for it.

Honestly I can't see it being a problem

All you do is to divide the screen into 4 in a cross from corner to corner

Then whichever triangle you tap in the screen swings round to that orientation.
You would have a very large area to tap and it would still get it right.
 
Maybe my usage is different from yours, but I never turn on the iPad while it's laying flat on a surface. I mean, when you use an iPad, you have to tap the screen for it to do anything, and having it flat on a table just isn't a comfortable angle for me to see the screen or to tap it. So I'm always holding or leaning it at an angle, therefore the iPad always just swings to the correct orientation the moment I turn it on. I know everyone's usage case is different, but if you could satisfy my curiousity, what do you use the iPad for that you have it flat on a table?
 
Just one very small and simple thing I would find a handy little feature and would cause no-one any problems.

I can't be alone with this...............

When I am using the iPad the screen, naturally is in the correct orientation for me. I then finish using my iPad and put it down in a place where I keep it for safety. During this putting down movement, as the iPad is still on the screen twists round depending on how I put it down.

Later I pick the iPad up and lay it flat as I wish to use it, press the home button and the screen is the wrong way round.

I then have to tilt the iPad up and back down again to put it in the right orientation for me.

This happens pretty much every single time I pick the iPad up and turn it on. And I can't be alone it finding when I turn it on the screen is not the right way round when I go to use it.

This is not THAT important of course, it's just a tiny tiny niggle. And I thought if a very simple solution to fix it that would not hurt anyone, or add any complication.

This is my idea:

When you press the home button and the screen is the wrong way round, you just tap once near the bottom of the screen facing you and the screen swings round to face you. Without you having to lift the iPad up.

Just one simple tap and that's it. No fuss, easy, logical, simple.

Would not get in anyone's way, would not interfere with anything.

I understand what you mean with your problem! Happens to me all the time!! Wish they changed the orientation lock back for when that happens and I've locked the screen :(
 
Maybe my usage is different from yours, but I never turn on the iPad while it's laying flat on a surface. I mean, when you use an iPad, you have to tap the screen for it to do anything, and having it flat on a table just isn't a comfortable angle for me to see the screen or to tap it. So I'm always holding or leaning it at an angle, therefore the iPad always just swings to the correct orientation the moment I turn it on. I know everyone's usage case is different, but if you could satisfy my curiousity, what do you use the iPad for that you have it flat on a table?

+1. I have never turned on my iPad while it's just laying on the table. After reading your post I tried that and with the reflection of the ceiling light, I could barely see anything. So yes, I always pick up my iPad and pick it up like I would pick up a book so the home key is around my chest height while the power key is at about my chin height and once powered on the iPad rotation is upright. I too am curious in regards to what you use your iPad for that you have it laid flat on the table.
 
It's a nice idea, but I personally prefer the idea posted by someone else on here a few weeks back, where the iPad camera (assuming iPad 2 has a front-facing camera), when unlocked uses facial recognition to determine where the user is and adjust accordingly. It's more Apple-y because it's simple, clean, and automatic.
 
If you want to lock the screen orientation you can double click the home button and scroll left and there's a lock orientation icon. Then put it down and let it sleep or whatever.
 
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