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All iPads The iPad's weight is the proverbial elephant...

ZBoater

ZBoater

macrumors G3
Original poster
Jul 2, 2007
8,498
1,325
Sunny Florida
...in the room. When the iPad 3 took the iPad 2 from 1.35 to 1.46 pounds, I recall a little rumble, but not much. Since we have so many young, virile posters here at MacRumors who hit the gym regularly for whom pound and a half means nothing to their wrists, the response was muted here. But in the real world, those of us over 40 and a lot of grannies and grandpas getting iPads, holding a pound and a half of electronics for an extended period of time was hard. Granted, the iPad was the first device that made us want to hold it that long, but we started propping it against our chin, our beer bellies, against a table, holding it with two hands, switching hands, anything to help tolerate the pressure on our weak carbon based wrists.

The Mini comes in at .69 pounds offering an experience which is on par if not better than the iPad 2. I think Apple is going to hit a home run when people start using the Mini, noticing that 99% of the apps run just fine, the 1% that doesn't are heavy games or graphic editing apps most mere mortals don't care about, and that email/browsing on such a slim/light device is going to save our wrists from invasive carpel tunnel surgery.

Look for the iPad 5/6/7 to come back to the thinner/lighter side, and the mini becoming the new benchmark for tablets. That's what I see on my crystal ball.... :p
 
I'm looking forward to holding an iPad mini on Friday (I work at an Apple Premium Reseller, so will be all over them when they arrive!).

The weight of a device is a big deal, despite it being something that people doesn't pay that much attention to. I didn't think the iPhone 5's weight would mean much to me, but I really appreciate the reduction going from my old 4.

My 3rd-gen iPad is a little heavier than I'd like and it was a bit annoying coming from the 2!

In my opinion, the one to wait for will be the 5th-generation iPad, which will probably adopt the mini's new styling with that lovely diamond-cut chamfer.
 
Despite the many posts to come on this thread disagreeing....ipads have ALL been too heavy and therefore annoying for long term use.

My hope is the mini will finally give me the usability I want.
 
ZBoater said:
Look for the iPad 5/6/7 to come back to the thinner/lighter side, and the mini becoming the new benchmark for tablets. That's what I see on my crystal ball.... :p
Click to expand...

I tend to agree that Thinner/Lighter will become a core goal for future full size iPads. It will be relatively easy for the competition (Samsung and MS) to match or exceed Apple on specs while coming in at a lower price. Lightness/Thinness and to a certain degree build quality may be Apples competitive advantage. I wonder if the mini will become Apples test bed for possible design choices for the full size iPad. The full size iPad is in need of a refresh looks wise, the mini look might not be a bad way to go.
 
ZBoater said:
...in the room. When the iPad 3 took the iPad 2 from 1.35 to 1.46 pounds, I recall a little rumble, but not much. Since we have so many young, virile posters here at MacRumors who hit the gym regularly for whom pound and a half means nothing to their wrists, the response was muted here. But in the real world, those of us over 40 and a lot of grannies and grandpas getting iPads, holding a pound and a half of electronics for an extended period of time was hard. Granted, the iPad was the first device that made us want to hold it that long, but we started propping it against our chin, our beer bellies, against a table, holding it with two hands, switching hands, anything to help tolerate the pressure on our weak carbon based wrists.

The Mini comes in at .69 pounds offering an experience which is on par if not better than the iPad 2. I think Apple is going to hit a home run when people start using the Mini, noticing that 99% of the apps run just fine, the 1% that doesn't are heavy games or graphic editing apps most mere mortals don't care about, and that email/browsing on such a slim/light device is going to save our wrists from invasive carpel tunnel surgery.

Look for the iPad 5/6/7 to come back to the thinner/lighter side, and the mini becoming the new benchmark for tablets. That's what I see on my crystal ball.... :p
Click to expand...

I am eager to get some hands in time with a mini, I know it will be light for sure but how good will the screen be, this "grannie" has old eyes :)
 
ZBoater said:
...in the room. When the iPad 3 took the iPad 2 from 1.35 to 1.46 pounds, I recall a little rumble, but not much. Since we have so many young, virile posters here at MacRumors who hit the gym regularly for whom pound and a half means nothing to their wrists, the response was muted here. But in the real world, those of us over 40 and a lot of grannies and grandpas getting iPads, holding a pound and a half of electronics for an extended period of time was hard. Granted, the iPad was the first device that made us want to hold it that long, but we started propping it against our chin, our beer bellies, against a table, holding it with two hands, switching hands, anything to help tolerate the pressure on our weak carbon based wrists.

The Mini comes in at .69 pounds offering an experience which is on par if not better than the iPad 2. I think Apple is going to hit a home run when people start using the Mini, noticing that 99% of the apps run just fine, the 1% that doesn't are heavy games or graphic editing apps most mere mortals don't care about, and that email/browsing on such a slim/light device is going to save our wrists from invasive carpel tunnel surgery.

Look for the iPad 5/6/7 to come back to the thinner/lighter side, and the mini becoming the new benchmark for tablets. That's what I see on my crystal ball.... :p
Click to expand...

Uh, oooookkkkk.... Cept there are already numerous tablets of this size and weight with better specs and at a much lower price so not sure your statement is as true as you want it to be.
 
johndallas999 said:
Uh, oooookkkkk.... Cept there are already numerous tablets of this size and weight with better specs and at a much lower price so not sure your statement is as true as you want it to be.
Click to expand...

Yes, but none of these tablets has gained any traction to be a serious contender, so it's a moot point. My point was that as popular as the iPad 2/3/4 are, their weight is something often ignored (thus the elephant comment) and the launch of the mini is exposing this issue.

Not sure what other tablets have to do with this. Ipad owns this space.
 
The iPad 3 is too heavy. That is a fact. I forgave it, because it had the best display on the market, and I value the display quality over weight. Those days are gone, though.

When Google lets the Nexus 10 loose in the wild, the iPad 4 will not have the best display, and it will (probably) be lighter. Yeah, yeah, I know all about the apps and the operating systems, and that is why I have the iPAd on the table next to me :)

But, come this time next year? I don't know. Probably the Nexus 7 and 10.
 
Our (family of 5) gen1 iPad sat on the kitchen counter for a few months before I sold it back in to the free market. No one here missed it. It got maybe 35 hours of use total, and nobody griped when it left.

It was 'Awkward', in one word. Dunno how the rest of you used them, but we simply didn't.

The mini is what the iPad should have been, in our opinion. Waiting for the mini sucked, but we'll live. (probably)
 
ZBoater said:
...in the room. When the iPad 3 took the iPad 2 from 1.35 to 1.46 pounds, I recall a little rumble, but not much. Since we have so many young, virile posters here at MacRumors who hit the gym regularly for whom pound and a half means nothing to their wrists, the response was muted here. But in the real world, those of us over 40 and a lot of grannies and grandpas getting iPads, holding a pound and a half of electronics for an extended period of time was hard. Granted, the iPad was the first device that made us want to hold it that long, but we started propping it against our chin, our beer bellies, against a table, holding it with two hands, switching hands, anything to help tolerate the pressure on our weak carbon based wrists.

The Mini comes in at .69 pounds offering an experience which is on par if not better than the iPad 2. I think Apple is going to hit a home run when people start using the Mini, noticing that 99% of the apps run just fine, the 1% that doesn't are heavy games or graphic editing apps most mere mortals don't care about, and that email/browsing on such a slim/light device is going to save our wrists from invasive carpel tunnel surgery.

Look for the iPad 5/6/7 to come back to the thinner/lighter side, and the mini becoming the new benchmark for tablets. That's what I see on my crystal ball.... :p
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you say. I currently have The new iPad (3rd gen) and pre ordered the iPad mini. I expect the lighter, thinner and smaller iPad to be much more enticing to use on the go and much pleasurable for long reading sessions.
My ONLY concern with the mini is the screen resolution and whether or not it will be a big enough downgrade from the iPad 3 to make me regret it. I know the mini will be a slight upgrade from the iPad 2 since it has a higher PPI than the iPad 2 because it is squeezing more pixels into a smaller screen, so I'm hopeful. Worse case scenario, I can always return the mini and hold onto my iPad 3 or upgrade to the iPad 4 which in that case I'd sell my iPad 3 and not take much of a hit in the wallet. Like I said, I'm not worried at all with the performance capabilities of the mini. It's only a matter of being able to tolerate the screen resolution coming from the retina screen. Looking forward to 11/2 for my own hands on and the flurry of reviews that will be here soon.
 
There are always compromises, so I will put up with the iPad's weight to have the display and the apps. Were there plenty of quality tablet-sized Android apps, I would probably order a Nexus 10.
 
Yes, am looking forward holding an iPad mini for a long time with one hand standing. But I won't be that guy. :D

iPad mini looks incredible - giving iP5 a great fight for the title ...sexiest gadget of the year.

iP5 & iPad mini are perfect together. I don't care about the lack of retina - it will be just fine!

iPad 3's weight is all right - a laptop replacement for me, just lighter and more portable.
 
agree about the weight of ipad 3 then you add one of those fancy covers it gets silly.

Nexus 10 isnt that much better although i need to try it in person. 603 grammes vs ipad 680 grammes. I dont think its a big enough weight saving to make it comfy for long term use.
 
iPad mini 2 will have an integrated room-temperature superconductor which will allow it to levitate in the Earth's magnetic field. You'll be able to position in mid-air and it'll just sit there. :)
 
Actually, i am happy Ipad Mini is not retina. Which means future games will support my Ipad 2 for a long long time.
 
johndallas999 said:
Uh, oooookkkkk.... Cept there are already numerous tablets of this size and weight with better specs and at a much lower price so not sure your statement is as true as you want it to be.
Click to expand...

Surprise, surprise, another poster who thinks that "specs" are the end-all, be-all metric upon which devices are ranked. News flash: Some people are only in the market for an "iPad," not in the market for a "tablet." They're tied to the ecosystem, or they like the design aesthetic and solid build quality, or whatever... Specs aren't even on their radar.

Because in the end, specs don't mean much except as a way for geeks to see how well they "measure up" to each other if you catch my meaning. And I say that as a geek. Usability and enjoyability are a totally different ballgame.
 
darngooddesign said:
I think you're incorrect.

Specs absolutely matter to tablet buyers; that's how they decide which iPad to buy. ;)
Click to expand...

Haha, you have a point. :) Although I'd argue that for many (perhaps even the majority) when choosing between iPad models it will come down to price and size before specs (of course size is a spec, but I mean specs like ppi, RAM, CPU, etc.).
 
ZBoater, I totally agree. When the iPad Mimi was revealed, I thought we were seeing the future design of the new regular sized iPad.
 
iAi said:
iP5 & iPad mini are perfect together. I don't care about the lack of retina - it will be just fine!.
Click to expand...
I feel that the necessity of a 7" tablet is a direct response to the iPhone not being big enough. I love the iPhone but I can't type on it, I can't read on it and I feel I am getting a crippled experience which is why Ive always wanted a more portable tablet.

But IF we were given an option for a 4.3 to 5" iPhone then I don't care if it doesn't run iPad Apps because the bigger screen would make Kindle, RSS reading more comfortable and thumb typing more accurate. So I'd have my iPad 9.7" for home and 4.7" iPhone for travel.

Sure the iPhone would be bigger but carrying one device is much easier than carrying two.
 
only if your cripple or just a ***** one would think the ipad is heavy..

really heavy? come on wtf am i the only one who doesn't think it has a weight issue?

over time it will get lighter thinner but it really is not a heavy machine
 
iapplelove said:
only if your cripple or just a ***** one would think the ipad is heavy..

really heavy? come on wtf am i the only one who doesn't think it has a weight issue?

over time it will get lighter thinner but it really is not a heavy machine
Click to expand...

I think it depends on how people are using the regular sized ipads. If you are trying to replace a laptop, it is by no means heavy; However, if it is basically just a reader and web browser...it could be considered heavy.
 
mattopotamus said:
I think it depends on how people are using the regular sized ipads. If you are trying to replace a laptop, it is by no means heavy; However, if it is basically just a reader and web browser...it could be considered heavy.
Click to expand...

i am on my 3rd ipad and use it pretty much more than my mac and iphone on a regualr basis. i usually lay it flat or on my lap with my knees up my point is sometimes there are better options than to just holding it.
 
iapplelove said:
i am on my 3rd ipad and use it pretty much more than my mac and iphone on a regualr basis. i usually lay it flat or on my lap with my knees up my point is sometimes there are better options than to just holding it.
Click to expand...

agreed, but you are using it like I do :)...more so a laptop. People who are reading books or magazines are mostly holding it in their hands.
 
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