Thinner should not be a boasted feature.

[Justin Luck]

I watched yesterday's Keynote and Steve Jobs repeatedly emphasized how much thinner the iPad 2 is.

But IMO, thinner is not necessarily better. If the original iPad was as thick as a laptop, then sure, being thinner would be an improvement. But I have held an iPad in my hands and the thickness was quite comfortable with the blunt side edge. On the other hand, I own an iPod Touch 4G and I have never cared for the sharp tapered edge. For me, the 4G is too thin and I have placed a cover over it to make the edges easier on the hands.

Weighing less is one thing, but thinness should not sacrifice ergonomics. I swear, the designers at Apple must have a fetish over this lust for thin. It is even more absurd if it is reason Apple must skimp on features like decent cameras or a higher dpi screen because current tech is not quite small enough to fit in that shallow of a form factor.

 

[BHP41]

Kinda like being too hot or cold. With the cold you can always put more clothes on, right?

Same thing with the iPad2. If it's too thin for you, find a nice case to add comfort that you want.

 

[iSingandiDance]

You haven't even held it in your hands yet.

 

[jman800]

You haven't even held it in your hands yet.

I loled.

Anyway, I agree with you to an extent, I enjoyed the form factor of the first one, but then again, we haven't experienced it yet to know the difference.

 

[andiwm2003]

I'm with the OP. Thinner at that point is not an improvement. The iPad is thin enough IMHO.

They should have left it the same thickness and reduced the becel by a bit to reduce footprint, add more battery and maybe a micro usb port or a micro SD card slot or a HDMI port.

But that of course would go against Apples philosophy of "form over function" and "sell adapters for $39.95".

All in all still a great device however and I would buy it if I hadn't already an iPad 1. The important feature is iOS5. Let's see how that turns out.

 

[Kadin]

Whatever they have to do to make it lighter, I'm all in favor for. I'm personally glad it's thinner.

 

[Justin Luck]

I agree that we won't really know how it feels until we hold it. But my main point is, the original iPad feels fine. Does it really feel too thick for some people?

 

[Tobster3]

Whatever they have to do to make it lighter, I'm all in favor for. I'm personally glad it's thinner.

Same here. Cases will help to add to thickness if you feel the new iPad is too thick once you have actually held it.

 

[nmills]

It is for me! I prefer thinner and lighter. I'm a pretty small woman with small hands. I can't easily hold a thick heavy tablet for any length of time. It was *one* of the reasons I choose a Kindle over the Nook.

Size matters


Excuse the typos - I'm on Tapatalk!

 

[Carouser]

They should have left it the same thickness and reduced the becel by a bit to reduce footprint

Did you handle a mockup of your proposed weight and dimensions to see how well it works? You must have experience in product design, because I'm sure you know how difficult it is to hit the sweet spot for how something feels balanced whether in two hands or one hand, with two different orientations. It's not like the bezel has any functional purpose, huh? Our hands are very sensitive to relative differences when holding things, I bet you know that too.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Yes, OP, you are correct. Steve Jobs doesn't know what he is doing

 

[peeaanuut]

if I was thinner I would boast about it. Just sayin'

 

[Xenc]

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A tablet that is thinner than an iPhone 4 - yet just as powerful - is a pretty significant marketing point. The design of Apple products is always the first thing that sets them apart from their competitors. Of course thinness will be boasted.

 

[andiwm2003]

Did you handle a mockup of your proposed weight and dimensions to see how well it works? You must have experience in product design, because I'm sure you know how difficult it is to hit the sweet spot for how something feels balanced whether in two hands or one hand, with two different orientations. It's not like the bezel has any functional purpose, huh? Our hands are very sensitive to relative differences when holding things, I bet you know that too.

No reason to be snarky. Calm down a bit, this is a friendly forum to exchange ideas and opinions. That's why I wrote IMHO what means in my humble opinion signifying that it is just my opinion, nothing more

The becel size has been discussed here and your point is valid that a minimum becel size makes it easier to hold the iPad. However I had my iPad now for about 8 month and I feel the becel is too big for me. I would prefer a smaller foot print. I feel it would be overall easier to silde it into various bags, backpacks and such if it was a half inch smaller overall. Also I feel I could hold it easily if the becel was a quarter inch smaller on each side.

 

[urkel]

Weighing less is one thing, but thinness should not sacrifice ergonomics. I swear, the designers at Apple must have a fetish over this lust for thin. It is even more absurd if it is reason Apple must skimp on features like decent cameras or a higher dpi screen because current tech is not quite small enough to fit in that shallow of a form factor.

People are missing your point and its a shame because its a topic worth discussing since ALL tech companies nowadays seem to be aiming for bragging rights about thinness at the expense of useful features.

Thin is great but NOT WHEN IT SACRIFICES FEATURES. Dumping DVD on the Air is acceptable just as long as theres an alternative like the Pro. The iMac getting thinner is fine because it still can house two hard drives and a screaming processor. But when battery life gets affected or they put the industries most outdated camera in a premium priced tablet then yes, thin is bad.

Unfortunately Apple has so many yes-men that nobody (that matters) calls them out on this. The media emphasizes "thin" as if sliding an iPad under a bathroom door is an essential feature and the loyal fans get snotty towards anyone who question Apples decisions. Sure, 10hrs is great on the iPad and 5hrs is great on the Air but its not like people would really be upset if a 2mm thicker alternative would also result in another 4hrs battery and a modern camera.

 

[Justin Luck]

Yes, but shouldn't ergonomics always come first? There is a limit to all aspects, including ideal thinness.

 

[Justin Luck]

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A tablet that is thinner than an iPhone 4 - yet just as powerful - is a pretty significant marketing point. The design of Apple products is always the first thing that sets them apart from their competitors. Of course thinness will be boasted.

Yes, but shouldn't ergonomics always come first? There is a limit to all aspects, including ideal thinness.

 

[mac jones]

Thin is just a stopgap to 'much lighter'.

(Got to start somewhere)

 

[Apple OC]

thin is in for 2011 ... the iPad1 was a fatty

 

[Carouser]

Unfortunately Apple has so many yes-men that nobody (that matters) calls them out on this. The media emphasizes "thin" as if sliding an iPad under a bathroom door is an essential feature and the loyal fans get snotty towards anyone who questions their decisions.

Actually, people who buy iPads are perfectly justified in doing so; they don't buy the product on 'thinness', at least not for that reason alone; and they are right to get snotty when someone questions how they spend their own money. Should they run their purchases by you first? Yes, we get that you have different priorities than other people, it's okay if they don't share those priorities.

 

[andiwm2003]

.................. The media emphasizes "thin" as if sliding an iPad under a bathroom door is an essential feature and the loyal fans get snotty towards anyone who questions their decisions. .................

Actually that is one great reason to make it thin. The first real reason. Me sitting on the lou and calling my GF to bring me my iPad that I forgot. Can you imagine that as a Superbowl commercial..........

 

[peeaanuut]

Its all going to come down to size of your hand and what you are used to. So people prefer a thicker device and some prefer a thinner device. But as its always been in computers, thinner/smaller is always considered better. Its a general perceived notion outside of the computing world so to appeal to the non hard core users if you boast thinness, the mass of people will think better.

Adding it as a feature is a marketing ploy, that definitely works.

 

[Carouser]

Actually that is one great reason to make it thin. The first real reason. Me sitting on the lou and calling my GF to bring me my iPad that I forgot. Can you imagine that as a Superbowl commercial..........

it'd be lol but I don't think Apple wants to have their product associated with the can

 

[peeaanuut]

Actually that is one great reason to make it thin. The first real reason. Me sitting on the lou and calling my GF to bring me my iPad that I forgot. Can you imagine that as a Superbowl commercial..........

I wouldnt believe that commercial. I mean seriously, who forgets to take the iPad to the bathroom? Certainly not me.

 

[whyhellojoe]

one day, we'll have the iPad h2. we'll have an apple branded accessory (a magical string) that we'll attach to it so that it won't float away due to its thinness.

also, the obsession with the slim form factor is due to the fact that johny ives only hires designers from fashion magazines. my insider information is never wrong