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Upcoming iPad Pro Could Feature Landscape Face ID Camera
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I get that people use their iPads in portrait mode and when holding it in your lap, it's better that the camera is at the top.
HOWEVER, if you use a case or a keyboard or have it in any way docked on a table, as many of us do, a vertically placed camera is just silly because it looks like you're always looking to the side of the speaker.
Personally, I clearly prefer the horizontal camera placement but I understand that it depends on how the users uses the iPad and that opinions vary.
HOWEVER, if you use a case or a keyboard or have it in any way docked on a table, as many of us do, a vertically placed camera is just silly because it looks like you're always looking to the side of the speaker.
Personally, I clearly prefer the horizontal camera placement but I understand that it depends on how the users uses the iPad and that opinions vary.
I've used iPads since 2nd Gen and have NEVER used one in portrait – except recently for online banking because there's a bug in my bank's app that requires it.
It very often happens that I hold the iPad in landscape in such a way that I block the camera when I need it to ID myself for banking, work email, and more. I find it annoying. I hardly ever use the 12.9 in portrait.
I would argue that the 11 inch iPad is a portrait device, and the 13 inch a landscape one.
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The ideal situation would be if Apple put a camera in both portrait and landscape. I know several people who use iPads in both configurations. A gyroscope can figure out which orientation it's in and use the appropriate camera. Of course they won't because it's an extra cost and takes up valuable bezel real estate. Leaving the camera in portrait will annoy lots of people. Moving it to landscape will annoy a lot of people. Somebody loses no matter what they do.
If they do move it to landscape, we can guarantee there will be an Apple Pencil 3 with magnets and charging coils in different places on the pencil and on the iPad.
If they do move it to landscape, we can guarantee there will be an Apple Pencil 3 with magnets and charging coils in different places on the pencil and on the iPad.
OTOH, I rarely us my iPad Pro in protrait mode and applaud this change.Apple will never please everyone.
My Flippy is perfect for surfing, reading and shopping in landscape mode. and my eyes are less fatigued in that mode as I don’t have to look all the way to the top of the screen or keep scrolling to see more text when in landscape mode, the wider screen contains more content. And I don’t use a keypad with my iPad. I have a laptop for that kind of work so this device is perfect for just sitting on your lap on the sofa and using it as a content device.
Magic Keyboard users almost always use it in landscape mode. I agree that without the keyboard, it’d always be in portrait.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
You said it yourself. Why have the iPad at all the Mac is superior for your use cases?
I consider the Mac and iPad two VERY different devices that have SOME overlap.
I use my iPad specifically to do iPad things: draw, scan/sign documents, handheld content consumption, touch-based games, or when I just want to do things with my fingertips (using the iPad is FUN for me). The user experience is VERY different, and I think that's part of the iPad's charm.
As with you, my MBA M2 is so thin and light that it ALMOST negates my iPad. If I had to pick ONE device and drawing wasn't my primary use case, the MBA is king.
But for my tech-challenged mother, the Mac is WAY too much. She uses the iPad BECAUSE it is almost identical to her iPhone... She knows where everything is and how to do things. I find that to be the iPad's greatest asset. Putting macOS on the iPad would ruin that.
It likely will require a new Pencil with magnets and charger in different locations. I suspect that it will still fit along the long edge where the camera would be, but the charging components would need to shift to accommodate the camera.
After 7 years of using the ipad pro 12.9 only in portrait mode, but the last year with a faceid 12.9 only in landscape mode - this would be a great change (for me). My left hand, for whatever reason, seems to always block the camera (probably because I am opening the case with keyboard).
I’m pretty sure mine is orientation aware, it‘s just my hand is in the way when opening the keyboard case so it takes a few seconds extra because it is not able to do faceid until my hand is removed.