Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Why does the ipad have a better screen than the Air?
- Thread starter Sean Dempsey
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
An IPS display would be awesome on the next air, however, it would be very expensive, seeing as though the baseline macbook air isn't much more than the top memory iPad, and for that it has much more advanced specs, operating system etc.
Yeah, other manufacturers tend to use the equivalent SuperLCD (which is based on PVA) or AMOLED technologies. IPS is a rare thing indeed, but not for the reasons you wanted to try to point out.
Good try though, I'll give you that.
Thank You
What would bad eyes have to do with it? The iPad has a higher pixel density than the Macbook Air anyway. I think you're confusing number of pixels, pixel density, and UI/text scale. They are three different things.
You lost me but I am pretty confused at the best of times!
Bad things happen to your eyes especially after hitting 45 for many of us.
The 13 inch mba has a pretty sweet display but it can be tough for some of us ( a strong argument for a nice big external monitor ).
A lower resolution display might be attractive at some sizes for some people.
The OP did not make is exactly clear in the first posting why exactly they thought the iPad display was better than the air nor did they mention which air they were comparing it to.
The OP was talking mostly about the viewing angles of the screen, since the iPad has an IPS display and the none of the Macbooks have one.
You implied that the lower resolution of the iPad would be better for bad eyes than the Macbook Air, but in fact the iPad has a higher density than the Macbook Air. Text of the same scale would be smaller on the iPad and bigger on the Macbook Air. The Macbook Air has more total pixels but they are spread out over a larger screen size.
The size of things on screen is also not necessarily tied to resolution. For example the iPhone 4 doubled the resolution in height and width but text did not get smaller because of the scaling.
The iPad DOES have an IPS display, and the macbook air does not, you've got it exactly right.. but this isn't a hidden fact. Part of the marketing for the first iPad was about the "gorgeous" IPS display..
It's pretty simple why the screen on the iPad would need to be of a higher quality -- touch. You're not holding your air, or any laptop, 8-12 inches from your face and touching it all day long, in multiple positions. A laptop is generally used in a set position, where you're adjusting the screen to fit that position.
This is no different than the macbook pros. They have a better viewing angle than the air, but you're also paying a premium on the entire computer over the air. The 13" air is a much better screen, in my opinion, than the 13" pro.
That being said, I own a 13" air, and an iPad 2. The iPad screen is beautiful, but i love my air as well, but in the end, they're serving different purposes, and that's why the screen is different.\
Edit:
I wanted to add, the iPad is made up of a screen, and a backside. You are only interacting with the screen, and so I certainly hope it's a high quality screen. The air you're interacting with multiple things. The touchpad, the keys, and looking, but not touching, the screen.
