Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why sacrifice so Much space for Speakers ? Pics

T

TheRealAlex

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 2, 2015
3,074
2,335
http://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/ Scroll down its about mid page

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/09/iPad-Pro-Tech-Specs-800x441.jpg

Now I am super excited for my 9.7 Pro But I have to ask just look at the real estate and space taken up by the Speaker assemblys. My question is WHY?

Not only would we all be happy with just two of these Giant Speakers I'd be happy with just Two iPhone Sized speakers.

that being said. Can you imagine how much more battery could be squeezed into that space.

Any theories on why this is ?
 
Those images are the 12.9" pro. I don't think anyone knows the size of the battery in the 9.7" yet. Either way, according to reviews the 9.7" Pro should have the most battery life of all other iPads:

iPad-Pro-9.7-benchz.010.png


source: Ars Technica's review. http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/03/the-9-7-inch-ipad-pro-review-what-makes-something-pro-anyway/
 
  • Like
Reactions: StPatty33
TheRealAlex said:
Now I am super excited for my 9.7 Pro But I have to ask just look at the real estate and space taken up by the Speaker assemblys. My question is WHY?

Not only would we all be happy with just two of these Giant Speakers I'd be happy with just Two iPhone Sized speakers.
Click to expand...
And by "We" you are referring to you as an individual expressing a solitary opinion, right? :D

As a former iPad Pro owner, the speakers were actually a HUGE reason for why I almost kept the thing. Having a media consumption device with onboard audio that actually sounded good was an unexpectedly fantastic benefit. I really don't know how well it will be implemented in an already tight iPad Air chassis (especially considering Air2 Vibration issues) but its something that you should try out personally before dismissing.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Apple Human, illitrate23, StPatty33 and 3 others
More battery in that space would likely be heavier as well.

It's all a balancing act ... yes you might get more battery life, but it might also weigh more and be harder to hold for as long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChrisLTD
  • Like
Reactions: StPatty33
4004786 said:
Those images are the 12.9" pro. I don't think anyone knows the size of the battery in the 9.7" yet. Either way, according to reviews the 9.7" Pro should have the most battery life of all other iPads:

iPad-Pro-9.7-benchz.010.png


source: Ars Technica's review. http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/03/the-9-7-inch-ipad-pro-review-what-makes-something-pro-anyway/
Click to expand...
Only at 200 Nits so thats lower than Half Brightness. Because while the iPad Pro 9.7 achieves 500 nits of Max brightness 250 Nits would be Half way I question at what Brightness all the other iPads were set at ? Until this is Known these results are worthless.
 
TheRealAlex said:
Only at 200 Nits so thats lower than Half Brightness. Because while the iPad Pro 9.7 achieves 500 nits of Max brightness 250 Nits would be Half way I question at what Brightness all the other iPads were set at ? Until this is Known these results are worthless.
Click to expand...
The review said that all devices were set to 200 nits so that it would be comparable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Statusnone88, Traverse, Newtons Apple and 1 other person
TheRealAlex said:
Only at 200 Nits so thats lower than Half Brightness. Because while the iPad Pro 9.7 achieves 500 nits of Max brightness 250 Nits would be Half way I question at what Brightness all the other iPads were set at ? Until this is Known these results are worthless.
Click to expand...


From the article:

(for reference, our tests are run with all screens set to 200 nits, and True Tone was disabled on the new iPad Pro).
Click to expand...

That's why they used 200 nits, all the devices where capable of it, and it would match up with previous reviews. If the put it at 500 none of the other devices would compare.

Ars is known for being rather rigorous in their reviews.
 
  • Like
Reactions: friedmud and ZBoater
I'm sure there are several factors for both the 12.9 and the 9.7. Apple always shoots for the magical "10 hour" "all-day" battery life. I think this is a reasonable metric to achieve as it gives you a standard so you don't just stuff the whole iPad with a battery instead of implementing new ways to utilize the space (speakers in this case). The iPhones are a little different as their battery life keeps going up with each refresh.

I could imagine the 9.7 has a hotter running chassis (another reason the CPU is probably clocked a little lower - besides the fact it's powering a smaller screen), stuffing a larger battery in there would make the device run a little hotter. I could almost guarantee they utilize that speaker space as additional heat sink areas for the body. I have rarely run into situations where my battery was running really low, I always charge my devices overnight. I appreciate the improvement in the audio system (the 12.9 blew me away the first time I heard it), and I know I will utilize the speakers a lot more than I would the additional hour or so of battery I could have gotten otherwise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChrisLTD
urkel said:
And by "We" you are referring to you as an individual expressing a solitary opinion, right? :D

As a former iPad Pro owner, the speakers were actually a HUGE reason for why I almost kept the thing. Having a media consumption device with onboard audio that actually sounded good was an unexpectedly fantastic benefit.
Click to expand...

I get this and I don't.
Surely the iPad is a personal media device isn't it?
Are people gathered around their living room watching a 13" iPad? Or giving presentations?
I mean for occasional use the speakers would be a plus but I'd imagine that headphones would be used for the majority of media consumption. Unless one lives alone.
To make the speakers such a dominant design choice just seems needless.
 
Gjwilly said:
I get this and I don't.
Surely the iPad is a personal media device isn't it?
Click to expand...

Yes

Are people gathered around their living room watching a 13" iPad?
Click to expand...

Probably not.

I'd imagine that headphones would be used for the majority of media consumption.
Click to expand...

Really? Unless I'm recording or mixing audio on my iPad, I rarely ever use headphones.

To make the speakers such a dominant design choice just seems needless.
Click to expand...

I disagree.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CaptainZero and psionicsin
Gjwilly said:
I get this and I don't.
Surely the iPad is a personal media device isn't it?
Are people gathered around their living room watching a 13" iPad? Or giving presentations?
I mean for occasional use the speakers would be a plus but I'd imagine that headphones would be used for the majority of media consumption. Unless one lives alone.
To make the speakers such a dominant design choice just seems needless.
Click to expand...
Even if I am the ONLY person looking at my iPad for the entire life of the iPad, I want good speakers. That should be a no brainier
 
  • Like
Reactions: Statusnone88, StPatty33 and psionicsin
Ghost31 said:
Even if I am the ONLY person looking at my iPad for the entire life of the iPad, I want good speakers. That should be a no brainier
Click to expand...

If I am the only one listening to my iPad then I'd want good speakers but that's what I'm saying. How often are you the only one listening to it? Either I'm in a coffee shop or I'm on the bus or I'm at my desk at work or I'm at home with family but it seems I'm always surrounded by other people who prolly don't want to listen to my iPad. Hence the headphones.
Must just be me.
 
Gjwilly said:
If I am the only one listening to my iPad then I'd want good speakers but that's what I'm saying. How often are you the only one listening to it? Either I'm in a coffee shop or I'm on the bus or I'm at my desk at work or I'm at home with family but it seems I'm always surrounded by other people who prolly don't want to listen to my iPad. Hence the headphones.
Must just be me.
Click to expand...
Yeahhhhh I don't think we should get in the habit of asking for less improvements because you like to listen on your headphones. For a lot of us that use it at home or in pretty secluded environments (the park for example) the new speaker system is a godsend.
 
Gjwilly said:
If I am the only one listening to my iPad then I'd want good speakers but that's what I'm saying. How often are you the only one listening to it? Either I'm in a coffee shop or I'm on the bus or I'm at my desk at work or I'm at home with family but it seems I'm always surrounded by other people who prolly don't want to listen to my iPad. Hence the headphones.
Must just be me.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's hardly just you, but it is a fairly specific user scnario. Even people who don't live alone can often still find plenty of time to be alone and consume media on their phones and tablets headphone-free.
 
Gjwilly said:
To make the speakers such a dominant design choice just seems needless.
Click to expand...
If the Air Pro is going to be called out on questionable "dominant design choices" then shouldnt it be for the complete lack of design choices EXCEPT for adding speakers?
 
Last edited:
There are times where I have used my iPad to share videos with several others and the speakers (referring to the iPad Air 1) were very lacking where everyone could still hear in a slightly noisy environment. The Pro changed that and everyone commented on how great it sounded. It's not always convenient to carry around a bluetooth speaker. You're not just getting improved audio quality but a much louder sound as well.
 
I never use my iPad speakers and would prefer some more battery. As long as the thing is as light or higher than my iPad it would be fine for me. However I understand that doesn't work for everyone.
 
Sounds like Apple has decided 10 hours of battery life is an acceptable target. Once they get to 10 hours (give or take), they've decided to use whatever space is left for other improvements (speakers, thinness/lightness, whatever their targets are). That's a decision I fully support.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChrisLTD and Ghost31
I don't use the screen sometimes when I'm listening to music so really, I don't think we need screens anymore. Just think of the great battery life we could have if we didn't have a screenin the next iPad. Hopefully apple will listen to their consumers and have a screen less iPad
 
  • Like
Reactions: austintg
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back