Will the iPad screen stick with the 4:3 ratio or eventually go widescreen?

[nelsonammo]

Has there been any info about whether Apple has been considering switching the ratio of the screen of the iPad from the current 4:3 to a widescreen 16:9 or 16:10 in future forms? It seems that everything is widescreen these days plus the Motorola Xoom is in 16:10 that the iPad might go widescreen as well. What are the advantages and disadvantages of widescreen vs. 4:3?

 

[filmbuff]

I like widescreen for watching movies but the iPad is a multipurpose device. For most everything else, 4:3 is better. 16:9 is just all wrong for web browsing, documents, etc. Not to mention that it makes the screen look smaller than it actually is.

 

[alust2013]

Widescreen is best for a media device (ie. TV), while most productivity applications are far easier to use when you have high resolution in both directions.

 

[Michael CM1]

The only benefit of "widescreen" is 16:9 videos taking up the entire display. Even if it were "widescreen," a lot of movies are filmed in an even wider aspect ratio, which means you would still have black bars.

Everything else the iPad does fills up the screen. I'm pretty sure most photos are 4:3, and the 4:3 ratio looks really good reading books and websites. It's the same ratio as the iPhone, which means there are probably a couple million apps made for that size.

Long story short, it won't change. Apple made the original decision for 4:3 not two years ago, so I don't forsee such a huge change in the near future. Video is just a part of what it does, and the black bars aren't a big deal.

 

[blackNBUK]

I've got to agree with the other guys; Apple made the right choice in not using a widescreen display for the iPad. For me the really important factor is portrait mode. A 16:9 display looks very awkward in portrait while a 4:3 display feels right.

 

[Blakjack]

Never ever ever.