Michal Ždanský You may have wondered why the iPhone is the size it is, or why the iPad is the size it is. Most of the things that Apple does are not accidental, every little thing is thoroughly thought out in advance. The same is true for any size iOS device. I will try to decipher all aspects of display dimensions and aspect ratios in this article.
iPhone – 3,5”, 3:2 aspect ratio
To fully understand the iPhone display, we need to go back to 2007 when the iPhone was introduced. Here it is important to remember how the displays looked before the apple phone was launched. Most smartphones of the time relied on a physical, usually numeric, keyboard. The pioneer of smartphones was Nokia, and their machines were powered by the Symbian operating system. In addition to non-touch displays, there were a few unique Sony Ericsson devices that used the Symbian UIQ superstructure and the system could also be controlled with a stylus.
In addition to Symbian, there was also Windows Mobile, which powered most communicators and PDAs, where the largest manufacturers included HTC and HP, which absorbed the successful PDA manufacturer Compaq. Windows Mobile was adapted precisely for stylus control, and some models were supplemented with hardware QWERTY keyboards. In addition, the devices had several functional buttons, including a directional control, which completely disappeared due to the iPhone.
PDAs of that time had a maximum diagonal of 3,7" (e.g. HTC Universal, Dell Axim X50v), however, for communicators, i.e. PDAs with a telephone module, the average diagonal size was around 2,8". Apple had to choose a diagonal in such a way that all elements could be controlled with fingers, including the keyboard. As text input is an elementary part of the phone, it was necessary to reserve enough space for the keyboard to leave enough space above it at the same time. With the classic 4:3 aspect ratio of the display, Apple would not have achieved this, so it had to reach for a 3:2 ratio.
In this ratio, the keyboard takes up less than half of the display. In addition, the 3:2 format is very natural to humans. For example, the side of the paper, i.e. most printed materials, has this ratio. The slightly widescreen format is also suitable for watching movies and series that have already abandoned the 4:3 ratio some time ago. However, the classic 16:9 or 16:10 wide-angle format would no longer be the right thing for a phone, after all, remember the first "noodles" from Nokia, which tried to compete with the iPhone with them
Demands for an iPhone with a larger display are heard these days. When the iPhone appeared, its display was one of the largest. After four years, this diagonal has of course been surpassed, for example one of the current top smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S II, boasts a 4,3" display. However, one must ask how large a number of people can be satisfied with such a display. 4,3” is undoubtedly more ideal for controlling the phone with your fingers, but not everyone can like holding such a large piece of cake in their hands.
I had the opportunity to test the Galaxy S II myself, and the feeling when I held the phone in my hand was not entirely pleasant. It is necessary to keep in mind that the iPhone must be the most universal phone in the world, because unlike other manufacturers, Apple always has only one current model, which must suit as many people as possible. For men with big fingers and women with small hands. For a woman's hand, 3,5" is definitely more suitable than 4,3".
Also for that reason, it can be expected that if the diagonal of the iPhone were to change after four years, the external dimensions would change only minimally and the enlargement would thus take place rather at the expense of the frame. I partially expect a return to ergonomic rounded backs. Although the sharper edges of the iPhone 4 certainly look stylish, it is no longer such a fairy tale in the hand.
iPad – 9,7”, 4:3 aspect ratio
When it started to talk about the tablet from Apple, many renders indicated a wide-angle display, which we can see, for example, on most Android tablets. Much to our surprise, Apple returned to the classic 4:3 ratio. However, he had several valid reasons for this.
The first of these is certainly the convertibility of the orientation. As one of the iPad ads promoted, "there is no right or wrong way to hold it." If some iPhone apps support landscape mode, you can see for yourself that the controls in this mode are not nearly as great as in portrait mode. All the controls become narrower, making it all the more difficult to hit them with your finger.
The iPad doesn't have this problem. Due to the smaller difference between the sides, the user interface can be rearranged without problems. In landscape, the application can offer more elements, such as a list on the left (for example, in the mail client), while in portrait it is more convenient to read longer texts.
An important factor in aspect ratio and diagonal is the keyboard. Although writing lyrics has sustained me for several long years, I never had the patience to learn to write all ten. I've gotten used to typing fairly quickly with 7-8 fingers while having to look at the keyboard (triple kudos to the MacBook's backlit keyboard), and I've been able to transfer that method to the iPad quite easily, not counting diacritics. I wondered myself what made it so easy. The answer came soon.
I measured the size of the keys and the size of the gaps between the keys on my MacBook Pro, and then did the same measurement on the iPad. The result of the measurement turned out to be that the keys are the same size per millimeter (in landscape view), and the spaces between them are only a little smaller. If the iPad had a slightly smaller diagonal, typing would not be nearly as comfortable.
All 7-inch tablets suffer from this problem, namely RIM's PlayBook. Typing on the small keyboard is more like typing on a phone than on a laptop. Although the larger screen may make the iPad seem large to some, in reality its size is similar to a classic diary or medium-sized book. A size that fits in any bag or almost any purse. Therefore, there is no single reason why Apple should ever introduce a seven-inch tablet, as some speculations previously suggested.
Going back to the aspect ratio, 4:3 was the absolute standard before the advent of widescreen format. To this day, the 1024×768 resolution (the iPad resolution, by the way) is the default resolution for websites, so the 4:3 ratio is still relevant today. After all, this ratio turned out to be more advantageous than other wide-screen formats for viewing the web.
After all, the ratio 4:3 is also the default format for photos, many books can be seen in this ratio. Since Apple is promoting the iPad as a device for viewing your photos and reading books, among other things, which it ensured with the launch of the iBookstore, the 4:3 aspect ratio makes even more sense. The only area where 4:3 doesn't quite fit is video, where widescreen formats leave you with a wide black bar at the top and bottom.
I prefer the 4:3 format, especially for tablets, because wider tablets are harder to hold in one hand due to the longer center of gravity and for the reasons you describe, but the 16:9 ratio can be better used, for example, with an additional strip on the side. But the comparison of keyboards seems misleading to me according to the attached picture. The Android keyboard also has a row with a menu of words (similar to the row on the iPad - previous/next, etc.). We also have a number key and a row of function keys at the very bottom. If this could be hidden or a different type of keys could be chosen, the place would remain almost the same, not so noticeably nulloid :)
Arty: Does it matter?
http://cl.ly/142r0a001b2m3u1S0R0M
You basically confirmed what I'm writing about or you misunderstood me
the 2:3 display may have one more reason - it is gold rust ;-) the most ideal ratio, which appears everywhere and all the time and which people adore. But patented by nature.
Please, when you're trying to write smart things, don't throw them away with words like "the most ideal". The most ideal could then be what comes closest to this ideal - i.e. theoretically second place. If that's how you meant it, I'm sorry :-)
Most ideal = quite clear meaning: closest to "ideal" but still not "ideal" and typically not ideal. And that's exactly what I meant. The word ideal is too strong. Because as history shows - nothing is perfect.
You are absolutely wrong. Most ideal = more than ideal. Every elementary school kid will tell you that. Similarly, smart and the smartest. Would you say that "smartest" is more clever than "smartest"? Or perfect and the most perfect?
Do you really think that "Most ideal" = "closest to ideal"?
As much as it sounds like an Apple sheep, fanatic and whatever else you call me, I don't care :) Apple charmed me with an iPod nano, a long time ago. Over time, I discovered the iPhone and now the iMac as a work tool... And since then I just love Apple products. The thoughtfulness of every detail, the fact that they don't chase after megapixels and display inches, but after product quality and user satisfaction. I know a lot of people who just go and buy any Samsung because "it smells like a vosum mega camera dude, it's just a massacre!" or just because of the giant diagonal. No, Apple doesn't, they have a lot of engineers and testers and they don't just release something imperfect into the world. Everyone likes something different and everyone has a different taste. I want a working system, a nice looking product and build quality. That's what I found with Apple and I'm completely satisfied :) I'm not kidding the users of Android or other systems. Someone is comfortable with debugging the system, trying, testing, why not... I will also add that I used to have an HTC with WM and I would never go back to that system, just like Windows.
Sorry, but since you're writing about it... What about the quality of the camera on the iPad2 ;) I know there's a camera just to be honest, but it's terrible. Either yes and it's worth something, or it's Apple's policy, isn't it?
No, on the contrary, those cameras are great - do you know why? Because they are fast, bright, do not consume battery and fulfill their role as a webcam for 99% of the time. Skype, facetime... a mobile webcam with a large screen. Or did you really think those cameras were meant for photography? Maybe this was one of the reasons why they didn't put a higher resolution, so that people wouldn't be tempted to do stupid things, because they would still complain that it's shit, the battery would go down and the price would go up unnecessarily.
You can't use fullHD for transmission over the net in a real-time conversation without unnecessarily filling up your line, because of some deviation, you can count on your friends. The transition to fullHD as a standard will take longer and it will only be with any fullHD display, because on a 4″ display and I dare say that even a 10″ higher resolution will not be needed for the webcam at all :)
If you are talking about the facetime camera, then we can agree with you. If you are talking about the back photo, then you are talking nonsense.
An excellent article that brilliantly demonstrates one of the many features that keep Apple ahead of the competition without needing a separate model for each target group.
Among other things, what concerns the current hunt for the iPhone 5, started mainly by websites such as macrumors.com, which believe that the iPhone 5 version will be much more expensive based on the alleged covers from China. I firmly believe that this is nonsense and this article has confirmed it even more. The current wave pushed by Samsung and HTC where every new flagship has to have bigger displays is ridiculous and sad.
I completely agree with Petr and I'm in a similar situation... I fell in love with iPhone, before 3GS now 4ka, iPod so it's probably an obligation to own (by the way, I don't even know any other mp3 player). I also bought a second generation iPad before the holidays. And I have to say quite frankly that I am extremely satisfied with all the products. (Even if I'm not worth the money...
I completely agree with Petr and I'm in a similar situation... I fell in love with iPhone, before 3GS now 4ka, iPod so it's probably an obligation to own (by the way, I don't even know any other mp3 player). I also bought a second generation iPad before the holidays. And I have to say quite frankly that I am extremely satisfied with all the products. (Even if it wasn't worth the money...
"And I have to say quite frankly that I am extremely satisfied with all the products. (Even if he wasn't worth the money..."
And that's exactly what it's about? When it's already cost so much money, it's hard to admit that it's not ideal. Same as other products.
;-) ) and what I especially praise about Apple is the quality and careful processing, the materials used in each product... Apple knows very well what people want and makes it for the people who expect it from it….! (it's not the art of making a 4,5-inch phone, with a 10 mpx camera, etc...etc, but the art is to sell such a phone in hundreds of millions of units and that's Apple marketing - you did it...!.
I do not know. I already have the third iPhone and it's ok there.
I wouldn't see it so pink with that tablet anymore.
I have an ipad2 and it suits me. But just today I saw a video on gizmo comparing ios and w8 on tablets, and the one with w8 didn't seem bad at all after a while...
I definitely reject the cries for a bigger iPhone... in my opinion, this size is absolutely ideal and the sharp edges of the iP4 were unusual, but now I wouldn't want to go back to the rounded back and I'm a little worried about how the iPhone 5 will look... However, Apple never does anything by chance.
For you yes, for me no. Now I'm 4″ and I would easily go 4,3″, but I probably wouldn't rush either...
"However, Apple never does anything by accident."
But it works. An example from a recent time, when some smart guy at Apple had the fantastic idea that the button on the iPad, which served as a rotation lock, actually had a different function than the same button on the iPhone, where it muted all sounds. So they just changed it to be the same. The result was clear:
– iPad users were screwed
– the button still didn't work as it should (simply the applications didn't feel that it was supposed to mute the sound).
No one has thought to think that what works well on the iPhone doesn't make sense on the iPad. Unfortunately, after X months they gave users a choice. Fortunately!
Believe me, Apple is no better company in UI than the others. He's just trying to pretend-.
Hello apple people. Speaking of displays... can you connect 2 external monitors to the Air? I know that TB displays don't work, but I'm interested in "ordinary" fullHD displays. My current Lenovo allows you to turn off the internal panel and run one image via VGA and the other via HDMI. 2x 22″ LCDs cost much less than 1x 27″, 30″… Thanks for your reply
According to the rumors about the iPhone 5, I have the impression that it will look exactly the same as the 4, only the display will be slightly larger and the edges around it will be removed. It's just not clear to me what to do with the resolution? If they keep it, it will be rougher on the new iPhone and I don't like that... Well, we'll see..
So the DPI will be smaller. Well, how about? Think you know the difference between 326 DPI and say 300 DPI? Not by mistake :D
"Most of the things that Apple does are not accidental, every little thing is thoroughly thought out in advance. "
I absolutely disagree with this. Experience with iOS products has led me to the opinion that Apple is no better than other manufacturers. Yes, some things are well-asked, but others he absolutely misses and doesn't think about them. Other manufacturers have it the same way.
A typical example can be the list of running applications in IOS 4.x. Although Apple has added the possibility to terminate each application, but ONLY SINGLELY. He will forget about the fact that you need to close a hundred applications at the same time. This definitely does not fall under "every little thing is carefully thought out".
Another thing. Would you believe that you don't have the option to mass delete all contacts on the iPhone? Just nice one at a time. And if you want to delete them in bulk, you need to connect your PC to iTunes and cancel the sync. Only then will iTunes prompt you whether you want to delete the contacts or keep them on the phone.
Undoubtedly, you also noticed that the lighting controls work in a special way. It only works in one direction, if you go from a dark place to a light one, the mobile will logically light up more. However, when you go from a bright place to a dark one, the lighting DOES NOT DIM (!) You have to put the device to sleep, and only after unlocking will you lower the brightness level.
And so I could go on and on. All these things have been known for a long time and, of course, no one at Apple cares about them.