RUMOR: 7-inch iPad on track for October 2012 release, $200 to $250 price

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Guys, 10” tablets are just as easily pocketable as 7” tablets. don’t believe the haters.

see? totally comfortable and not at all awkward and forced.

2YDpk.jpg
 
Sure, but Google knows that 7" tablets exist. Ergo, they test for that.
Are you arguing the layout and hit target sizes in iPad are fundamentally different?

While I don't own an iPad, I've used them on a few occasions and never noticed an obvious disparity. It haven't seen tons of apps where content is crammed together any more than on Android. There doesn't seem to be a notable data (and therefore hit target) density delta.

Dropping a few inches doesn't suddenly turn iOS into Win XP/7 tablet edition or something.
 
Are you arguing the layout and hit target sizes in iPad are fundamentally different?

While I don't own an iPad, I've used them on a few occasions and never noticed an obvious disparity.

I think he's just saying that only having to deal with 2 targets is easier than dealing with 3.

or something
 
I think Tobor was talking about the ipods being mislabeled as computers.

I'll call the ipods computers when they gain meaninful computer functionality like the ability to upload data from the browser without having to dance around the silos.

Your definition of "computer" is as flawed as ever.
 
Are you arguing the layout and hit target sizes in iPad are fundamentally different?

While I don't own an iPad, I've used them on a few occasions and never noticed an obvious disparity.

No no. They're not fundamentally different. But it is different. Something that must be accounted for.

So I would assume -which is perhaps a mistake - that Google's designers do tablet UI design to hit a 7" target. And scale up from there. it's what I would do, take the "worst case" scenario. I confess ignorance on Android UI scaling however, maybe they are doing something clever with vectors.
 
Oh, I think you're talking about touch targets, and he's talking about layout targets.

both actually but yes. sorry for the confusion, I'm not being as clear as I could.

also, I know SJ isn't around anymore, but there is this as well (from 2 years ago):

Oh, and 7-inch tablets? You're in for a bag of hurt. Steve pretty much outright killed any potential for 7-inch iPad rumors, saying that the software just isn't right for that size ("This size is useless unless you include sandpaper so users can sand their fingers down to a quarter of their size."), and that users have no need for a pocket sized tablet when they already have a smartphone.

source
 
Oh, I think you're talking about touch targets, and he's talking about layout targets.
Even then I don't see the necessity.


Honeycomb/ICS Tablet's main UI is actually more dense than iPad's. There are more, smaller items, and they are packed tighter. Yet I have no problem using it on a 7" tablet. And as for apps, in general the data density is pretty similar between both OS's.


Hell ... one of the most common layout criticisms I've heard for iPad is how much space is being wasted on the home screen. People would like to fit more per screen. So again I ask, why would a different target be needed?
 
Even then I don't see the necessity.


Honeycomb/ICS Tablet's main UI is actually more dense than iPad's. There are more, smaller items, and they are packed tighter. Yet I have no problem using it on a 7" tablet. And as for apps, in general the data density is pretty similar between both OS's.


Hell ... one of the most common layout criticisms I've heard for iPad is how much space is being wasted on the home screen. People would like to fit more per screen. So again I ask, why would a different target be needed?

The overall sizing of objects is the same, since the OS takes care of sizing things, but the layout targets are different, Large (5-7") and X Large (7-10").

Some developers piggyback the two layouts together though and don't do separate layouts, instead just space things out.

both actually but yes. sorry for the confusion, I'm not being as clear as I could.

also, I know SJ isn't around anymore, but there is this as well (from 2 years ago):
source


Good old Jobs, that's because iOS isn't flexible to accommodate relative layouts. They did a marvelous job of sizing the ipad/iphone to thwart the need for thinking too much.
 
Can you post a screenshot Raistlin? or link one? want to see what we're comparing.

not the home screen but what you would consider a "tight but workable" UI @7"?
 
Ah ok.

So. The first thing we need to note is that there will be 2 standards in play here. There will be your standards, for how difficult or easy a given UI is to use, and there will be Apple's. I suspect your standards are not Apple's. You're probably more comfortable with a higher level of sophistication. Apple sells iPads to grandparents, so they can FaceTime with their children. Amongst many others. So in terms of readability and hit targets, and expectations, we should note this.

So looking at your link - and it's a tough comparison, since nothing there is at native rez or display PPI of course – something like this:

TVl2X.jpg


Does not strike me as parrticularly cluttered, pretty good, although the choice of what looks like a Serif font on the icons is not good, and the type itself is too small. IMO. The layout is quite floaty, I'm not sure of the relationship between these groups of objects, but sans more context I'll just leave that alone.

Something like this:

f5rBq.jpg


... does absolutely strike me as too cluttered, and visually incoherent. It's not about how many icons you can cram into the canvas, you also have to consider how many things or concepts people can mentally juggle at once, and a host of other things.

There are 24 icons on that screen. The rest taken up by that odd strip of - what, extra-wide desktop? Some sort of virtual space manager? Whereas an iPad home screen will hold – guess. 20 icons, in the primary area, and another 6 in the Dock, making 26. So they didn't even really gain anything in that dept. Plus, totally illegible icons in the lower left (what are those?), and the status icons in the lower right are occupying a silly place, just to be different. Lower right is a very powerful corner, you don't waste that with status icons, but is more appropriate for active controls or Next buttons or what-have-you.

That's a bit of a mini-rant on that but this is what I'd say if one of my people handed me that. (Please don't read that as an argument from authority, just context).

So in the end I suspect that this discussion basically breaks down to that distinction between your own targets and a wider mass-audience target, which is of course totally fine, but one should note the difference. At 7" that one above does strike me as problematic.
 
Sorry, I didn't meant to imply it's a good UI. I provided that link originally to show that it's the same UI as the 10" one.

I'd have to charge up my Nook and find the SD card with Honeycomb (I don't really use it anymore), but from what I recall the layout doesn't change. The spacing, etc is the same. Unless I'm mistaken it's the same as the 10" only smaller. And it works fine.



While yes, I agree mine (and Google's) view of what's okay on a tablet may differ from Apple ... the point is iPad's UI is already less dense. So shrinking it shouldn't be problematic even with a stricter view of what's okay.
 
Yea, that HC layout is atrocious, glad Matias cleaned it up.

Raistlin: The 7" homescreen has the same size objects, but shows less objects than a 10" homescreen. So it's not really scaled down/up. The space in between is just removed, which I think is what you're getting at though.
 
I really hope this is coming as my son will love it for Christmas. The touch is to small for his needs and there is no way I'm leaving him with an ipad considering the price of it.
 
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