I love my iPad, but these five upgrades would make me ditch it for the new one
On May 7, Apple will likely tear the packaging off a number of new iPads, ranging from new OLED iPad Pros to larger iPad Airs, during its “Let Loose event.” It’s been too long since Apple updated its tablet line, but maybe that’s because not much needs to change. Honestly, I pretty much love my iPad Pros, Airs and minis as they are, although I have some comments and, more specifically, some requests for these new iPads.
A curved or waterfall ridge
At 6.1mm thick, the iPad Air is incredibly thin, yet it never feels flimsy. Weighing just over a pound, it fits well in the hand. Still, if it were up to me, I’d bring back the curves, or, more specifically, reintroduce a waterfall to remove or at least soften the sharp edges and make the iPad significantly more comfortable to hold and even in the curve of resting your body. arm or on your lap.
Such a redesign would also be a nod to the iconic original iPad design. It also has a bezel on the back, but there was also that curve that made the device look and feel friendlier.
Reduce the edges
The iPad has come a long way since the nearly inch-wide black bezels surrounding the first iPad screen, but I think Apple can go even further. The edge of the current iPad Air is still noticeably wider than that of the MacBook Air 13-inch.
On the new iPads I would like to see edges that can be measured within a few millimeters. Give me, Apple, as much drawing real estate as possible. If you must, go ahead and introduce a notch similar to the one on the MacBook Air. I’d appreciate it if you made it smaller, but I can live with the cutout if the end result is more screen. I would also accept a punch-hole camera approach.
What I really want, though, is a Dynamic Island on the iPad; an update that requires both hardware and iPadOS changes. Just think of all the bits of information and interaction that could be delivered through that replaceable, pill-shaped interface.
Move the camera
It’s time for Apple to recognize how 99% of us use our iPads. We work on it, watch TV, play games and FaceTime in landscape mode. The FaceTime camera has been inexplicably short for use in portrait mode. It’s an older feature from the days when people first bought iPads and ran vertical iOS apps in 2X mode. When a FaceTime call came in, you simply looked up at the camera along the top edge.
iPadOS now has its own apps, and most of them are designed to work in landscape mode. When I’m on a FaceTime call, I always look at the wrong spot and sometimes cover the camera with my fingers because I keep forgetting that the camera is on the short left side.
This is a simple and much-needed change. Apple, put the camera on the long side (yes, right under where we dock our Apple Pencil) and let’s move on from this old problem.
Wireless charging
This is such a no-brainer and I’ve seen rumors promising such a feature.
It’s been seven years since the iPhone line introduced wireless charging, and the Apple Watch and AirPods all came along with it. It’s almost inconceivable that Apple’s other popular mobile technology still doesn’t have this.
All I want is a nice MagSafe inductive charging ring on the back of every new iPad, from the Air and the traditional iPad to the iPad Pro (and the iPad mini, if it survives). I don’t think it will increase the thickness of an iPad.
Imagine the convenience of dropping your iPad on an iPhone MagSafe charger or perhaps a new iPad MagSafe charger, one large enough to support the entire back of the iPad. Now that I think about it, this could be a new Smart Folio cover.
A movable dock
I keep my iPad Dock fairly clean, it only has a handful of popular apps in it. This means it’s never cluttered and feels almost like an app widget. The problem is that it’s stuck in that one spot at the bottom of the home screen.
For the new iPad (I know, this is primarily an iPadOS update) I want the ability to move the dock as a vertical dock from the bottom edge to the right or left side of my screen.
It’s not just that I demand flexibility – because I do that too – I think the dock might be more useful next to one of my open apps. I also think home screens should be less prescriptive and more customizable. Such a change also fits in with the home screen and lock screen improvements Apple has made to iOS and iPadOS in recent years
Bonus request
The modern iPad is so powerful that, when paired with a keyboard, it can easily double as an ultraportable touchscreen laptop. I like the Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad, but I would like it even more if the keyboard was on a slider so I could pull it away from the iPad screen. If it can also tilt up a bit to accommodate my touch, that would be even better.
It’s not that I won’t like the new iPads if Apple doesn’t do some or all of these things, but if it does, it will push some of the best tablets on the market to near perfection, and who can still going against it? That?