I heard some rumors in the mid-February time frame about Apple possibly making foldable tablets or Macs that have no physical keyboards but hinged screens. Ever since I’ve been thinking more and more that this is something I’d love to see happen. I really wouldn’t know for sure until I tried one out because everything is a balance of priorities. Would the extra screen space be worth the extra weight?
The rumors make sense though. I’ve thought all along that Apple’s obsession with making thin and light iPhones and iPads was really about preparing the way for future foldable devices. In order to get a usable device that folds, both sides need to be as slim as possible. So I’m not surprised at all to hear rumors about a foldable iPad or Mac that may pack a 20+ inch screen.
For an iPad, a 20 inch screen seems like it would be amazing. You would get the benefits of having nearly a desktop sized monitor on your lap. But when you walk around, it would still feel like an 11” iPad.
But wait, that’s not all. If you need to do a lot of typing while on the go, you could fold the screen like a laptop and use one side as a keyboard. Sure, you’re still typing on glass, but being able to see the screen at a decent angle would be a huge improvement.
There were always three things that I hated about typing on my iPad’s glass screen. One, that you don’t have the feel of the edges of the keys to help guide you. Two, that in order to type, you had to point the screen at the ceiling. And three, the on-screen keyboard cut your screen in half. Combined, these three items are a dealbreaker for me.
But if you give the iPad a bigger screen and make it foldable, you effectively solve two of the three problems with typing on a glass screen. You can still view the screen at your desired angle and the keyboard doesn’t take up any of that screen space. Great!
Sure, you would still have to deal with the absence of physical keys but that’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have full sized keys on the screen, practice makes perfect. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at typing on the on-screen keyboard of my 11” iPad Pro. I don’t use it more because I hate the viewing angle and losing screen space.
And if you’re an iPad enthusiast like me, you’re already in the habit of attaching a keyboard when you really want to do some serious high-speed typing. That’s why I like an iPad Pro over a MacBook Pro, the keyboard is available when I need it, but removable for when I don’t. And if the iPad could get a 20” screen when unfolded, that only makes the iPad that much better to use over a MacBook with a 16” screen.
And most people that I know who get serious about working on their MacBook, generally place their laptop on a desk and use an external monitor and keyboard. The MacBook keyboard is just taking up space for no reason. If you you were to unfold your iPad and connect it to a monitor, not only would you not be wasting precious desk space with a redundant keyboard, but you’d have a much larger screen to use as a second monitor.
So not only would the iPad be more mobile than a MacBook, it would also be more practical on a desk. Double-win for the iPad Pro.
For an iPad, a 20 inch screen seems like it would be amazing. You would get the benefits of having nearly a desktop sized monitor on your lap. But when you walk around, it would still feel like an 11” iPad.
But wait, that’s not all. If you need to do a lot of typing while on the go, you could fold the screen like a laptop and use one side as a keyboard. Sure, you’re still typing on glass, but being able to see the screen at a decent angle would be a huge improvement.
There were always three things that I hated about typing on my iPad’s glass screen. One, that you don’t have the feel of the edges of the keys to help guide you. Two, that in order to type, you had to point the screen at the ceiling. And three, the on-screen keyboard cut your screen in half. Combined, these three items are a dealbreaker for me.
But if you give the iPad a bigger screen and make it foldable, you effectively solve two of the three problems with typing on a glass screen. You can still view the screen at your desired angle and the keyboard doesn’t take up any of that screen space. Great!
Sure, you would still have to deal with the absence of physical keys but that’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have full sized keys on the screen, practice makes perfect. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at typing on the on-screen keyboard of my 11” iPad Pro. I don’t use it more because I hate the viewing angle and losing screen space.
And if you’re an iPad enthusiast like me, you’re already in the habit of attaching a keyboard when you really want to do some serious high-speed typing. That’s why I like an iPad Pro over a MacBook Pro, the keyboard is available when I need it, but removable for when I don’t. And if the iPad could get a 20” screen when unfolded, that only makes the iPad that much better to use over a MacBook with a 16” screen.
And most people that I know who get serious about working on their MacBook, generally place their laptop on a desk and use an external monitor and keyboard. The MacBook keyboard is just taking up space for no reason. If you you were to unfold your iPad and connect it to a monitor, not only would you not be wasting precious desk space with a redundant keyboard, but you’d have a much larger screen to use as a second monitor.
So not only would the iPad be more mobile than a MacBook, it would also be more practical on a desk. Double-win for the iPad Pro.
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