I recently bought an iPad as a “reading on the sofa” kind of device. Because of my limited use, I went for the low-end, standard iPad, the one Apple awkwardly refers to as the iPad A16.
It’s a perfect device in so many ways, and I’m super happy with it. A more advanced model would be a waste of money for me.
However, there are three design choices Apple have made that I feel are completely missing how this low-end iPad is actually being used.
Two of them are in the category “New problem introduced by changing something that didn’t need changing, just because something needed to change so we can call it a new model”, and the third is a “Well, we can’t change that!”
- The front camera is sitting on the long edge, making it very awkward having video calls when holding the iPad the normal way around. I’m willing to bet that very few people use the low-end iPad with a keyboard, so why optimise for using it in landscape mode?
- The volume buttons switching place in landscape mode. Why is volume up suddenly volume down and vice versa, just because I turn the iPad around to watch Netflix? It just makes no sense at all! And why is there no setting to turn this off?
- There is a camera sticking out on the backside. This has been a problem with every iPad ever. Without a case, you can’t lay it flat on a table without it wobbling and scratching the table. Why is there even a camera on the cack in the first place? What percentage of users use it? Wouldn’t it be better to have an extra front camera instead, if Apple necessarily want to have a camera on the long edge?
Fix those, and I will be running to the Apple Store for an upgrade straight away!
