Apple’s next iPad is expected to launch on Wednesday and we’ll start live-blogging the event right here at 9:30am PT. Typical of an Apple launch, there’s rampant speculation and leaked specifications leading up to the event.
A screen with four times the pixels is a good bet as is support for LTE networks, and maybe even a touchscreen that touches you back. But the spec I’m most interested in right now is the tablet’s thickness, which is rumored to be slightly thicker than prior iPads. And I think that’s a good thing.
For the past few years, device makers have focused on making smartphones and tablets thinner. Maybe we’ve passed the “sweet spot” for thin, however. I’ve noticed that as these devices lose girth, they start to hurt my hands after holding them for prolonged amounts of time. And no amount of rounding or tapering is helping, as the thin corners still dig into my hands.
Of late I’ve seen this first-hand with my Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 7.7 slate. I’m not picking on Samsung products specifically, nor Android devices, but these are good examples. After holding either for a while, a red indentation line appears on my palm from the device corners on these thin devices. The 7.7-inch Galaxy Tab, for example, is 7.89 millimeters; nice and slim for portability, but a little hard on the hands.
Former Motorola CEO, Sanjay Jha may have seen the light on this too. Reportedly, he suggested that there is such a thing as “too thin” when discussing the Droid Razr handset; that helped lead to the thicker Razr Maxx with its higher capacity battery.
Maybe it’s just me (and Jha) that thinks devices can actually be “too thin.” And the best way for me to see if I’m an outlier is to pose the question to the masses, so have at it in the poll. I’m specifically asking about the iPad in the poll, but please don’t hesitate to share additional thoughts the thinness situation in our comments.
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