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iPad is tiringly heavy & Unergonomic to hold
- Thread starter whocaresit
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Likes its been said many times before, this thread is pointless. Anyone who thinks its heavy is not going to come out and say, "Your right! It is heavy! But I think thats because I'm not very fit and need to get more exercise".
These are your options:
1. Use common sense to hold it comfortably
2. Exercise more
3. Return it
These are your options:
1. Use common sense to hold it comfortably
2. Exercise more
3. Return it
I don't think that the cheap shots about exercise are really helpful. Any able bodied person should be able to lift an iPad up. However trying to hold that weight up in the air for an hour or two at a time is something very different.
Having said that I also don't have a problem with the iPad's weight and that's largely because I very rarely try to hold it up in the air. Typically I'll be sitting down and in that position it just feels natural to let part of the weight rest on my leg. I find that I do much the same thing when I read a heavier book.
I think that the ergonomics of the iPad are very similar to the ergonomics of a book, especially for more passive reading and watching activities. If you have a problem with using an iPad I don't see why you wouldn't have the same problem with a book.
Having said that I also don't have a problem with the iPad's weight and that's largely because I very rarely try to hold it up in the air. Typically I'll be sitting down and in that position it just feels natural to let part of the weight rest on my leg. I find that I do much the same thing when I read a heavier book.
I think that the ergonomics of the iPad are very similar to the ergonomics of a book, especially for more passive reading and watching activities. If you have a problem with using an iPad I don't see why you wouldn't have the same problem with a book.
Its weight wouldn't be an issue at all if it were more ergonomically designed. That's what people are trying to say here.
Anyone who has a MacBook Pro, open it and try to hold it with one hand on the left or right edge, as if you were holding an iPad, angled away from you (not perfectly straight up or perfectly flat) in midair, sitting or otherwise. Easy, right (well, for the 13" and 15" anyway)? Now hold that position for an hour. It gets uncomfortable. Doing that exercise with the 13" is basically what it feels like to hold the iPad. The weight is definitely centered which is conducive to two-handed holding (the optimal position for movies and gaming), not conducive to one-handed holding (the optimal position for reading). It is this which gives Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Sony the tactical advantage.
Unfortunately I don't know what Apple can do to remedy that situation short of doing away with the aluminum backing OR going with thinner glass, neither of which are optimal solutions.
Anyone who has a MacBook Pro, open it and try to hold it with one hand on the left or right edge, as if you were holding an iPad, angled away from you (not perfectly straight up or perfectly flat) in midair, sitting or otherwise. Easy, right (well, for the 13" and 15" anyway)? Now hold that position for an hour. It gets uncomfortable. Doing that exercise with the 13" is basically what it feels like to hold the iPad. The weight is definitely centered which is conducive to two-handed holding (the optimal position for movies and gaming), not conducive to one-handed holding (the optimal position for reading). It is this which gives Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Sony the tactical advantage.
Unfortunately I don't know what Apple can do to remedy that situation short of doing away with the aluminum backing OR going with thinner glass, neither of which are optimal solutions.
Forgive another bad pun, but you're not comparing apples to apples here. All the MacBooks weigh significantly more than an iPad, and they're all significantly larger. They aren't designed to be handheld and they aren't designed to read books. All the 5"/6" ereaders you listed weigh about half of what an iPad does. There's no equivalent in what you listed. Even the Kindle DX weighs less, and people complain all the time that that can't be handheld for long periods either.
At this time, there's nothing else on the market to compare to. And again, it's really a non issue--every person on this thread who's offered a constructive solution has said the same thing: use a case or a stand or your lap or whatever to take some or all of the weight off your hands.
These solutions, BTW, are identical to the ones repeatedly offered on ereading forums. As it turns out, most people put those lovely, lightweight, thin devices into heavy cases that more than double their weight because those light, thin, mostly plastic frames are pretty fragile. And people complain regularly about how thin the devices are without a case, because their hands cramp up while holding them. I've been on ereading boards for over 18 months now and this debate goes on constantly there too.
Apple.com/ipad said:
What?
Functionality is no excuse for poor ergonomic design. The Kindle DX is top-heavy, which makes it pull down on the wrist. The iPad is just heavy all around which exacerbates the problem.
So...take a tablet device, which is meant to, according to some deluded souls, "replace" computers, and effectively nerf its tablet-gonads by docking it, laying flat, putting it in a stand or putting it in your lap. In other words, you're saying to just use a computer.
Believe me, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I much prefer the full-function MacBook Pro over the iPad any day. But those who find uses for iPad have every reason to expect more ergonomic design out of the thing. Say what you will about e-readers and other types of devices...they're easier to hold. MUCH easier. Even if they got rid of the sharp edges that would go a long way towards more comfort. "Put it in a case" is a Steve Jobs iPhone answer that most don't accept as sufficient
You're probably feeding it to many apps. Their known to have big APPetites anywhere from 8GBs to 64GBs.
Thanks for maturely calling us stupid
To quote one of the happy snarks, "If you really wanted "JUST" a book reader, get the damn Kindle and stop whining like a little girl about how "oh, the iPad's too heavy.""
One of my main reasons was to get a book reader. NOT JUST a book reader. I also use the iPad to store movies,surf, listen to music, etc. All holding the iPad quite comfortably. But reading a book is a different experience. I never used an iPad without a cover, but whether one reads horizontally or vertically, holding it out for long periods is more tiring than holding even a huge hard-bound novel for the same period. It just is. And I do exercise, even at the ripe age of 64y yrs.
Calling people like me stupid for expecting better is not helpful. I'm a Mac fan. Over the years have bought Desktop G5, Mac Pro Desktop, iPhone 1 & 4, Final Cut Studio, Aperature 1,2 & 3, QuicktimePro etc.
And calling people like me "whiney little girls" or calling one's sexual orientation into question is just plain bizarre. My blessed Mother, upon hearing such anonymous name calling would call it cowardly.
To quote one of the happy snarks, "If you really wanted "JUST" a book reader, get the damn Kindle and stop whining like a little girl about how "oh, the iPad's too heavy.""
One of my main reasons was to get a book reader. NOT JUST a book reader. I also use the iPad to store movies,surf, listen to music, etc. All holding the iPad quite comfortably. But reading a book is a different experience. I never used an iPad without a cover, but whether one reads horizontally or vertically, holding it out for long periods is more tiring than holding even a huge hard-bound novel for the same period. It just is. And I do exercise, even at the ripe age of 64y yrs.
Calling people like me stupid for expecting better is not helpful. I'm a Mac fan. Over the years have bought Desktop G5, Mac Pro Desktop, iPhone 1 & 4, Final Cut Studio, Aperature 1,2 & 3, QuicktimePro etc.
And calling people like me "whiney little girls" or calling one's sexual orientation into question is just plain bizarre. My blessed Mother, upon hearing such anonymous name calling would call it cowardly.
Serious question (not trying to be "snarky"): If you're comfortable holding the iPad while watching movies, listening to music, surfing the internet, etc., why aren't you comfortable using it to read a book as well? Frankly, I hold the iPad the same way more or less, regardless of whatever function I'm using my iPad for. Maybe that's why I don't find the weight of the iPad to be an issue.
Holding an iPad out and away from your body, with what I'm assuming is the lengths of your fingers/palm, like you would with a paperback book, is obviously going to be a strain on your forearms or wrists. The iPad weighs roughly 1.5 lbs, but the weight is centered differently. While the weight of a book is more or less evenly distributed because of loose paper pages, the iPad's weight is centered at the bottom of the iPad because of the battery. So naturally, trying to grip 1.5 lbs by holding it at few focal points of your fingers, far away from your body nonetheless, is going to be a serious strain on your body.
Granted, yes, this will become tiresome, regardless of physical fitness, and I can see how this is annoying. Holding the iPad in your method will make the iPad seem heavy. However, like I said, you're still treating the iPad as a simple book reader. You might use the iPad for multiple media purposes, but you're main usage is book reading, and you're treating and holding it as such. It's weight isn't designed to be held like a book, so trying to hold it as such and complaining about the weight, which in my opinion, is just really pointless.
If it was a Kindle (not saying that you should get one), and it weighed 1.5 lbs and the weight was centered towards the lower half, I'd completely agree with you in the argument that it is too heavy. However, it's an iPad. It's a multi-media consumption device, designed for light to moderate power requirement usage, and I naturally expect it to have some weight to it. Not to mention, it's half as light than the lightest laptop product from Mac (Mac Book Air - 3 lbs), so I'm content with the weight of the iPad.
And what does being a Mac fan have anything to do with the method of how you hold iPad? Just because you bought a bunch of Apple products in the past, doesn't mean you're any better than any other Apple consumer, or any more knowledgeable.
And I didn't call you stupid, specificly. I was saying how many of the complaints from the iPad forums are somewhat idiotic, because they demand some crazy powered capability from the iPad that wasn't intended by Apple, like two cameras or retina display, and argue that those features should have included, because "as Apple customers, they deserve to have everything they want in whatever product is out." In which case, I find it pretty stupid.
And calling someone a whiney little girl doesn't mean I'm targeting your sexual orientation. I'm saying that you're whining about a "problem", which is only a "problem" to a because you choose to make it one, and that you can easily remedy it by changing how you're holding the iPad. You can be stubborn and demand Apple to release a lighter iPad or an iPad that's got some sort of grip to it, but it's most definitely not going to happen anytime soon. Would I like a lighter iPad? Yes, I would love to have a lighter iPad, if it was available and had the same specs. Is it a serious issue with the iPad? No, I'm happy with it as is.
Lastly, your opinion on the iPad's weight and how you hold it, are all your personal beliefs. You consider the weight to be a problem, because you choose to hold your iPad a certain way. Likewise, I don't think it's a problem because I hold mine in what I find to be comfortable, and therefore, the weight isn't a problem to me. Take what you will from what I've said, but ultimately, it's up to you to fix the problem, not Apple. Or, you can wait 9 months and hope that Apple lightens the iPad or re-centers the battery or some other solution to your problem.
Oh, and I never said that you don't exercise either. Good for you.
iPad is so good and addictive, but it tires my hands out easily
PLUS, the thinner edges make it further harder to hold (it is more thicker towards-the-center).
Weight is unevenly distributed more towards the center, so it feels like it is constantly falling out of the hands)
Any one feeling the same way?
Has Apple intentionally made the iPad 1 heavy & partly unergonomic so as to entice us to buy the next iPad?
Sell it to someone who "gets it" and will actually appreciate how awesome it is. You don't need it anymore.
jamesryanbell said:
Calm down, bro.
Despite the weight issue, I still cant put down the iPad. (typing from it right naw
)
Has Apple intentionally made the iPad 1 heavy & partly unergonomic so as to entice us to buy the next iPad?
Dumbest statement ever.... Break out the tin foil hats.....
Firstly a lot of the people posting above have got some real issues. Be a bit damn nicer would you! I've been on the iPad forums here quite a lot for the last month since getting my iPad and haven't noticed a large amount of threads with this problem. And the fact that some people are posting genuine responses means that the OP is receiving help. Just pass over the thread if your not interested.
You really can't get angry with what people post just because you visit the site 10 times a day and feel you deserve something new to read every time you log on.
Secondly I agree with everyone who suggests getting the apple case. Adds little weight or bulk and gives you a 101 new ways to hold it.
You really can't get angry with what people post just because you visit the site 10 times a day and feel you deserve something new to read every time you log on.
Secondly I agree with everyone who suggests getting the apple case. Adds little weight or bulk and gives you a 101 new ways to hold it.
Get the Apple case
I've had my Ipad since May 26. Didn't get my cover until 2nd week of June. It made all the difference in the world. I have read several full length books, read newspapers and mags every day, touch type on it with case tilted and landscaped, read in bed at night with it and stream Netflix movies while exerbiking or just ditting in chair. Too slippy without the case and very booklike with it. I don't hold it with 2 hands--rather place on crossed knee or
arm of chair/knee. I tend to make the cover wedge and it works great on my knee. Sometimes even stick fingers between Pad and the open part of wedge. At no time am I supporting any noticeable weight.
I looked at the Nook prior to the Ipad coming out but much prefer this multiuse device. The more I explore its possibilities with productivity, reading, news, etc apps the more useful---and fun I find it. Just ordered a second one for my husband.
I've had my Ipad since May 26. Didn't get my cover until 2nd week of June. It made all the difference in the world. I have read several full length books, read newspapers and mags every day, touch type on it with case tilted and landscaped, read in bed at night with it and stream Netflix movies while exerbiking or just ditting in chair. Too slippy without the case and very booklike with it. I don't hold it with 2 hands--rather place on crossed knee or
arm of chair/knee. I tend to make the cover wedge and it works great on my knee. Sometimes even stick fingers between Pad and the open part of wedge. At no time am I supporting any noticeable weight.
I looked at the Nook prior to the Ipad coming out but much prefer this multiuse device. The more I explore its possibilities with productivity, reading, news, etc apps the more useful---and fun I find it. Just ordered a second one for my husband.
I am 62 and have arthritis in all my joints, If I can use it w/o issues, I have only one thing to say, ,but I won't
Yeah but, @ 62 w/arthritis you gotta be on a ******** of meds. So are you sure you're that great of a judge? The iPad is cool, but it's heavy and not very ergonomic (especially for an apple product).
one answer: go to the gym man...
if the ipad is heavy for you...
the OP is in time out now for being an annoying troll.
This gym stuff is stupid btw been working out since I was 14 and I think some of you need to work out yer brains. Cuz yer on the crack if you don't think this **** is heavy. I'm personally prob going to keep it. But it is annoying reading a book/surfing while in bed.
But no flame wars, just finally got it and am surprised to say I can see maybe not what the op is saying but the general opinion that when holding your arms outward especially when laying down where you're going to lose blood flow, it is a little uncomfortable
been working out since I was 14 and I think some of you need to work out yer brains. Cuz yer on the crack if you don't think this **** is heavy. I'm personally prob going to keep it. But it is annoying reading a book/surfing while in bed.But no flame wars, just finally got it and am surprised to say I can see maybe not what the op is saying but the general opinion that when holding your arms outward especially when laying down where you're going to lose blood flow, it is a little uncomfortable
This gym stuff is stupid btw
I could be wrong but I don't think anyone here gives a flying rats a** what you think. I can say with 100% assurance that I don't care.
Then why the hell are you responding. Go away! Shoo! Be gone! This is a thread about iPad ergonomics not whether or not you care what I think. Literacy?
Then why the hell are you responding. Go away! Shoo! Be gone! This is a thread about iPad ergonomics not whether or not you care what I think. Literacy?
Uhhh..... You posted about what you may or may not do. That has nothing to do with ergonomics, but is rooted in a decision or opinion. Right. Literacy. And for good measure I cordially invite you to check out some cases and stands that might make your iPad usage more enjoyable.