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Ways to Make the iPad Lighter

southerndoc

southerndoc

Contributor
Original poster
May 15, 2006
1,869
528
USA
The iPad isn't that heavy, but would prefer it to be a little lighter. After holding it up for a while my wrists/hands get tired.

Any thoughts on ways to reduce the weight in future versions?

I have a feeling that the glass screen is what weighs the most, and I don't foresee any significant weight reductions in the next few years.

Would love to see a 10-16 ounce iPad.
 
Have you tried tying a weight to a bar with a rope, holding the bar out in front of you like you're on a bike, and twisting it to wrap the rope around the bar which brings the weight up? It's a great forearm extensors strengthening exercise.:p

I've had the iPad since wifi launch day, and I'd say the weight is pretty close to "just right".
 
i actually like the weight of the current ipad! i think it's just right, as noted above. it feels expensive, so when a friend wants to play with it, they feel how much cash i had to drop to get the thing, so they use two hands when playing with ibooks or whatever.
i wouldn't however want any heavier at all. if you think about what your holding when you have your ipad in your hands, you're holding a screen and a big ass battery.
 
If Apple used a flimsy ass plastic, this would draw complaints too. You just can't please some people.

My wife spends hours surfing and reading sometimes and not once has she complained that it is too heavy. She just changes her position from time to time. Maybe change the position of how you are using it or just take it back and get a laptop.

MacRumors = The Facebook/Twitter of the Mac world.
 
Hopefully Jony Ive and the rest of the design team works on constructing the 2nd Gen. iPad out of lightweight unobtainium.

I'm sure the Apple cult leaders can get their hands on some of that stuff right?
 
OGDaniel said:
Hopefully Jony Ive and the rest of the design team works on constructing the 2nd Gen. iPad out of lightweight unobtainium.

I'm sure the Apple cult leaders can get their hands on some of that stuff right?
Click to expand...

lol'd
i'm sure they'd be able to get it in an environmentally friendly manner:rolleyes:
 
Isn't the iPhone 4 glass made out of some special new material?

The iPad is mostly battery, so as efficiencies improve in power demands, power management and battery capacity, so i expect we'll see weight creep down and battery life creep up. Apple might even allow weight to take priority.

How about using that black border as a solar panel in future revisions to cut down on the need for battery size...?
 
I have arthritis so I struggle with my grip, so it is quite an issue for me, I can't hold it one handed. It could do with being half a pound lighter for me. Having said that I do like the reassuring quality of the device and would hate some plastic but light version of it.

I nearly always use it sitting/lying/slouching so I can always rest it on my knee or whatever. When I'm in bed I'll get an extra pillow to rest it on whilst reading.

It's a hell of a lot easier to hold with a case on it even though it is heavier still.
 
The iPad is a solid device as it's not like every other plastic gadget on the market. Apple hardware is built like a Sherman tank, and solid and no frame twisting. This is how everything should be made, and I love the weight of the iPad and wouldnt mind if it was heavier. I have no trouble holding the iPad in one hand, but for safety and protection sake I always use two hands with the iPad. I also have my iPad in the Apple iPad case
 
I'm not strong by any stretch of imagination, but I have no trouble holding it.
I think the trick is in not relaying on the strength of your hand/arm/wrist but holding it in such a position that you can read for hours.
If I sit on the table I put it down, if I hang on a couch, I support my arm and hold it upright so my arm just has to keep right up without any bending and if I lay in bed for some late night reading, I fix the screen and stuff it against a pillow and I just have to lazily move my arm to flick another page. Standing in line or waiting for the bus, I hold it in my arm, cradle it, close to my body.
Just take advantage of the IPS screen that is viewable from almost any angle, besides the back of the device. You don't need to sit right in front of it.

Only thing I found bothersome is reading outdoors on it. The screen/backlight isn't strong enough for that IMHO.
 
Read in bed

southerndoc said:
The iPad isn't that heavy, but would prefer it to be a little lighter. After holding it up for a while my wrists/hands get tired.
Click to expand...

Lock to portrait view, put it down on the mattress on the long side, and put your head on a pillow. Comfy!

Not sure when was the last time these non-complainers read 200 pages at a stretch, but yes, the weight is a little awkward for reading. A Sony 505 it ain't, unfortunately.
 
If the iPad was a little lighter I would love it more than I already do, but I think that all tech is a compromise between form and function. I think they have the compromise just about correct.
 
hazmatzak said:
Yes, but the weight distribution:
  • 28% glass
  • 22% LCD screen
  • 21% battery
  • 20% back panel
  • 9% other components
is actually fairly even among the major components. You'd have to shrink most/all of them to get the weight down significantly.
Click to expand...

Excellent link, good find.

I wouldn't discount those little savings though. I usually use my iPad with a clear flexi skin on, and when I remove it, the iPad feels significantly lighter - even though the difference can't be much, the perceived reduction in weight is striking.
 
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