Larger display sets of iPad Mini apart from others

Nov 05, 2012

The iPad Mini stands apart from competitive 7-inch media tablets due to its larger display, which is intended to offer a user experience that is closer to full-sized tablets. Additionally, its use of 4:3 aspect ratio makes it suitable to capitalize on the existing iPad ecosystem, according to research firm IHS.

However, the iPad Mini display falls short of other comparable 7-inch tablets in terms of its display resolution. "Apple has thrown its hat into the ring for small-size media tablets with the iPad Mini, putting it into direct competition with alternative devices such as the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD, " said researcher at IHS Vinita Jakhanwal. "But, by using a bigger display with a larger viewing area for the iPad Mini, Apple is trying to offer a media tablet that’s physically smaller than other iPads, but doesn’t totally compromise the user experience delivered by the larger members of the iPad line. However, it differs by sticking with the 4:3 aspect ratio used in other iPads, rather than the wider aspect ratio of 16:10 employed by competitors."

Big sales for small iPad

Despite the tradeoffs, Apple historically has been extremely shrewd in picking which features will appeal to consumers for its media tablet and smartphone products, and IHS believes the iPad Mini will continue the company’s winning streak with the 7.9-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio design, ready to tap into the existing base of applications already developed for the iPad 2.

Some experts were expecting the iPad Mini to be less expensive, and downgraded their shipment forecasts based on Apple’s announced pricing. However, the pricing conformed with IHS expectations, and continued Apple’s pattern of offering premium-priced media tablets and smartphones that are highly successful in the market.

Display rundown

The iPad Mini comes equipped with a 7.9-inch display. In comparison, the other brands have displays nearly 1-inch smaller, at just 7-inch.The larger screen size of the iPad Mini leads to a bigger display viewing area, or 35% greater than the other media tablets with 7-inch displays.

Furthermore, the bezel width on two sides of the iPad Mini’s display has been reduced, decreasing the breadth of the device. The overall size of the iPad Mini is only 13% larger than the Google Nexus 7, but the iPad Mini’s display area is 35% bigger. When compared to the Kindle Fire HD, the total size of the iPad Mini is about the same. But compared to the Nexus 7, the display area of the Mini is 35% bigger - again, a design to offer more viewing area without impacting the device form factor.

Resolution comes into focus

The iPad Mini’s display has a pixel format of 1,024 by 768 pixels, resulting in a resolution of 163 ppi.This is lower than other 7-inch displays, whose resolutions are greater than 200 ppi. The Nook HD, for instance, has a resolution of 243 ppi, putting it closest to the 264 ppi Retina display resolution of the new iPad and the newly launched fourth-generation iPad. The resolution of the iPad 2 is 132 ppi and with the same pixel format as the iPad Mini. Although the resolution is lower for the iPad Mini, the smaller iPad offers compatibility with the multitude of apps developed for the iPad 2 that continue to be sold in the market.

Another aspect

All the iPads including the iPad Mini use an aspect ratio of 4:3 for their display. The other brands like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Google use a 16:10 aspect ratio. The recently launched iPhone 5 moved to a 16:9 aspect ratio. In a 4:3 aspect ratio display, HD video content that isn’t letterboxed will be displayed with black bands above and below the video. The wider aspect ratio (16:10) improves viewing experience of video and game-based multimedia content, making such displays more suitable for devices meant primarily for the consumption of video content.

Viewing content in the portrait mode is better supported by a 4:3 aspect ratio, however, and may be better suited for multiple-use devices employed in viewing web pages, books and magazines. The 4:3 aspect ratio also increases the screen area on a same-size display when compared to a wide aspect ratio display, and may require less scrolling to view the content.

Skinny Mini

The iPad Mini is also a much thinner device compared to the other tablets in the 7.x-inch category. The device’s thickness is only 0.28-inch, or 7.2mm, compared to 0.41-inch for the Google Nexus 7 and 0.45-inch for the Kindle Fire.

The display technology for the iPad Mini continues to be in-plane switching liquid crystal display (IPS LCD), which is used in most 7-inch branded tablets. However, improvements have been made from previous generation iPad displays to make the iPad Mini’s screen slimmer and lighter.

The iPad Mini’s slim design is partly due to its battery, the thinnest single-cell battery ever made by Apple. However, it’s also likely that changes have been implemented in the touch screen design. IHS believes that the glass layer that houses the touch sensors in the larger iPads has been replaced with plastic film for the device.

In terms of device weight, the iPad Mini at 0.68 pounds is the lightest among the other top 7-inch tablets, despite having a larger screen size and area. The Nook HD isn’t that far behind at 0.69 pounds, but it uses a smaller 7-inch display.

Mini display suppliers

The main display suppliers for the iPad Mini are likely to be LG Display (LGD) of South Korea and AU Optronics (AUO) of Taiwan. LGD has been supplying panels for the entire iPad line since the launch of the first iPad, and is likely to be the main supplier for the iPad Mini displays.

The other suppliers for iPad, which are Samsung Display, also of South Korea, as well as Japan’s Sharp, are not in the iPad Mini panel supply chain at present.

AUO, meanwhile, is a new supplier for Apple iPad products. It remains to be seen how quickly AUO will be able to ramp up production of 7.9-inch IPS LCD panels in order to meet demand. With an aggressive initial rollout for the iPad Mini that includes Asian regions like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, any display manufacturing and yield issues could impact the availability of the iPad Mini for the remainder of 2012.

Source：digitimes.com