This is the right side of the new M4 iPads

If you have never made a video call before, cast the first stone: Since the beginning of the pandemic (it seems like a century has passed) Many people have an iPad at home They suddenly found a great use for their Apple tablet: Video calls.

The “culture” of video callsBecause there is no other way to define it, it was born out of the need to continue doing many clearly school and social activities. Therefore, video calls (Zoom phenomenon) which quickly turned into a “New normal” But they triumphed technologically Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Many people have found a use for tablets in general, and in relation to iPads here, for various reasons: They are more practical and can be transported more easily, have a good quality video camera While many desktop computers do not have a webcam and until three years ago, many laptops had low-quality cameras. And finally Tablet screen It is larger than a smartphone and its battery lasts longer.

Joyful calling machine

All reasons why iPads have suddenly become a more useful tool in your home or office. A “communication machine” of undoubted power. However, there is one limitation that perhaps announcements coming in a few days will finally be able to overcome: camera placement.

Connection It is a term that has now entered the popular lexicon that appears to be English only, but in reality it has descended strongly on Italy Very melanistic characterization Of Milan's efficiency and also a certain assumption of Cominda Brianza. We used to say that the call requires a specific Mass. Surely there are those who can't do this, as their computer always disconnects or remains mysteriously silent.

Then there are those who Only the tip of the nose is visible (forgive the pun) or front end. Then on the other side there are those who need Three computers are networked to a server to use Obs Studio And run three webcams and two presentations in parallel. They also need dual fibers.

Short side problem

And for the rest of us, Those that are neither very rare nor exceptional, who only need the video call to work. This means that the content can be seen clearly, placed in the right way, and in a way that makes it See everything there is to see. We hope you feel comfortable. And that when you are interrogated or in any case have to speak, you see everything clearly, You only need one more thing. He is Well framed by the camera. Which does amazing things on iPads (AI pans and zooms in or out to keep track of head movements and the number of people present). But the one thing you don't do is: put it directly in the eye.

Because the iPad camera makes you constantly look outside the picture. The people we are on the call feel like they are looking into our eyesBecause they fix our image on the screen. We have the same feeling too, because we're looking directly into the eyes we see on the screen, but The iPad Pro, Air, and mini have a camera on the sidethus framing us as if we were looking outside the screen on the right or left side (depending on which side we pointed the iPad to. And that's a problem.

View, this is unknown

This doesn't happen with MacBooks and laptops, because the camera on these devices is usually placed on top of the screen rather than next to it. It's central to the long side, to be precise. On the MacBook, it also produces the characteristic notch that is also present on the iPhone but on the short side, that is, above.

This is it Explain why it does not work on the iPad: Phones are designed to be held systematically by hand in a vertical position, the “portrait” position. Hence the ability to recover face to face without it Parallax effect Which makes it seem like we're looking outside the screen, The video camera is placed on topsuch as MacBooks and iMacs, as well as most other laptops and desktop computers with a built-in video camera.

Instead, iPads were always designed to be To be used both vertically which, often when placed on their supports, In horizontal position.

This way, when it is horizontal, There's just the right amount of screen for watching a shared presentationFor example, but the center of the eyes is completely missing. The camera is on the short side like on phones This has proven, in the testing of the pandemic and subsequent years of use and abuse of remote group video calling, to be the wrong side of things.

A solution is in sight

How to treat this solution? A time of change in Apple computer designWhether it's phones, tablets, or Macs, they're tied to fairly long cycles. Designs last 3 to 4 years, sometimes even a decade, because If anything it is repeated with small changes but rarely flipped.

This is because “behind” the work of designers is the work of engineers who create entire production lines and orders from third parties. Millions and millions of devices produced that require molds and components, Production and assembly processes Which cannot change radically before completing its life cycle.

It's like driving an ocean ship, Not like the Panda Gambit To stand under the house. So, once we understood, in 2020, that we needed to change the position on the short side of the camera Because the 2010 hypothesisThe first year iPads are outdated, they need to be fixed but it takes time.

In short, to make room for the need to make video calls with a camera on the long side, a full production cycle must be completed. But now with iPads that will probably have an M4 processor And new dimensions to iPad Air 12.9 inches (Maybe) We are there. The camera is located on the long side. Is it completely new? Well, no.

But let's not forget the iPad

We have not forgotten the tenth generation iPad without adjectives: neither Pro, nor Air, nor Mini. Simply an iPad. Basic version. However, in its tenth incarnation it introduced several innovations, including a very interesting one. No, not the USB-C socket or even the very unique charging of the first-generation Apple Pencil. Instead I placed the camcorder on the long side.

That's right: the precedent already exists. It wasn't easy working with technology just two years ago. Placing it on the long side of the 2022 iPad means not being able to use the Apple Pencil 2Because there was no field for magnetic charging. The long side was needed but was occupied by the video camera and The other was instead at the base of the device (As Apple keyboard support prevented its use).

The future is a (almost) certain hypothesis.

the solution? The first Apple Pencil series with charging adapter and center camera. After two years of using my iPad for work and personal callsHowever, we can tell you that it is completely different. Your MacBook Air stays free to do what you need to do (notes, mail, other things) while your video call runs like a train without overloading, issues, or lag Thanks to iPadOS stability and sandbox mode From Apple's operating systems for treadmills.

We can't wait for the feature to arrive too On other iPad Pros and Airs. The date is May 7 at 4pm Italian time, where Apple will reveal what it has in store during the “Let Loose” presentation. Macitynet will be on hand and will follow up the presentation with the usual thoughts and comments.