- All iPad models feature a 9.7-inch display, measured diagonally. However, the full front face on the original iPad measures 9.56 by 7.47 inches, while the iPad 2 measures 9.5 by 7.31 inches. Both use a 1024 by 768 screen resolution at 132 pixels per inch.
- A 10.1-inch diagonal screen is common in netbooks, but it is not the only option. The Lenovo Thinkpad X120e features an 11.6-inch screen, while the Asus Eee PC 1215B is 12.1 inches diagonal. HP's Mini 5103, Acer's Aspire One 522-BZ897, Samsung's NC110 and Toshiba's NB 505-N508GN all fit the 10.1-inch netbook standard.
- The Lenovo and Asus models listed have 1366 by 768 screen resolutions, while the other models feature 1024 by 600 pixel resolutions. This means that the ratio of screen height to width is different between the netbooks and iPads. This measurement is called the aspect ratio. Netbooks typically have a widescreen aspect ratio, which means the screen is wider and shorter compared to the iPad. The iPad is closer to the full screen aspect ratio used commonly for televisions, but it is not exactly 4:3, which represents that ratio. In practical use, this means that you get more screen height out of the iPad compared with a netbook of the same width. When viewing widescreen movies on the iPad, however, you will get the black bars known as "Letter boxing" on the top and bottom to compensate for the taller screen.
- Aside from the aspect ratio difference, the major difference between iPad screen viewing and netbook viewing is that the iPad works in portrait and landscape orientation, while netbooks only work in landscape orientation. This can allow you to view more of your document on the screen at one time because documents tend to be taller than they are wide. However, the onscreen keyboard will cover part of the document in either mode, so this benefit is lost while actively working on the document.
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