Apple: You’re Scrolling It Wrong
- Paul Thurrott
- Sep 29, 2021
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37
While reviews of the new 6th-generation iPad Mini have been generally positive, most point out an awkward “jelly scroll” effect. But Apple says it’s not a bug and that there’s nothing for it to fix.
The jelly scroll effect is a visual oddity in which the right and left sides of the display seem to be scrolling onscreen content at different speeds with a visible line down the middle. This is more noticeable in portrait mode, and it’s a problem from which previous-generation iPad Minis did not suffer.
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“It’s the most noticeable when scrolling relatively slowly up and down a webpage or document,” Ars Technica notes. “The left side of the screen seems to trail the right side by just enough that paragraphs of text appear rubbery and wobbly to an attentive eye.”
Well, Apple is having none of that. The jelly scroll is “normal behavior,” it told the publication, and it will not be issuing a software or hardware fix.
Hey, at least the new iPad Mini isn’t expensive. \s
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Conversation 37 comments
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spiderman2
Log in to Reply<p>classic apple reply</p>
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F4IL
Log in to Reply<p>I was thinking more along the lines of "Animations on the new iPad Mini are jelly smooth!"</p>
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red.radar
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>Can we call this Jelly gate? </p><p><br></p>
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djross95
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>Apple: "Don’t hold it that way" 🙂 </p>
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crunchyfrog
Log in to Reply<p>Considering that the Mini has only had two updates in something like the last six years, I’d say this is a small price to pay.</p><p><br></p><p>I’m sure they’ll quietly fix it in a near future update.</p>
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MikeCerm
Log in to Reply<p>This is not something that can be fixed in a software update, they’d have to change the screen orientation in hardware.</p>
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wright_is
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>Now I’m hungry for Jelly babies!</p>
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madthinus
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>The only sensible reply!</p>
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BobBuilder
Log in to Reply<p>iPad mini is too small for my big hands. </p>
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christianwilson
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I might have accepted this explanation if we hadn’t been using LCD technology for ages now without this being a common problem. </p>
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rob_segal
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>This behavior existed on other Apple devices with a 60 Hz LCD display. I’m not saying this isn’t an issue, this just isn’t behavior unique to the new iPad Mini. I haven’t seen any reports about this happening with their high refresh rate pro motion displays.</p>
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lvthunder
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>If that’s the biggest issue then I think the mini will be a success.</p>
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Username
Log in to Reply<p>I doubt that. The rollout is now tainted.</p>
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waethorn
Log in to Reply<p>Looking at the options available, the mainline iPad is still a better value for home users looking for a proper tablet/laptop hybrid. The iPad mini just seems to be one of those hipster products that don’t offer good productivity, but they try to push the higher-end design for all the cool kids to justify the Apple tax. It sits at the right size to look ridiculously small as a tablet size, in an era where phones keep getting bigger – and nothing fits in your pocket.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
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jaredthegeek
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>Its not for productivity and neither is the standard iPad. Its for consumption. The mini is ideal to me for note taking and reading. I used to carry a Dell mini windows tablet with a stylus for that reason. I then moved to a Surface 3 and Surface go but the windows elements in 10 and lack of quality mobile style apps made them less appealing. A lot of people, myself included do not buy the giant phones. Then there is the aspect ratio to consider on the mini, its not ultra wide like the phones are which makes ready a much better experience. </p>
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lvthunder
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I would consider note-taking to be productivity though.</p>
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MikeCerm
Log in to Reply<p>The iPad Classic is a better value if you want a tablet/laptop hybrid, but I don’t want that. Sure, it’s cheaper and runs all the same apps as the iPad Mini, but I hate the 10" form factor for tablet use. It’s too heavy to hold for long periods without resting it on something, and it’s too wide for comfortable two-thumb typing while in hand. It’s bad for watching video, because you get massive black bars. It’s also a bad replacement for a proper laptop with 13-14" screen, keyboard, and trackpad. I don’t love the price, but I do think the Mini is a really great size for an e-reader, much like the Nexus 7 of yore, and a much better form factor than the 10" iPad for the things I want to do on a tablet.</p>
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jim.mcintosh
Log in to Reply<p>Yep it the old WAD response. "Working As Designed". </p>
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wpcoe
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>At least Apple hasn’t said (yet) it was a feature high on the list of what users wanted.</p>
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prebengh
Log in to Reply<p>I wonder if anyone here actually has the new iPad Mini. I have it, and I haven’t noticed any problems. If the problem exists on all Minis then the problem is very minor.</p><p><br></p>
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Matthew Hair
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I also bought a new mini. Scrolling is noticeable jerky, even compared to other 60hz displays, but I don’t notice the reported jelly effect. </p>
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Seppy_DE
Log in to Reply<p>Well, at least he admits the 60 Hz effect is a known limitation and affects ALL devices. But…it is sooo minor (I’ve actually used the very same version iPad Mini he’s whining about and have to try really hard to notice it, <u>and</u> it has to be in an extremely infrequent position/use). And the iOS complaints? Get some big boy pants, dude. Must be nice to earn a living complaining for clicks.</p>
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nolanm5150
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>NIce ‘mini-rant’ fanboy… why are you even here?</p>
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Greg Green
Log in to Reply<p>Because he has a mini and this article was about minis. Can we not comment on an article if we have the subject device?</p>
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MikeCerm
Log in to Reply<p>Some people are more sensitive to these kinds of effects. There’s a lot of people who don’t see rainbows with DLP projectors, but if you’re one of the people who can, then having a DLP projector is a total dealbreaker. I’ve had two iPads, the first Retina iPad and the first-gen iPad mini. Both suffered from this "jelly scroll" effect. It was immediately obvious the first time I used the iPad that something looked weird. It wasn’t like I couldn’t use the iPad or anything, but it was something that I noticed every time I used it.</p>
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cnc123
Log in to Reply<p>This scrolling issue is a worse problem on the (OLED) Galaxy Tab S6 than it is here. Way too much is being made of this, and at the same time, no one notices that you can’t change font sizes on Apple widgets, and they’re unusably small on the iPad mini.</p>
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MikeCerm
Log in to Reply<p>Apple probably sold more pre-orders of the iPad mini on day one than Samsung sold in the entire lifespan of the Tab S6, so it’s an issue that will impact a whole lot more people. That’s why people are making such a big deal about it. iOS 15 has a lot of issues too, as all reviewers have noted.</p>
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Kevin Holt
Log in to Reply<p>Huh ? The article is talking about the brand new Ipad Mini. </p>
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cnc123
Log in to Reply<p>Sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to compare the iPad to competing devices that have the exact same issue, but worse. Thanks for the correction.</p>
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whistlerpro
Log in to Reply<p>People are used to higher standards from Apple.</p>
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jg1170
Log in to Reply<p>Apple trails Samsung in more ways than it leads, so anybody still holding that standard is living out of date.</p>
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polloloco51
Log in to Reply<p>It is amazing, Tesla and Apple hasn’t bought each other out yet. Both always blame the user for errors, and never their products. </p><p><br></p><p>In actuality</p><p>Apple and Tesla, would be an ideal match for each other! Arrogant and fantastical companies. </p>
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Hawaiianteg
Log in to Reply<p>You guys should prob watch the iFixit video on it. He talks about Jelly Scrolling and how its common in every device, it just depends on which orientation the controller board is in relation to the scrolling. He showed examples of even the Air and Pro jelly scrolling but a lot less on the pro because of the high refresh rate. So yeah its not a big issue everyone is making it out to me and every device does it, just depends on which way they orient the controller board. They prob did it like this on the mini because its mostly going to be used as a consumption device and they need to make sure video doesn’t show that affect too much. </p>
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whistlerpro
Log in to Reply<p>If most reviews mention it, it *becomes* a big issue. To your point its not nearly as noticeable on the Air or the Pro. </p>
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wright_is
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>I read on Macrumours, that the display controller is inverted compared to the previous model.</p>
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robincapper
Log in to Reply<p>Why are the bezels so big still?</p>
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davehelps
Premium MemberLog in to Reply<p>You’re looking at it wrong. It has an “all-screen” design, so if you’re seeing bezels, you must have accidentally stuck strips of black tape to your eyes. ?</p>