iPad 10" screens... and mouse support... (yes i know it doesn't)

[throAU]

... but if it did, i reckon i could ditch my work laptop entirely.

We're on the cusp of rolling out VDI using VMware View, for which there is a native iPad app.

This means i can run a full windows desktop on the device (or rather, display a virtual machine desktop that is running on our cluster, end result = same).

There's a lightning->vga adapter, so i can continue using my 27" monitor
There's bluetooth keyboard connectivity.

However... i'm stuck with the touch screen for pointer input. :-\


I guess it would work fine that way if i wasn't trying to use a 27" monitor, and i guess the ipad display is higher res anyway, but i think it might be just a little too small? And using an external 27" display whilst having to use the small 10" touch screen just seems... wierd.

Has anyone switched to the ipad full time for everything? How have you found the display size, for all day use?

I'm very, very close to replacing my work laptop entirely with it as per the above, just don't know if i can give up my screen.

As far as our end users are concerned, the iPad (and iPhone) could also replace most laptops, desktops, PCoIP terminals, desktop telephones (using Cisco Mobile - we are a VOIP shop using Cisco Call Manager), etc....

 

[JtheLemur]

second post in as many days about mouse support. hmm maybe i actually don't want what you people are smoking.

 

[jabingla2810]

It sounds like what you want is a laptop.

If the iPad doesn't suite your needs, then thats fine, just carry on using a laptop, don't try and change it into a laptop by adding a mouse and a desktop OS. You might aswell stick with a laptop.

For me, I only use my Macbook when I have to do a lot of typing. For the other 90% of the time, I use the iPad mini.

I find almost everything easier to do and i'm more productive on an iPad, for example, editing my photo's on an iPad is a dream.

 

[ActionableMango]

There is no official way to do this. iOS has no mouse support. Even if you managed to get around that, the VMWare viewer app obviously has no mouse support because the OS it sits on has no mouse support.

That being said, it is possible, but you need to do workarounds at each and every layer, so you'll need the authority to install third party applications on your device and your VM:

1) Jailbreak the iPad.
2) Buy "BTC Mouse & Trackpad" from the Cydia store.
3) Connect a bluetooth mouse to your iPad.
4) Buy Jump Desktop client for iOS (which does support mouse) and install on the iPad.
5) Install free Jump Desktop Windows host on your Windows VM.
6) Use the Jump Desktop client to connect to your VM instead of the VM Viewer software.

Probably most or at least a few of those steps are frowned upon by your IT department. Also, this is theory; I have not personally tried it. Other people have done steps 1-4 just fine, but I've not seen steps 5-6 done.

It also makes you dependent on Jailbreak, and JB support can be very spotty when an iOS update comes around.

Personally I don't like JB. It definitely makes the device much slower over time. A power cycle always solves this, so there must be memory leaks and other unknown problems.

 

[Medic311]

my iPad 3 64GB LTE w/ jailbreak + Kensington BT Keyboard/Case + Microsoft 5000 BT Mouse has completely replaced my laptop.

my laptop now is essentially a mobile desktop - never leaves my house now. anything that i need a Windows 7 environment to run, i just use remote connect software to tap into my laptop while i am out and about.

some may ask - "why didn't you just buy a netbook or an Asus Transformer?" the answer is simple, the iPad is the best tablet there is. it may not have all of the features built-in, but jailbreaking allows me to selectively grab the features i desire while keeping the robustness of iOS, the physical durability of the iPad, the instant-on, and the insane 10+ hrs of battery life i get