That though is becoming the issue.
Apple extends the iPad Pro to allow external monitor display. However it only does a half assed job at best. This is becoming more common - implementation.
Decidedly un-Apple like.
I think people are reading way too much into external display support. The iPad is a single window device. Sure, you can have multiple "windows" open within an application, but you can only work with one window at a time. Split view lets you open two, but not from the same application. There's no concept of windows overlapping each other, being able to drag windows and place them on a screen, etc. So, not only is the iPad missing mouse support, it's also not designed for moving windows around.
I think people need to adjust their expectations when it comes to the iPad supporting external displays. It's never going to work like a Mac or Windows. Apple has supported external display output on the iPad for a while now and it's up to the developer to use it. Since you can't interact directly with the display (no mouse, no cursor), the external display is limited to very specific functions. An example might be a video editor that is uses the external display for preview. Another example is a photo editor that shows the preview image on the external display while allowing you to zoom in and edit in fine detail on your iPad. And then, of course, there are the obvious ones like displaying a photo album or watching a video on a TV.
I don't see Apple's implementation as half assed. It's very focused and completely in line with their overall vision for the iPad. What I see is a group of people who, essentially, want Apple to turn the iPad into a Mac. They want external display support, multiple windows, a file system, mouse/trackpad support, etc. At that point, you have a Mac.
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It's very simple really. Personally I use the tablets only for media/Internet consumption and touch interface works fine for this. But as soon as the physical keyboard gets in the picture (and Apple does produce those), the tablet stops being a pure touch device. At this point tablet transforms into a hybrid device (or a laptop if you wish). So, if Apple concedes that the accessory like a keyboard improves productivity, then they may as well recognize that the mouse is a logic step in the same direction. To me, all this "tablet as a computer replacement" does not make much sense except for in limited circumstances. I lived through the times when computer monitors grew in size from 14" to 40" (and more - in multi monitor configurations). Going back to using 11" screen for any real work (or even something as simple as on-line shopping) is a huge regress.
No, no, no. You can't compare an external keyboard to a mouse. The external keyboard changes nothing about the iPad experience. It just makes typing faster and more efficient. Instead of using the on-screen keyboard, you use the external one. The mouse changes everything. Now you have a cursor. You no longer touch the screen to select things. It completely and fundamentally changes the iPad user experience. That should be pretty obvious.
Apple doesn't want to "replace" anything. They want customers like me, people who buy a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone, and a Watch (that I never wear). They don't want to turn the iPad into a Mac, which is essentially what some people want. So let's imagine that they add mouse support and we now have a cursor on the iPad screen. What next? Multiple windows, right? I mean, who wants mouse support without being able to open a bunch of windows and drag and drop between them, etc? And now that we have all these windows open, we need a better way to manage our documents, so we need access to the filesystem along with a Finder-like app. Etc.
Bottom line: Apple is marketing the iPad as a laptop replacement to casual users, not MacRumors readers.
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I’m lost then. So you say you could see them adding mouse/trackpad support for specific tasks, but there would be no cursor? What would indicate what you are selecting then? Apple already has a cursor in iOS for text selection, I don’t see a huge difference. I think it comes at some point (we can disagree here), but I think it will come in a way we aren’t currently used to.
We don't have a cursor for text selection. We have an insertion point. There's no little pointer floating around on an iPad screen. What I mean by specific tasks is a CAD application that supports a mouse within the drawing area, for example. Again, I don't see this happening, but I'm just entertaining the idea. When this application is active, the mouse can be used for drawing only. The user still interacts with the iPad and iOS via touch, but the mouse gives the user greater precision within the drawing window (which could be displayed on an external screen). In this scenario it's better to think of the mouse like the Surface Dial, a specific use accessory, not a primary means of interacting with the device.
But that seems really un-Apple-like to me, especially now that I write it out. I think it's far more likely that Apple will add functionality, via gestures, to the Pencil that allows it to function more like a mouse. I just don't see Apple breaking their rule of the user interacting directly with the device via touch (whether you're using your finger or the Pencil). You keep suggesting that Apple will come up with some new and innovative way to add mouse support to the iPad, but what would that be? A mouse is a mouse. It needs a cursor on the screen. There's no getting around that. I just don't see Apple moving the iPad in that direction.
