Dvorak on iPhone: Send Apple Feedback

[ThomasJL]

Dvorak NOT planned for iPad's iPhone OS

According to Apple's official tech specs page for the iPad, the iPad will only include the following keyboard layouts:

"Keyboard support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian"

Source: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

The keyboard layout name "English (U.S.)" is the official name of QWERTY.

I'm guessing that many iPhone users on this thread (myself included) are not planning to ever buy an iPad. However, since the iPad is said to use an upcoming iPhone OS, we should be concerned. If Apple decides not to include Dvorak on the iPad, that will mean no Dvorak on the iPhone.

We should step up our campaign to convince Apple to include Dvorak on the iPhone and the iPad.

 

[sgelmi]

This is my first post. I type with Dvorak and have nothing against people that type with QWERTY. As Thomas was asking, we just want the option. It wont get in your way QWERTYers. Until Apple gets started I found this link that might help those interested.

http://kasperowski.com/2008/05/iphone-dvorak-keyboard.html

haven't tried it, sounds promising even though says russian.

cheerio

 

[Gurtz]

I tried pretty much every way to get the Dvorak keyboard layout on my jailbroken iPhone 3GS with no luck.

 

[Shenaniganz08]

We should step up our campaign to convince Apple to include Dvorak on the iPhone and the iPad.

Just finished reading this thread, my take

a) DVORAK is a 10 finger keyboard language, not meant for touch typing
b) The built in dictionary/spell-check algorithm IS BASED ON QWERTY ERRORS
c) No one cares about DVORAK

now that last point hurts, but its true (statistically speaking) . The % of people using iPhones that want DVORAK is pretty low (less that 1%) . I'm pretty sure from that infinitesimally small number of people that want DVORAK alot of them have jailbroken iPhone's

someone posted this

jailbreak your phone and add it through cydia with the iKeyEx extension

I think there is your solution

 

[michaellinehan]

How many people?

The % of people using iPhones that want DVORAK is pretty low (less that 1%) . I'm pretty sure from that infinitesimally small number of people that want DVORAK alot of them have jailbroken iPhone's.

If you are even remotely near the number with 1%, that is not small. It's around half a million. That's in the same ballpark as a couple of small European countries that have their own keyboards.

Also, I do believe it's critical that we're not asking Apple to do any new programming - easy as it would be. All they need to do is LEAVE IN the Dvorak keyboard that has been part of OS X since its beginning.

And jailbreaking is not a solution for a lot of people. I, for one, don't want to hassle with it.

Another factor is that Dvorak is the only other keyboard that is ANSI certified in English. It's just plain silly to leave off the other standards-body sanctioned keyboard layout.

On the iPhone, it's not such a big deal for me, although I'd like Dvorak. But any of my emails or chat messages are short. But on an iPad, I'd being doing substantial blocks of work. That's a deal-breaker for me - no iPad if I have to hunt and peck through a keyboard layout designed in Victorian times to be as awkward as possible - i.e. Qwerty.

 

[Shenaniganz08]

If you are even remotely near the number with 1%, that is not small. It's around half a million. That's in the same ballpark as a couple of small European countries that have their own keyboards..

agreed, but show me 500,000 that want Dvorak on their iPhone's

if the number is indeed that big.... hell I'll sign the petition just to help out as well.

My guess is that its around 5-10,000 iPhone user's that want Dvorak on their phones

Like I said, its not like I'm against you guys, just that statistically, the % of people that want this feature is too small for Apple to give a crap about it.

 

[michaellinehan]

Why Apple should care about Dvorak

Like I said, its not like I'm against you guys, just that statistically, the % of people that want this feature is too small for Apple to give a crap about it.

I still say it's a waste or resources, however little time is required.

One of the critical points in this is that it would be so UTTERLY, MIND-BOGGLINGLY TRIVIAL for Apple to include the Dvorak keyboard. It's already in OS X - and has been, all along! Why leave it out!?

Also - while being irritating on the iPhone, it's a deal-breaker on the iPad. I'm not going to be hunting and pecking my way around a Qwerty keyboard to do real work in Pages, Keynote and other substantial office programs.

Apple's iPad - the "magic" device --- featuring a keyboard developed in Victorian times to be as awkward to use as possible (so the early, clunky keyboards wouldn't jam so often). Very stupid.

Further on "the % of people that want this feature is too small for Apple to give a crap about it." I see that being parallel to talking about Macs. Would any Mac users say, "the % of people that want Macs is too small for the world to give a crap about them. Let's just let the better computer die and we'll all use the majority chosen Winblows." I'd suggest Apple should most definitely care about Dvorak.

 

[IBradMac]

We need many people to click the link below, and tell Apple to include the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard on the iPhone:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

Please help. The more people that do this, the better our chances of this coming to fruition.

Thank you for your time.

No.

 

[kdarling]

<shaking head>

There's no reason not to include ... or at least allow for installation, as other phones do... more keyboard types as an option.

Some argue that they're used to QWERTY. Fine, but other people are used to DVORAK. There are probably millions of others who know neither standard, and would be happier with an ABCD keyboard.

The whole point of an onscreen keyboard is that it is easily changed to suit different languages, regions, tastes, input needs, personal experience, or whatever.

 

[BigSky1]

Advantage of Dvorak keyboard layout

The advantages of the Dvorak keyboard on a standard keyboard are huge, not the least of which is the fact that most words are input with keystrokes alternating between hands - thumbs in this case. This makes for a much smoother rhythum. It is really a big improvement.
The list goes on and on - and it would be very easy to implement with just as many users as any international keyboard.

 

[Gurtz]

I finally got a dvorak keyboard on my iPhone. It's not native, and it's not Apple quality (there are definitely some kinks), but hey it gets the job done until Apple actually adds the layout itself. Plus it has some correcting and auto-complete abilities so obviously it's not that hard for Apple to make it for iPhone.

 

[michaellinehan]

.... so obviously it's not that hard for Apple to make it for iPhone.

Well, it's ESPECIALLY not hard since they don't have to "make it". It's been in OS X all along. All they have to do it put it back.

And the iPad!!!!!!!! Don't get me started. A magical and revolutionary device stuck using a Victorian-era keyboard developed to MAKE TYPING AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE, to minimize the frequent jamming of keys on those very early, clumsy mechanical typewriters. Thanks a lot, whatever high-up Apple idiot decided that. Obviously some functionary who personally doesn't think Dvorak matters.

 

[boss.king]

Well, it's ESPECIALLY not hard since they don't have to "make it". It's been in OS X all along. All they have to do it put it back.

And the iPad!!!!!!!! Don't get me started. A magical and revolutionary device stuck using a Victorian-era keyboard developed to MAKE TYPING AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE, to minimize the frequent jamming of keys on those very early, clumsy mechanical typewriters. Thanks a lot, whatever high-up Apple idiot decided that. Obviously some functionary who personally doesn't think Dvorak matters.

Not to be rude, but Dvorak doesnt matter. It's so rarely used that most people don't even know its a thing.I'm all for you guys getting it, clicked the link and everything, but its just not a feature that is needed. I'd think that after the third year you guys would just get used to a Qwerty layout. Dvorak belongs in a time long forgotten now

 

[Sunnzy]

And likewise the iPhone itself doesn't matter any more there are more alternative on the market now that does the job mostly just as well and better in other areas. This would be one of the strong reasons to consider the alternatives when getting a new phone.

 

[boss.king]

And likewise the iPhone itself doesn't matter any more there are more alternative on the market now that does the job mostly just as well and better in other areas. This would be one of the strong reasons to consider the alternatives when getting a new phone.

I never actually thought about it like that. Is there some sort of statistic of how widely used Dvorak is? It would need to be a fair number of people to get Apple to add it.

 

[Sunnzy]

I don't know I don't do statistics.

But that's not the point.

The whole of doing a touch screen is so that the screen is the interface. You don't need to add new hardware such that implementing things like this is designed to be extremely easy. But the reality is that you are either under the control of Apple or jailbreak your phone. If you jailbreak your phone then what's the point anyway when other alternative are good enough these days.

 

[michaellinehan]

I'd think that after the third year you guys would just get used to a Qwerty layout. Dvorak belongs in a time long forgotten now

That's like telling people they should just get used to the more "popular" clunky, inefficient Windoze.
And so, it's Qwerty that belongs to a time long ago - the Victorian era.

 

[michaellinehan]

I never actually thought about it like that. Is there some sort of statistic of how widely used Dvorak is? It would need to be a fair number of people to get Apple to add it.

It's already in OS X and has been all along. The effort involved in PUTTING IT BACK is utterly trivial from a programming point of view - so trivial that one can't even call it programming.

If I ever do buy an iPad it will only be if it can be hacked so a Dvorak keyboard can be installed.

 

[kiljoy616]

I finally got a dvorak keyboard on my iPhone. It's not native, and it's not Apple quality (there are definitely some kinks), but hey it gets the job done until Apple actually adds the layout itself. Plus it has some correcting and auto-complete abilities so obviously it's not that hard for Apple to make it for iPhone.

Better than nothing, never understood why something that is software based not actual keys would not have this from the beginning, so much easier to type in dvorak.

 

[mblotzer]

Not to be rude, but Dvorak doesnt matter. It's so rarely used that most people don't even know its a thing.I'm all for you guys getting it, clicked the link and everything, but its just not a feature that is needed. I'd think that after the third year you guys would just get used to a Qwerty layout. Dvorak belongs in a time long forgotten now

Dvorak certainly matters to me and others that use it to address muskuloskeletal disorders from keyboarding. I had problems with bilateral Dequervain's Syndrome that was eliminated by learning the Dvorak layout.

That said, the lack of software Dvorak layout on the iPhone doesn't matter to me because the keyboard is too small for touch typing. And while the iPad keyboard is large enough for touch typing, it is impractical because I like to rest my fingers on the keyboard when touch typing, which triggers typing spurious letters. So I do a two finger dance on the screen keyboard.

The best solution is the $69 portable Apple Bluetooth keyboard. The iPad supports Dvorak for external keyboards and it is fantastic. Thank you, Apple!

Mike

 

[tigress666]

That's like telling people they should just get used to the more "popular" clunky, inefficient Windoze.
And so, it's Qwerty that belongs to a time long ago - the Victorian era.

As much as I am too lazy to learn a new keyboard layout unless I was forced to, I agree.

It's kind of silly the keyboard layout that stayed dominant was the one that was designed specifically to slow people's typing down (so that you didn't jam a typewriter by typing too fast).

(I've just already gotten used to it and been using it for years so unless I had to, I probably wouldn't get around to learning the other style).

 

[125037]

Wasn't it designed to make typing with 10 fingers on keyboards more efficient?

So my question is, what on earth does typing with 2 hands have to do with typing with 2 thumbs?

I don't care if Apple puts it on, but I don't see the point either, unless you have really really tiny hands and actually use all 10 fingers on the iPhone.

It WOULD be more efficient if that's the way you "grew up with" (learned on) or had heavy training, but for the typical user it would not be more efficient.

 

[tigress666]

It WOULD be more efficient if that's the way you "grew up with" (learned on) or had heavy training, but for the typical user it would not be more efficient.

People can learn new tricks. I think if some one made themselves learn the new keyboard and get used to it, they probably could become more efficient with it. It probably would be harder at first cause you gotta get rid of all your old habits, but I do think it could be done.

Just gotta retrain your brain.

 

[Dorma]

Wow, reading through this I'm surprised at what I'm seeing.
I think people are missing something that we should never forget...

We are the consumers, and apple (or any other company) rely on us, and not the other way around. Threads like this are pretty common, and I think it's important that we the buyer, support one another when corporations aren't giving us what we want. Today it may be something simple like a keyboard layout, tomorrow it could be something that affects us all. (or worse, what if they keep limiting their software to hurt other small groups? The masses may be of the opinion that it doesn't matter, but if enough small groups are affected by this and that, eventually it affects us all.)

I'm thinking of Sony and their removal of the "other os" option on the PS3. It didn't affect everyone, but anyone who knows what i'm talking about knows that they've set a dangerous precedent.

So let's remember that just because we the individual may be happy with a product, if there are people out there who aren't we should stand behind them and expect them to do the same for us in similar situations.

 

[acetabulum07]

Wow, reading through this I'm surprised at what I'm seeing.
I think people are missing something that we should never forget...

We are the consumers, and apple (or any other company) rely on us, and not the other way around. Threads like this are pretty common, and I think it's important that we the buyer, support one another when corporations aren't giving us what we want. Today it may be something simple like a keyboard layout, tomorrow it could be something that affects us all. (or worse, what if they keep limiting their software to hurt other small groups? The masses may be of the opinion that it doesn't matter, but if enough small groups are affected by this and that, eventually it affects us all.)

I'm thinking of Sony and their removal of the "other os" option on the PS3. It didn't affect everyone, but anyone who knows what i'm talking about knows that they've set a dangerous precedent.

So let's remember that just because we the individual may be happy with a product, if there are people out there who aren't we should stand behind them and expect them to do the same for us in similar situations.

Exactly. If a small percent of the population were black, should they not be allowed to vote?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see who's ignorant in this thread and who's not.