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iPad How is thumb-typing on the iPad Air?
- Thread starter jason2811
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Any kind of typing is the same on the Air as on the iPads 1-4. I'm not sure why you would expect it to be different.
Due to the decrease in size of the bezels, thumb typing in portrait is actually not bad at all! I was surprised to find this out the first time I started using my Air. It's not as easy as in the rMini (which is incredibly easy, and is probably the best iOS device for this), but it's acceptable.
Thumb typing in portrait is easier on the air than on the previous gen iPads. The side bezels have been slimmed down quite a bit, so your thumbs can navigate the QWERTY keyboard much easier by covering more surface area.
That's why on the mini it's the easiest to thumb type (since it's much narrower than the Air)
Thumb typing is a lot easier on the Air! I have normal female-sized hands, and was surprised at how much easier it was to thumb type on the Air than the iPad3.
That said, the Air is still a bit larger than the Mini - taller in addition to wider, so it is a bit cumbersome to hold it in that position for a long time. Your mileage will vary, though. I find myself composing more emails on the Mini than I did on the Air, if that helps.
That said, the Air is still a bit larger than the Mini - taller in addition to wider, so it is a bit cumbersome to hold it in that position for a long time. Your mileage will vary, though. I find myself composing more emails on the Mini than I did on the Air, if that helps.
Thinner bezels and overall thickness make it much easier.
Just typed this with my thumbs only. I haven't used the split keyboard like I did on my 3rd gen.
Oops, forgot about the portrait -- I actually thumb type in landscape, and have done so from iPad 1 all the way to the Air.
The ability to thumb type really easily was one of the biggest reasons I was so hung up on the decision of Air vs Mini. But with the thinned bezels on the Air and split keyboard mode in portrait AND good autocorrect, I actually don't have any issues typing on the Air. It's not QUITE as easy as the mini! but it's still pretty darn quick.
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syd430
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Split keyboard , split keyboard, Split keyboard , split keyboard, Split keyboard , split keyboard, Split keyboard , split keyboard, Split keyboard , split keyboard.
Are people seriously holding the ipad in landscape with both hands and typing without splitting the keyboard? You guys are nuts.
And for the people that refuse use use it because " it's awkward"... Yeah, the awkwardness goes away after a while and it becomes ridiculously fast to type like this after a while.
Are people seriously holding the ipad in landscape with both hands and typing without splitting the keyboard? You guys are nuts.
And for the people that refuse use use it because " it's awkward"... Yeah, the awkwardness goes away after a while and it becomes ridiculously fast to type like this after a while.
this is my 2cents on this. portrait typing is definitely in favor of the mini if you don't split it, though i'll say its almost as good. Landscape typing OTOH is strange on the mini since it's actually too small for any long period of time. I'll admit to using the mini like a large iphone that types superbly in portrait mode, whereas the ipad air feels more an at home device lounging on the couch. I use mine mostly at home and the gamut thing bothered me, so i chose the air. I would try out however you plan on using it in the store to see what you think yourself.
Thanks for the reply. Did you actually notice the gamut issue? How did it affect you? And did you only notice once you heard about the issue online?
Maybe its different due to the decreased width.
Maybe its different because sue to the lower weight it doesn't fatigue the rest of your hand that holds the iPad in place while thumb typing.
OP, since we don't know why the other iPads were uncomfortable for you to type on you're going to have to try it for yourself. I found the iPad 2 to be very comfortable to type on but I wouldn't be bale to say if you would.
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Apple did something clever to aid in split keyboard typing. If you press to the right of the "T" key, it will register as a "Y".
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Sorry for the long post, but here are my thoughts on it:
For me (average-sized adult male hands), it's enough better that it makes a full-sized iPad preferable again.
On the older full-sized iPads, I always felt like I had to rearrange myself and the device in order to comfortably type anything more than a word or two in portrait, then rearrange back to my preferred non-typing position. This was enough to make the mini be more desirable to me — because of my difficulty with portrait typing, the big iPad ended up ironically feeling like more of a "consumption rather than production" (to bring out an old cliche) device to me than the mini.
On the Air, because of the lighter weight and especially the smaller bezels, I find portrait typing to be approximately as nice as on a mini. I think the mini is still very slightly more comfortable to type on in portrait, but the keys are so much bigger on the Air that it ends up being about a wash for me. And of course when I've got a lot to write, there's nothing like the size of the landscape keyboard on a full-sized iPad.
For me (average-sized adult male hands), it's enough better that it makes a full-sized iPad preferable again.
On the older full-sized iPads, I always felt like I had to rearrange myself and the device in order to comfortably type anything more than a word or two in portrait, then rearrange back to my preferred non-typing position. This was enough to make the mini be more desirable to me — because of my difficulty with portrait typing, the big iPad ended up ironically feeling like more of a "consumption rather than production" (to bring out an old cliche) device to me than the mini.
On the Air, because of the lighter weight and especially the smaller bezels, I find portrait typing to be approximately as nice as on a mini. I think the mini is still very slightly more comfortable to type on in portrait, but the keys are so much bigger on the Air that it ends up being about a wash for me. And of course when I've got a lot to write, there's nothing like the size of the landscape keyboard on a full-sized iPad.
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