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All iPads I was wrong about the mouse on iPads

aevan

aevan

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 5, 2015
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So, I still understand why Apple is reluctant to add the mouse support on an iPad - and limiting it to a deep Accessibility option hidden in settings of iPadOS. There are a few confusing elements when using it which are somewhat “un-Apple”, so I get it. They also don’t want developers to start relying on it too much, I guess.

But with that said - after running the developer beta of iPadOS for a few days with Mouse support, I can say that I’m enjoying it a lot. I was against mouse support in several threads here, but now I see how great it can be to just use it alongside the keyboard. It is also great in certain apps.

So, I was wrong. Apple, please add proper mouse support in iPadOS 14. Heck, at least just change the cursor. I understand this one was meant to be noticeable, for people that need that accessibility feature, but an option to turn it into something smaller (and into a more conventional arrow) would be great for some.

BTW, I’m using the Logitech MX Master and other than the thumb button and the side scroll wheel, all of the mouse buttons work great and can be customized.
 
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aevan said:
So, I still understand why Apple is reluctant to add the mouse support on an iPad - and limiting it to a deep Accessibility option hidden in settings of iPadOS. There are a few confusing elements when using it which are somewhat “un-Apple”, so I get it. They also don’t want developers to start relying on it too much, I guess.

But with that said - after running the developer beta of iPadOS for a few days with Mouse support, I can say that I’m enjoying it a lot. I was against mouse support in several threads here, but now I see how great it can be to just use it alongside the keyboard. It is also great in certain apps.

So, I was wrong. Apple, please add proper mouse support in iPadOS 14. Heck, at least just change the cursor. I understand this one was meant to be noticeable, for people that need that accessibility feature, but an option to turn it into something smaller (and into a more conventional arrow) would be great for some.

BTW, I’m using the Logitech MX Master and other than the thumb button, all of the mouse button and the side scroll wheel work great and can be customized.
Click to expand...

Heartening to hear positive feedback on the feature from a previous skeptic - thanks for the post.
 
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That’s awesome! I can’t wait for iPadOS! I’m not sure if I’ll get a mouse for my 9.7 iPP, but it certainly makes sense to have a mouse especially for larger 11”/12.9” iPads! What I really want is a nice trackpad built into the Smart Keyboard with full gesture support! With apple’s haptic trackpads I would think it’s doable, however it would certainly need a redesign of the Smart Keyboard.
 
Mad Mac Maniac said:
That’s awesome! I can’t wait for iPadOS! I’m not sure if I’ll get a mouse for my 9.7 iPP, but it certainly makes sense to have a mouse especially for larger 11”/12.9” iPads! What I really want is a nice trackpad built into the Smart Keyboard with full gesture support! With apple’s haptic trackpads I would think it’s doable, however it would certainly need a redesign of the Smart Keyboard.
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Been playing around with mouse support on my 2018 12.9 iPad Pro and do appreciate the addition. I’m hoping they will add an option to hide the software home button which for now all you can do is make it very opaque. Not sure why mouse support is tied to this.

I absolutely agree a Smart Keyboard / folio with integrated touch pad would be awesome. Hoping we see something from 3rd party accessory manufacturers. Definitely not holding my breath for Apple to release one
 
I've seen a couple of YouTube videos where the person is reviewing IOS 13 for use with a monitor. Obviously the black borders on the side of the monitor aren't so great, but otherwise it looks really good actually. It seems like the iPad is coming ever closer to being that pc replacement.

The biggest hurdle, as I see it, is the lack of multitasking. Having one app stop when you switch to another task is not always the best experience. Of course, I wouldn't want multitasking at the expense of too much battery life.
 
kbonner said:
Been playing around with mouse support on my 2018 12.9 iPad Pro and do appreciate the addition. I’m hoping they will add an option to hide the software home button which for now all you can do is make it very opaque. Not sure why mouse support is tied to this.

I absolutely agree a Smart Keyboard / folio with integrated touch pad would be awesome. Hoping we see something from 3rd party accessory manufacturers. Definitely not holding my breath for Apple to release one
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You can actually hide this when hooked up to a mouse.

I believe it is called show menu or hide menu - it’s a switch in accessibility.
 
Yeah, in the end, mouse just goes hand in hand with keyboard. Though personally, for how I use my iPP, I haven’t yet felt much need for a mouse, I’ve always thought it was a necessary evil, and that support should have come when the smart keyboard launched. I say “evil” just because a mouse on a touch UI isn’t the most elegant thing. But really, neither is a keyboard on a tablet. Ideally, one wouldn’t have to use either on a touch tablet. But since there is no better way to input text than a keyboard, this is the situation we find ourselves in. Just glad Apple eventually gave in a little.
 
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Proper mouse support and a keyboard cover with a built in touchpad would make me an ipad pro convert :) Told them so in the feedback app.

I’m sure this is something they considered and decided against like a decade ago due to design philosophy, but with ipadOS the winds of change are blowin’!
 
Well, I still say native mouse support on an iPad is dumb and unnecessary. People would stop using the iPad as a tablet and use it almost solely as a laptop, developers would stop bringing apps designed for multitouch and tablet use (why should they bother?) and in the end we have a combination of mediocre laptops and ****** tablets (like Surface).
 
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Mr.Blacky said:
Well, I still say native mouse support on an iPad is dumb and unnecessary. People would stop using the iPad as a tablet and use it almost solely as a laptop, developers would stop bringing apps designed for multitouch and tablet use (why should they bother?) and in the end we have a combination of mediocre laptops and ****** tablets (like Surface).
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The iPad remains a tablet and will never become a laptop. Even with mouse support, think about the many occasions that the iPad is being used without a keyboard. Apple could also enforce UI policies that all developers must conform to, to respect the iPad's tablet form factor. I wouldn't worry at all if the iPad got proper mouse support.
 
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Mr.Blacky said:
Well, I still say native mouse support on an iPad is dumb and unnecessary. People would stop using the iPad as a tablet and use it almost solely as a laptop, developers would stop bringing apps designed for multitouch and tablet use (why should they bother?) and in the end we have a combination of mediocre laptops and ****** tablets (like Surface).
Click to expand...

Mouse is now a natively supported accessibility feature. And personally I don’t see how it would take away from anything else. If anything it provides us with more options rather than less.
 
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Mr.Blacky said:
Well, I still say native mouse support on an iPad is dumb and unnecessary. People would stop using the iPad as a tablet and use it almost solely as a laptop, developers would stop bringing apps designed for multitouch and tablet use (why should they bother?) and in the end we have a combination of mediocre laptops and ****** tablets (like Surface).
Click to expand...

You really think they will start producing mediocre products because of optional mouse use? Not much faith in Apple it seems, even with the fact they have specific UI guidelines and a curated App Store.

Regardless, it’s here, and from what I’ve been reading in this forum, is being generally well received by those testing it.
 
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While mouse support was provided as an accessibility feature for those who are disabled, I do believe that Adobe may be the primary factor. Granted in the iPad Pro demo, the Apple Pencil was able to perform with photoshop, but 100% of editors know that Photoshop works best with a mouse. By Sept, Apple may have a small mouse curser compared to the giant circle they have now.
 
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For all those who doesn’t see why mouse support is needed, it’s probably because your uses or apps you use are fully adaptable to the touch interface.

For my Wife, an Architect, there is no way she would ever think about using the IPP as a true pro creation tool without a mouse. Apple pencil is nice for drawing or sketching, but when u want to use a proper CAD software with it’s advanced tools and precision, an Apple pencil is no way near a mouse.

For my uses as a chip designer the mouse is even more important,
I connect to a remote computer and use the very heavy CAD software on the remote computer,
If i could take the ipad and dock it at work and use it through the remote computer i get the full benefits of the portability and productivity of the ipad when i’m at home and need to work on some emails or excel files, and take advantage the new usb-c connector to a dock and the full pro work of a mouse and keyboard combo.

So again, some people will do just fine with no mouse supprt, and that’s ok, but why should a device so capable will constrain me through software..? U can always tell me “so just use an Android” or “where the line goes? Why is the current support not enough..?”...
About the Android - they’re crap (at least the tablets...) and about the latter, i agree it’s a bit more difficult to give a straight answer but i think that there is no good answer. The best answer is that it’s just a personal preference i guess....
 
kbonner said:
I absolutely agree a Smart Keyboard / folio with integrated touch pad would be awesome. Hoping we see something from 3rd party accessory manufacturers. Definitely not holding my breath for Apple to release one
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It's not exactly a smart keyboard / folio option, but I've got my eyes on the iClever keyboard with trackpad. I asked if it's expected to be compatible with iPadOS / iOS 13 and the answer I got suggests that the seller didn't exactly understand my question. The trackpad is Bluetooth and compatible with both Windows and Mac, so I'd be surprised if it doesn't work with iPads once they're upgraded to iPadOS. The way it folds up, I would expect it to work pretty well for travel and the trackpad solves the problem of how to use a mouse when you don't have a flat surface available or it. Once I get the feeling that a public beta of iPadOS is stable enough for my needs, I'm planning on upgrading my iPad at which point I'll probably purchase that keyboard.
 
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greynlds said:
It's not exactly a smart keyboard / folio option, but I've got my eyes on the iClever keyboard with trackpad. I asked if it's expected to be compatible with iPadOS / iOS 13 and the answer I got suggests that the seller didn't exactly understand my question. The trackpad is Bluetooth and compatible with both Windows and Mac, so I'd be surprised if it doesn't work with iPads once they're upgraded to iPadOS. The way it folds up, I would expect it to work pretty well for travel and the trackpad solves the problem of how to use a mouse when you don't have a flat surface available or it. Once I get the feeling that a public beta of iPadOS is stable enough for my needs, I'm planning on upgrading my iPad at which point I'll probably purchase that keyboard.
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I asked them the same question :)

I got this answer: “Kindly be advised that BK08 keyboard could work on the new iOS 13”
 
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I used a BT mouse (and Wii Remote, lol) with my jailbroken original iPad in 2010. The mouse was smooth and connected flawlessly, however I didn't like using it with the UI back then. It just felt completely wrong. I'll be interested to try it again with a much bigger 12.9" display and a bit different interface. I think it will probably be better, but I'm still not sure if I'll like it enough to use it much.
 
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