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iPad Pro + Smart Keyboard + jumpdesktop + swiftpoint mouse (or citrix x1 mouse) = no need for laptop

G

gtjeta

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 31, 2012
95
52
I had an accident with my 15" rMBP a month ago and used it to try to see if I could make a transition to iPad pro as my mobile computer. I have both a Mac Pro and a virtualization server with Windows 10 and Ubuntu for different needs. Using jump desktop and this new strange mouse the ergonomy is good enough (especially in Windows), I think I am not needing a laptop anymore. Both with Wifi (especially using high speed fiber access), LTE or 3G.

I now this may sound a little complex to implement, but at the same time not having to maintain an additional computer leads to important improvements. And I like the 4:3 display much more than movie-oriented screens from laptops.

I know you may do something similar with Citrix (if your company supports it) and other solutions. For instance, I also use splashtop and teamviewer in some cases, but I think this is the best current solution to the iPad/laptop discussion. I also prefer this solution to a Surface, as I really like the iPad in terms of hardware, battery live, etc.
 
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gtjeta said:
I had an accident with my 15" rMBP a month ago and used it to try to see if I could make a transition to iPad pro as my mobile computer. I have both a Mac Pro and a virtualization server with Windows 10 and Ubuntu for different needs. Using jump desktop and this new strange mouse the ergonomy is good enough (especially in Windows), I think I am not needing a laptop anymore. Both with Wifi (especially using high speed fiber access), LTE or 3G.

I now this may sound a little complex to implement, but at the same time not having to maintain an additional computer leads to important improvements. And I like the 4:3 display much more than movie-oriented screens from laptops.

I know you may do something similar with Citrix (if your company supports it) and other solutions. For instance, I also use splashtop and teamviewer in some cases, but I think this is the best current solution to the iPad/laptop discussion. I also prefer this solution to a Surface, as I really like the iPad in terms of hardware, battery live, etc.
Click to expand...

I have the same set up. But I am using the Citrix X1 mouse with Jump Desktop instead. Works very well accessing my home and work Windows 10 desktops from the iPad. Very convenient to just carry around one device to access all my systems.
 
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It gets linked through Bluetooth and only works in two remote desktop applications (a free RDP application, and jump desktop). You may see a video in jump desktop website.

Inside Jump desktop you can tune mouse speed, change buttons and scrolling wheel direction.
 
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temna said:
What is the free RDP app?
Click to expand...

Swiftpoint GT Remote Desktop by Grant Odgers
https://appsto.re/us/GVCy4.i
[doublepost=1457022742][/doublepost]
G35flyer said:
Swiftpoint GT Remote Desktop by Grant Odgers
https://appsto.re/us/GVCy4.i
Click to expand...

I just wanted to note that it seems the Swiftpoint GT Remote Desktop does not work with the Citrix X1 mouse. It does though work with the Swiftpoint GT mouse. I returned the Swiftpoint GT mouse as I did not care for it nor needed all it's fancy bells and whistles. I instead purchased the Citrix X1 (just a plain normal sized mouse) and it works great with Jump Desktop.
 
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G35flyer said:
Swiftpoint GT Remote Desktop by Grant Odgers
https://appsto.re/us/GVCy4.i
[doublepost=1457022742][/doublepost]

I just wanted to note that it seems the Swiftpoint GT Remote Desktop does not work with the Citrix X1 mouse. It does though work with the Swiftpoint GT mouse. I returned the Swiftpoint GT mouse as I did not care for it nor needed all it's fancy bells and whistles. I instead purchased the Citrix X1 (just a plain normal sized mouse) and it works great with Jump Desktop.
Click to expand...

Does Jump Desktop then work with any Bluetooth mouse (I have a MS Notebook Mouse 5000)?
 
sparksd said:
Does Jump Desktop then work with any Bluetooth mouse (I have a MS Notebook Mouse 5000)?
Click to expand...

No it does not work with all mice....I tried a couple Microsoft mice myself and it was not successful. That being said, I have not seen anywhere a list of approved mice other than the Swiftpoint GT. I found earlier on though the Citrix X1 worked. It seems though if iOS will pair with the mouse via Bluetooth then it should work with Jump Desktop.
 
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I didn't know the Citrix also worked. Jump Desktop just promotes Swiftpoint, which is quite expensive. But I am enjoying it, is an interesting mouse ... one of my coworkers spent a whole one-hour (very boring) webex looking around it to try to understand its use ... :D
 
Apparently Citrix mouse support was introduced during last beta testing, and it is present in the current version of jump desktop. I imagine open support of a competitor product is not so easy, maybe involving need for some kind of licensing. So, I think not only you need support for pairing but also support from the application, and apparently up to now those are the two only options for jump desktop.

I have to say I was part of their betas a pair of years ago (helping to find problems with international Bluetooth keyboard support) and find them a very supportive company, so I believe they will extend support to as many of those new iOS oriented mouses as they can.
 
G35flyer said:
I have the same set up. But I am using the Citrix X1 mouse with Jump Desktop instead. Works very well accessing my home and work Windows 10 desktops from the iPad. Very convenient to just carry around one device to access all my systems.
Click to expand...

Hi, great news, i want to use jump Desktop with Citrix X1 mouse also. You can use Citrix x1 all funcionality (wheel, right click,...) with jump Desktop?

Thanks for your help
 
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barbarbar said:
Hi, great news, i want to use jump Desktop with Citrix X1 mouse also. You can use Citrix x1 all funcionality (wheel, right click,...) with jump Desktop?

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

Yes all functionality works with the Citrix X1 mouse and Jump Desktop. Also, one of my coworkers asked if I needed to jailbreak my iPad to use the mouse...the answer to that for others that are wondering is no jailbreak...successfully paired mouse on stock iOS 9.2.1.
 
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I'm so glad I found this thread. I've been hoping Apple would add mouse support to the iPad, and this is the number 1 reason why.... using Remote Desktop. Now I just need to decide which one of the two mouses is better. The Swift Point does look really cool, and looks like if mouse support is ever natively added to iOS that it would be more useful in a touch environment. But I wonder what the learning curve is like compared to using a regular mouse like the Citrix X1.
 
The swiftpoint is quite strange looking, but very similar to use to other mouses. Just much smaller. The only thing I find a little different is the wheel, which I find too hard and therefore a little slow for my use. As most of the time in the office I use a Mac touchpad, this is for me as different as any other mouse.
 
i´m in the same situation, i´have just buyed jump desktop and with it came a 60 coupon code to buy swiftpoint gt mouse, and the price with this coupon is close to a citrix x1 mouse.

And i don´t kow what to buy, Swiftpoint or Citrix Mouse? what do you think could be better?
 
barbarbar said:
i´m in the same situation, i´have just buyed jump desktop and with it came a 60 coupon code to buy swiftpoint gt mouse, and the price with this coupon is close to a citrix x1 mouse.

And i don´t kow what to buy, Swiftpoint or Citrix Mouse? what do you think could be better?
Click to expand...

I tried both but ended up with the Citrix X1.

The pros and cons for the Swiftpoint is the small form factor...so nice to have something small to carry around but I found it's too small for my average sized hands. The left click worked fine for single click but I never could get double click to work fluidly....even with switching left/right buttons. Lastly the scroll wheel was awkwardly placed making it hard to use. The Swithpoint has some cool touch gester features...but felt like I would rarely use them.

The Citrix X1 is just an average sized mouse that works as you expect it to...buttons and the scroll wheel are in the same place I 've been use to for years....nothing fancy here. Guess I am a creature of habit.

Just my two cents...
 
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Awesome! It's a start at least. I hope more companies start offering mice that work with the iPad. Neither of these two options look that great to me. I guess beggers can't be choosers though.
 
Thanks to this thread I ordered the Citrix x1. Since I use Citrix receiver most of the time this will work for me. Was not to pleased with the Apple pencil as a navigation tool.
 
How well does Jumpdesktop work? Does it have bandwidth issues? High latency? Does typing lag behind? Could you theoretically game on a high end desktop rig?

I'm considering the iPP for work to exponentially expand its utility but in the past found similar types of programs on PCs to be slow.
 
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It depends on the protocol used. RDP (Windows) is quite good, including display resolution adaptation and sound. There are many programs supporting this protocol. VNC(Mac or Linux) is much worse, but with high bandwidth (above 10-15 Mbps) I find it not laging and appropriate for remote operation at almost retina quality. No sound or automatic display resolution. Finally, they are now implementing a new proprietary protocol called fluid. It seems fast, only Windows and no sound or automatic resolution. I think maybe none of this apps is food enough for gaming in fast games.
 
gtjeta said:
It depends on the protocol used. RDP (Windows) is quite good, including display resolution adaptation and sound. There are many programs supporting this protocol. VNC(Mac or Linux) is much worse, but with high bandwidth (above 10-15 Mbps) I find it not laging and appropriate for remote operation at almost retina quality. No sound or automatic display resolution. Finally, they are now implementing a new proprietary protocol called fluid. It seems fast, only Windows and no sound or automatic resolution. I think maybe none of this apps is food enough for gaming in fast games.
Click to expand...
It sounds like a Windows computer would be the best host computer. I was leaning that way for the business applications anyway (plus Macs are insanely expensive).

Why no sound in the other two solutions?
 
Fluid still a beta, they want to support audio, and also Mac in near future versions. VNC protocol does not support, in general, audio. There are other protocols (in general proprietary) supporting audio, but jump desktop is not compatible with them. For instance splashtop is great (but on Linux, where it broke several installations for me) and really fast, but it's keyboard support is worse than jump desktop, and they lack any mouse integration.
 
gtjeta said:
Fluid still a beta, they want to support audio, and also Mac in near future versions. VNC protocol does not support, in general, audio. There are other protocols (in general proprietary) supporting audio, but jump desktop is not compatible with them. For instance splashtop is great (but on Linux, where it broke several installations for me) and really fast, but it's keyboard support is worse than jump desktop, and they lack any mouse integration.
Click to expand...
I think Splashtop is what I used to play an MMO on my phone (Note 3) a while back for ***** and giggles. There was no real point other than to see if I could.
 
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