Why Apple TV keyboard a long rectangle instead of small square?

[shankar2]

Hi so I’ve used Apple tv keyboard but it’s not an optimal design. It takes time to scroll from one key to the other.

A square keyboard would take less time to navigate between keys! Why Apple didn’t think this way?

 

[Nigel Goodman]

Yes I agree. If you have an iPhone, then you can type there. Mine beeps when it detects that an input is required from the ATV. No longer use the on-screen keyboard.

 

[shankar2]

Yes but sometimes I don't have the iphone in front. So this keyboard design is very cumbersome to type. Anyways not that anyone cares!

 

[Audit13]

I keep a foldable/portable BT keyboard on my coffee table when I need to enter more than a few letters. It's not ideal but it works.

 

[Pakaku]

I think it's a simpler design, and it's more ergonomic to swipe horizontally with your thumb than vertically. It was also likely designed with that Siri Remote in mind, which means you can swipe faster to scroll faster.

And it might bother some people enough to buy more stuff... like a brand new iPhone or Apple Keyboard!

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’ve always wondered this as well.
Apple is terrible at this kind of design.

Things are so much easier/quicker to enter on PlayStation onscreen keyboards, as one of many examples I’m sure.

 

[Juicy Box]

A square keyboard would take less time to navigate between keys!?

I agree, and I would bet most people that use the two different styles of the on-screen keyboard interface would agree.

It is so easy to make a mistake too, and it is much more effort to correct that mistake using the tvOS on-screen keyboard.

Luckily, some of the apps on the tvOS have a square style, but many of them adopted Apple's version.

Why Apple didn’t think this way?

Well, Apple had a new way of navigating in tvOS with the swiping of the Siri Remote. The style of on-screen keyboard reflects this new way of navigating.

I personally find that both navigating with the Siri Remote and entering stuff on the on-screen keyboard is very tedious.

There was also the Siri feature to enter in info, but this was very problematic. In tvOS 9, Siri didn't work that well. Also, not everyone wants to announce a password to their accounts to everyone around them.

But probably the biggest reason for Apple to have the style keyboard that they do is that there is no D-pad on the Siri Remote which is ideal for the square style on-screen keyboard. In later versions of iOS, Apple added the pseudo-D-pad by touching the edges of touch pad, but their on-screen keyboard never changed to the more ideal style.

My guess is that Apple won't change it any time soon.

 

[x-evil-x]

I almost never use the on screen keyboard why would you? using your phone with the apple is much faster and easier for me and I always have it on me. Good for keyboard stuff or just use Siri. even with the appletv remote why don't you just use Siri? but for real the Apple TV app on iPhones is awesome. you don't really have to look at your phone after you get used to it and its much better for a remote than the appletv remote.