Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Why no delete key?

mortenandersen said:
No, I am afraid you're wrong! The BT hardware keyboards that can be used together with iPad (or iPhone) HAS NOT the possibility of using "fn+Backspace" as a Forward Delete key, because the iOS DOES NOT SUPPORT that Forward Delete key!

Just try with Apple's own hardware keyboard with the iPad, and you will see that this basic functionality does not exist, and that fact is really incredible, and very user unfriendly. It must be Apple's stubbornness or total lack of taking into account the basic functionality of a keyboard. How can it be so?!
Click to expand...

I know it does not exist and I did not write that you can summon a "del-key" using a physical keyboard. No I clearly said your mixing devices and you still do.
You could not use any del key, even if you were able to plug in a USB or serial keyboard (this actually is NOT possible)...

I miss this function but its not that big of a deal to start worrying about it. Calm down and enjoy the pros of your iPad.
 
This really confuses me, because so much importance seems to be placed on a key that is not that important.
This isn't as though apple took out the return key or the shift key. So I have to ask, what is it about this key that keeps you from doing work? Are you unable to delete anything? Help me out here, because I'm :confused:.
mortenandersen said:
I think taking away such an important key is a bad decision by Apple
Click to expand...

Blorzoga said:
I can certainly understand compromises made for a smaller keyboard (in fact, I thought no macs had the forward delete key), but that really doesn't justify removing a fairly essential key.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: chabig
Rogifan said:
Then go to Android.
Click to expand...

or wouldn't it be better yet, if Apple would listen and add just it, thereby making a good product even better. instead, we get lame comebacks like, go buy an android.

it's ironic how people ooohh and ahhhh over Apple's ability to innovate but they're silent when it comes to Apple's inability to add basic functionality, eg. why there still isn't dedicated numeric row in the virtual keyboard is ridiculous.
 
eastercat said:
This really confuses me, because so much importance seems to be placed on a key that is not that important.
This isn't as though apple took out the return key or the shift key. So I have to ask, what is it about this key that keeps you from doing work? Are you unable to delete anything? Help me out here, because I'm :confused:.
Click to expand...

Obviously the lack of delete key doesn't prevent me from doing work. It would make things easier. Say, for instance, you have a sentence and you want to delete the second half of the sentence. With no delete key, you have to carefully backspace making sure you don't delete too much. With the delete key, you pick a spot in the sentence and delete everything to the right. I'm guessing you've always had Mac computers so you're used to the limited functionality and can't see others' points of view.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MobiusStrip
Actually, I was stuck with the POS that was windows until 2008. However, the number of times I had to use the delete key was minimal. During this time, I wrote a number of term papers in college, etc. The backspace key was more useful to me.
Additionally, I have the delete key on my full size apple keyboard and I don't use it that often, so hence my question.
Blorzoga said:
I'm guessing you've always had Mac computers so you're used to the limited functionality and can't see others' points of view.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: chabig
bufffilm said:
or wouldn't it be better yet, if Apple would listen and add just it, thereby making a good product even better. instead, we get lame comebacks like, go buy an android.

it's ironic how people ooohh and ahhhh over Apple's ability to innovate but they're silent when it comes to Apple's inability to add basic functionality, eg. why there still isn't dedicated numeric row in the virtual keyboard is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
It's the Apple fan-boys. They believe that if Steve Jobs didn't want us to have the Delete key, then we don't need it. There's a guy at work that will only use Apple-supplied ear buds because he said "that is how apple intends to device to be listened to".

I do a lot of programming and I can't imagine life without a Delete key (obviously, I'm working on a Windows box).
 
  • Like
Reactions: MobiusStrip
I would love to see a virtual keyboard that could be customized exactly how I want it. I have no problems with the current layout, but I would certainly enjoy the addition of a delete key, as well as arrows for navigation in some circumstances.
 
Would be nice if all the same emacs style keyboard shortcuts that work on the mac also worked on the iPad, then you could use ctrl-d to do a forward delete. Ctrl-f and ctrl-b work for forward and back, and many others work, but not ctrl-d for some reason.
 
dgstan said:
It's the Apple fan-boys...
Click to expand...

Once and for all. "We apple fanboys" buy and bought Apples products because we like the products and keeping things simple. "You others" just buy them because they are "hip/cool/whatever" and now moan because of "missing" features?

:rolleyes: Who is ignorant now?
 
Using external keyboard:

1) shift + right arrow key
2) delete

Some iOS writing apps include forward delete keyboard.
 
iPhysicist said:
Once and for all. "We apple fanboys" buy and bought Apples products because we like the products and keeping things simple. "You others" just buy them because they are "hip/cool/whatever" and now moan because of "missing" features?

:rolleyes: Who is ignorant now?
Click to expand...

can you please stop trying to pidgeon-hole or stereotype people.

if that's your POV, then maybe, it's the apple fanboys who buy the ipad because it looks purty, because it's Apple, and the extent of your use on it is to browse the internet and play games on it.

whereas 'other people' actually use their ipads for work and other productive use where you actually need to type or do things which are more keyboard intensive.

and calling people who have a different viewpoint, ignorant is juvenile. if you've got nothing to add to this thread besides insulting people, then please butt out.

the ipad is a great product but that's not to say that it can't be made better. it's attitudes like yours which stiffles innovation and if everyone was like you, there would never have been an Apple in the first place.
 
Last edited:
I'm not a native speaker so my english is a little bit limited. But Yes I know things can and should be made better but to call someone names like "fanboy" just because he or she does not have the feeling there is something missing is "what you said".

:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: chabig
Stealthipad said:
How nice it would be if WE were allowed some customiszation and we could actually choose a few keys on the keyboard.

Opps, just dreaming. Apple and iOS is not about choices:(
Click to expand...

Apple should take a leaf out of Firefox's book and do what Mozilla do with the Firefox advanced options system.

They have a simple dialog which can be used for configuring the most common options, but you can literally change every little thing about the browser by going to about:config and changing individual properties (such as nglayout.paint.delay (or something like that) which specifies how long to wait before rendering a web page after downloading data).

This allows the best of both worlds - non-tech savvy consumers still have the simplicity of iOS as it is today, but enthusiasts would have more control.
 
Everone knows...

xnickitynickx said:
ok, everyone knows the Forward delete key's primary usage on a windows machine is to fix crashes. Ctrl-Alt-Delete

As for my mac, a forward delete wouldn't be a bad addition, but i honestly don't mind the keyboard as is.
The iOS devices though, i find it a lot quicker to just put the cursor where I want. Or just delete more. On my older windows computers, half the time i never used the delete key, it was always kinda outta the way from where my fingers were.
Click to expand...

The Windows primary usage is by no means NOT for most people the use of "Ctrl-Alt-Delete". Are you kidding?!
 
As an answer to eastercat in post 27 also

dgstan said:
It's the Apple fan-boys. They believe that if Steve Jobs didn't want us to have the Delete key, then we don't need it. There's a guy at work that will only use Apple-supplied ear buds because he said "that is how apple intends to device to be listened to".

I do a lot of programming and I can't imagine life without a Delete key (obviously, I'm working on a Windows box).
Click to expand...

In MS Office I very often use Ctrl+Del in Word as a writer. And of course there are LOTS of other ways to use the Forward Del key - if it is on the keyboard, then...
 
A problem sort of solved using Pages for iPad!

Consultant said:
Using external keyboard:

1) shift + right arrow key
2) delete

Some iOS writing apps include forward delete keyboard.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for this advice! When using Pages on my iPad, I can now with just a keystroke more than in Word for Windows use the command Ctrl-Del, to delete the word on the right side of the pointer. Using the beautiful external BT keyboard of ZAGGfolio I now press shift+alt/option AND the right arrow key at once, and then I only press the Delete key. The result is that the whole word on the right side of the pointer is deleted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chabig
moderately said:
I just noticed that my 5 year old iMac has a forward delete key. How about that?
Click to expand...

mortenandersen said:
I think the iOS is the root of the Forward Delete key missing problem. And it could and should be fixed ASAP.
Click to expand...

Apple still sells a keyboard with a forward delete button. It's their extended keyboard with the number pad:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB110LL/B

They obviously made the choice on the smaller keyboards to remove the key, and that pre-dates iOS. Simple as that.

I do wish fn-delete would work on bluetooth keyboards on iOS, though.
 
When I thought of this topic, I wasn't even thinking ctrl+alt+del. Just simply for the purposes of deleting stuff.
 
delete key

i have a bluetooth keyboard for my ipad, and using the fn and back keys together does not forward delete [it just backwards deletes]
 
I also wish for a delete key as well as arrows etc. On a related note, I get frustrated with the number of different keyboards that move keys around. I suppose it's up to the author of the app which keyboard they enable but it sucks to have keys move on you. My email address has an _ in it. Sometimes that on the main keyboard. Sometimes, it's on the numbers/symbols keyboard etc. The @ symbol moves around a lot as do the .com key. It also would be nice to have 5 rows with numbers (I used this when I was jailbroken and loved it).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back