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Oh dear. I guess I'm dating myself, but I can recall the days when the mouse was not familiar to most people who have used computers before!

Indeed, Jobs gaveth the mouse (from Xerox PARC), Jobs taketh away the mouse.

I love this bit on the Wikipedia entry about the computer mouse:

the mouse remained relatively obscure until the appearance of the Apple Macintosh; in 1984 PC columnist John C. Dvorak dismissively commented on the release of this new computer with a mouse: “There is no evidence that people want to use these things.”
 
A mouse would be very useful for people who want to compose content in apps like Pages or Mail. Cursor placement and text selection is slow and unreliable currently.
 
For some people that works fine. For others the iPad is crippled by the operating system and lack of an ability to do anything useful.

By the way, learn to use multiquote when you respond to more than one post. Click the little "+" button in the lower right and then hit reply... all the messages you select will be quoted.

The onscreen keyboard sucks big time. It's useable for the light stuff you would use an ipad for, but it won't work for any serious word processing. I think mouse support would be awesome, I'm not sure why some are getting on here all high and mighty against using a mouse, who cares?
 
Oh dear. I guess I'm dating myself, but I can recall the days when the mouse was not familiar to most people who have used computers before!

and what was the percentage of users back then?

Listening to people ripping on those wanting mouse support sound an awful lot like those ripping on the lack of cut and paste in the iPhone. Rationalization and excuses to defend Apple, despite no real logical reason. Yes, we know it's a touch device and not a laptop, but that train of thought goes away by them offering an external keyboard. Pure speculation on my part, but I would not be surprised if it doesn't have mouse support for the same reason it doesn't have a calculator, stock, or weather program - Steve wasn't happy that it wasn't polished enough. I'm guess it gets one at some point and then people will suddenly change their mind on how useful it is.

+1.

A mouse would be very useful for people who want to compose content in apps like Pages or Mail. Cursor placement and text selection is slow and unreliable currently.

++1.

I use my iPad as a full touch device, that is not my point here. In playing with the possible capabilities of the iPad, I tested my iMac's BT keyboard with the Apple iPad case as stand. Looked and felt great (futuristic and out of the box as some said). The only thing missing was the mouse to make it a "Lite Desktop" experience.

Does my computing life depend on this? ABSOLUTELY NOT...but I couldn't help me self thinking about a mouse and how useful it could be for some people who may not want to buy another computer for various reasons or to simply have the choice. Again, I am not a technical person and I am not aware of what it takes to integrate the mouse.

...and for the eye & hand coordination comment, I'll have my patients testify.

Not to forget that I deleted your last comment.:cool:
 
My point is this is an evolution in the way we interface with a computer.

No, the iPad will not get a mouse. It is a new OS with a new interface. There is no cursor/pointer in the OS to be moved by a mouse. The cursor/pointer is external to the device itself - it is your finger. In 10 years, mice may be as obsolete as floppies or punch cards.

scotty_trek4_mouse.jpg
 
A mouse would be very useful for people who want to compose content in apps like Pages or Mail. Cursor placement and text selection is slow and unreliable currently.

I find that cursor placement and text selection work very well by using the arrow keys on the bluetooth keyboard. In fact, that's how I prefer to select text even on a desktop -- with the keyboard, not the mouse.

and what was the percentage of users back then?

Granted, there were less computer users back then. But that has little to do with the point I was trying to make. At one point, the mouse was new and strange, and many people did have trouble adapting to using it. So switching from a mouse to a touch-only interface is new and strange to you, and you are having trouble adapting to it -- it's nothing new. This has all happened before, and it will all happen again.
 
Agreed. The iPad is missing one critical element at the OS level that is required for mouse support...

A cursor. No cursor == no mouse. Sorry guys.
 
My point is this is an evolution in the way we interface with a computer.

No, the iPad will not get a mouse. It is a new OS with a new interface. There is no cursor/pointer in the OS to be moved by a mouse. The cursor/pointer is external to the device itself - it is your finger. In 10 years, mice may be as obsolete as floppies or punch cards.

scotty_trek4_mouse.jpg

While I agree with your future prediction, the ipad is not going to be the device to realize it. If the ipad will ever hope to replace a laptop it needs to be able to word process, and the finger input is just not accurate enough for constant text selection, cut/paste, and general word processing manipulation. There is a reason Apple released the keyboard dock, they knew business users would be wanting something like it.

Of course you can say that Apple is not intending to replace a laptop, and I agree that for the moment they are not. But they are a very smart long term thinking company and they realize that supplanting the laptop mentality will mean they will end up in most users homes. This is what the iphone did for smartphones.

So in the short term I disagree, the ipad will get mouse support because business users want it, and non business users think they want it, and the ipad in its current iteration won't support by finger touch the things a mouse can do. But in the long term future I agree with you, the mouse and probably the keyboard as well will one day be unused as we invent and figure out interfaces which don't require them.
 
Then isn't serious word processing something you shouldn't use the iPad for? :confused:

Why not? I'm the one confused here. Apple lets the ipad connect to a keyboard. They released Pages a very nice word processing program. So again I ask, why shouldn't I use the ipad for serious word processing?
 
Android doesn't display a cursor until you've added a mouse. Simple enough. Apple will copy the idea for the iPad's OS soon enough. Just be patient.
 
Night Spring said:
I find that cursor placement and text selection work very well by using the arrow keys on the bluetooth keyboard. In fact, that's how I prefer to select text even on a desktop -- with the keyboard, not the mouse.

I would bet that the vast majority of computer users use a mouse for text selection when editing a document and most of us would argue that a mouse is more efficient than a keyboard for this function. I know a BT mouse would make all the difference for me when creating documents on the iPad.
 
There will never be mouse support on the iPad. A mouse can't perform anything other than one finger gestures, and even doing that is worse than using your finger, as anyone who has used the iPhone Simulator can tell you. (Yes, I realize that the simulator supports some 2 finger gestures via the mouse and option key, but it is absolutely horrible to use). Having a keyboard option is different because the hardware keyboard gives you exactly the same functionality as the soft keyboard, plus the added benefit that some people are more comfortable using it and you get to see more of the iPad's screen.


You can bookmark this post to tell me I'm wrong when mouse support appears, just don't hold your breath.
 
You tell us, you were the one that stated it "won't work" for that.

What I actually said was it wouldn't work in its current iteration. Much different than saying it would never work. It might never work, or it might, depends what direction Apple goes with it. But it could work, and that's my point.
 
Alright guys, here's how I see it:

An external keyboard makes sense for the iPad because part of its design includes a keyboard, and people want the option of inputting text data by other means. This, of course, means input devices for the visually impaired and otherwise disabled. A physical keyboard translates well to the iPad.

However, there are no true mouse functions on the iPad. There are no comfortable "mouse overs" to guide the user, there are no right click menus, and there are gestures that require the use of more than one "pointer"—for instance, pinch to zoom is extremely common for the iPad. I'm convinced at all that all of the functions of the iPhone OS UI could be filled with a mouse since there are fewer analogues between mouse-based input and touchscreen-based input.

I'm sure that Apple could figure something out, but I think it matters very little in the scheme of things.
 
What I actually said was it wouldn't work in its current iteration. Much different than saying it would never work. It might never work, or it might, depends what direction Apple goes with it. But it could work, and that's my point.

That's not what your question was asking. You asked,

why shouldn't I use the ipad for serious word processing?

That's quite different than asking whether or not something "could" work.
 
I would bet that the vast majority of computer users use a mouse for text selection when editing a document and most of us would argue that a mouse is more efficient than a keyboard for this function. I know a BT mouse would make all the difference for me when creating documents on the iPad.

Obviously, it comes down to personal preference, but usually, when I want to select text, my hands are already on the keyboard, so I don't feel it's more efficient to take my hand off the keyboard to reach for the mouse. And while I do believe you when you say *you* find it easier to select text with a mouse, since it's unlikely the iPad will get mouse support in the near future (see how long it took to get copy&paste or multitasking!), in the meanwhile, do give selecting text with the bluetooth or dock keyboard a try. Who knows, you might even get used to it! :D

BTW, I do agree text selection and cursor placement with only the touch interface is a pain. I do wish the soft keyboard had arrow keys!
 
That's not what your question was asking. You asked,



That's quite different than asking whether or not something "could" work.

Follow along, it's not that hard. What I originally said in this thread was: "The onscreen keyboard sucks big time. It's useable for the light stuff you would use an ipad for, but it won't work for any serious word processing."

Then I was asked: "Then isn't serious word processing something you shouldn't use the iPad for?"

It seems to me that some are just sticking their heads in the sand and saying the ipad does not, cannot, should not, and never will do serious word processing. When I asked "why not" I was asking in general why couldn't the ipad be a serious word processor. We already know the obvious reasons it can't be one in the present (which I stated one by initially referring to the keyboard), but why can't I use it for this purpose in the future? It's more of an introspective question because of course no one has the answer as we don't know what Apple is thinking or what updates/hardware/accessories they may or may not release in the future. But it was meant more for the "never" crowd to maybe consider the possibility.
 
Alright guys, here's how I see it:

An external keyboard makes sense for the iPad because part of its design includes a keyboard, and people want the option of inputting text data by other means. This, of course, means input devices for the visually impaired and otherwise disabled. A physical keyboard translates well to the iPad.

However, there are no true mouse functions on the iPad. There are no comfortable "mouse overs" to guide the user, there are no right click menus, and there are gestures that require the use of more than one "pointer"—for instance, pinch to zoom is extremely common for the iPad. I'm convinced at all that all of the functions of the iPhone OS UI could be filled with a mouse since there are fewer analogues between mouse-based input and touchscreen-based input.

I'm sure that Apple could figure something out, but I think it matters very little in the scheme of things.

I don't think people would expect any functionality not included in the OS if it supported a mouse. You could use it as a simple point and click device, which would be simple enough to implement. But something like a Magic Mouse could do some gesture type things in an external device. I would guess for extended use, it would be far less fatiguing to move your hand on the same plane from keyboard to mouse than moving up to touch a screen - but I don't have a keyboard for mine yet, so that is a guess.
 
The iPad is a touch screen devices. It was not made for a mouse if you want to use a mouse get a laptop. The only reason it has a keyboard is because if you want to type for a long time when using pages. It would make no sense for them to add mouse support on a touch screen device. Keyboard yes but mouse no. If you want change you don't stick with the old ways. Guys please think.
 
Mouse Point Pro iPad Apps-Mouse Point Pro allows you to control your computer from your iPad it turns your iPad into a giant trackpad or wireless keyboard, and is compatible with both Windows and Mac systems. It features five di188714 apple ipad inline 180 Mouse Point Pro iPad Appsfferent themes, and can be used as either a mouse or keyboard (you know, in case your computer doesn’t come with either of those).

And this has NOTHING to do with this thread.
 
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