Jean-Louis Gassée, writing for Monday Note:
The iPad Pro’s last frontier is adding a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard.
The article itself is an interesting read, but this core idea struck me as one of the defining differences between an iPad and a MacBook.
Remember this post about adding a mechanical keyboard to your iPad? Somewhat in jest, I wondered about adding a mouse to the setup. And that’s the difference. The difference of a persistent cursor.
The iPad is built around touch and, more specifically multi-touch. With a mouse and trackpad, you need a cursor that stays on the screen to mark your current location. That persistent marker gives you an instant focus to get back to where you were working.
With iOS, there is no persistent cursor, no marker that holds your place on the screen. As soon as you raise your finger from the glass, the memory of your interaction is wiped. Your next touch starts from scratch.
These are two very different models. An iPad with a mouse would require very different operating system mechanics. iOS 9 built a tiny bridge back to OS X with trackpad mode, where you force touch on a keyboard to get a floating cursor that you can drag around the screen, a floating cursor that disappears as soon as you raise your finger.
Will Apple ever complete that bridge, build a full-time cursor into iOS? In my mind, that, and the addition of trackpad support, would be a major step towards making my iPad more of a replacement for my MacBook.
That said, I really like my iPad as is. This particular thing ain’t broke.
You don’t need a persistent cursor. You could have a cursor that only appears when used (and disappears after some time). When the mouse is moved, the cursor appears dead center of the iPad and 30 seconds after the mouse is no longer in use the cursor disappears.
I’ve been using the iPad Pro at work every day since the beginning of the year, and since then I’ve been thinking of how a trackpad would be a great addition.
First, the obvious use cases. Using the trackpad to scroll through Safari pages or apps like Tweetbot would be a much more comfortable way of interacting with the content than having to reach for the screen repeatedly or for extended periods of time. Same thing with apps like Pages or Evernote. A trackpad would make text editing much faster and way more comfortable.
System-wide, the trackpad could present a behavior sort of like what happens with the Siri Remote and the Apple TV. Imagine looking at the home screen of your iPad Pro, and using your thumb to switch the focus between apps with in trackpad. Once you land on the desired app, just press the space bar, and the app opens. Same thing with multi-level menus like the Settings app. Swiping backwards in these multi-level interfaces would be great as well.
I understand how this would further blur the lines between iOS and OS X, but I definitely see how a trackpad for the iPad Pro would be a positive thing. Especially if it had 3D Touch, like the new Magic Trackpad. I’d be the first in line to get that.
An iPad is not a Mac. These differences illustrate why under Apple’s current philosophy that the iPad will never get “pro” features. They should have called it Deluxe or something.
HELL NO! I do NOT want a trackpad on my Smart Keyboard! What a horrible writer. So glad we don’t have these type of people working at Apple.
I can’t imagine Apple adding mouse/trackpad support without major SDK modifications and many (all?) apps needing to explicitly add it, and I don’t think Apple will ship a mouse or trackpad to a hodgepodge of support.
If Apple was going to add mouse or trackpad support, I think it would have come with the iPad Pro* and been required for apps that supported the iPad Pro screen size. So it’s not happening for a while.
*-Not necessary a trackpad or mouse, just SUPPORT for one.
Why? They already have a “trackpad” on iOS. On my iPhone 6s, I just apply a little more pressure and 3D touch lets me move my cursor around. On my iPad Air, two fingers on the keyboard and I’m using a trackpad. So, I’d think, they already have the SDK in place, just need to make it accessible by developers to take advantage of it and allow a trackpad to be connected via Bluetooth to the iOS device.
No no no. If someone needs a persistent cursor or a mouse get a Mac. Trackpad mode was added for a specific reason: improve text selection. Not to turn the iPad into a PC.
I have an iPad Pro but I don’t have the keyboard. I love it for the larger screen real estate. On screen keyboard works great for me. I can see why keyboard users would want a trackpad but then my question would be why don’t you just get a Mac?
I used to work on my Mac, but I like iOS much more than OS X. Working on the iPad Air wasn’t a good fit for me, as the screen was too tiny. But as soon as the Pro came out, I switched and haven’t looked back since.
That sounds even more annoying and actually rather counter-intuitive to how I generally use a mouse — starting at the spot from where it is rather than always from the center of the screen.
Interesting to hear someone say they prefer iOS for their every day work. I don’t doubt it at all as I’m probably 80% or so there myself, and I often shake my head when people say an iPad just can’t be used for a lot.
I’m hoping the new iPad Air gets the Pencil over the Force Touch, but I suspect I could use either to further reach my iOS-most-of-the-time goal.
We might use the words “cursor” and “pointer” differently, but I would prefer to differ between the two.
If I use a text editing app on the iPad Pro I do have a full time cursor, if I use a SSH app, I do have a full time cursor. And where it makes sense, it can be moved using e.g. the arrow keys on the keyboard or touch.
The (perceived) need for a pointer on the iPad Pro has merit in some cases, and is just a matter of applying old thinking to new technology in others. Keyboard support in iOS 9.x is far from perfect. I can use a shortcut to start a search, or e.g. access the location bar in Safari, then type something, and I will get a list of matches. This is when things fall apart, as the only (current) mean to actually select anything, is to lift your arm and touch the screen. Same goes, obviously, for selecting anything on the Springboard or paging it. There are no keyboard equivalents, leading to the (IMO wrong) conclusion that a pointer is the only solution for the problem. I would argue that all these things can easily be done using a keyboard (if required) – if the OS would only support it.
And then there are things that absolutely do require a pointer. Drawing, image manipulation, selecting non-contiguous cells in a spreadsheet etc ad inf. The debate if this should be supported by an external input device is valid, but using the Surface as a sample implementation, I clearly see that having a subpar trackpad on a subpar keyboard is no solution for anything. Tasks that require a pointer by design, are to be performed using a finger or Pencil. Adding another input method would only lead to more fragmented applications and lazy ports of desktop software, putting the entire platform at risk.
Now, the unsolved (unsolvable?) question is: what about “mode” changes… Going from a keyboard-centric to a pointer-centric task is awkward with an attached keyboard. Apple avoided the problem somewhat by making the keyboard (their own) easy to remove. I would not really see this as a long term solution. I ended up leaving the smart keyboard at home, getting the regular cover and typing on the screen. Unless I have to write something extensive, this is a lot faster than going through the whole transformation thingy,
Have you ever tried to use iPad with a keyboard stand? It’s very awkward having to reach out and interact with a screen.
The whole point of the article ISN’T to get trackpad to replace multi-touch, but to make it more usable when using iPad with a keyboard.
Maybe it’s just me, but after I click on something, if I’m not going to use the mouse for a bit, I either center the cursor, so I don’t have to find it later or put it far off to the side, so I don’t have to see it. If it just disappeared after a bit of time, it would be very easy to get used to.
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The Smart Keyboard needs a trackpad. This is something I think Android and Windows tablets got right that the iPad got wrong. Even a trackpad that could just scroll and reposition the text cursor would be a step in the right direction. I think this is necessary if you want to uses the iPad as a full laptop replacement (as the iPad Pro is marketed for) and not just casual use like web browsing, games, books, and movies. Ideally it would have a real cursor, but only when the keyboard is attached. The smart keyboard is near useless because you need to touch the screen when the iPad is propped up at an angle that makes it awkward and inefficient.