Apple today made the rumors (and code leaks) official: Trackpad and mouse support has arrived on the iPad.
Users can get a trackpad on an iPad Pro with Apple’s $299 or $349 Magic Keyboard, via Logitech’s $150 keyboard case, use a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad, or using forthcoming iPad trackpad accessories. With a floating design with smooth angle adjustment, a backlit keyboard and trackpad, the Magic Keyboard delivers the best typing experience ever on iPad. The Magic Keyboard will be available for purchase in May.
“We’re making iPad even more capable and versatile by bringing trackpad support to iPadOS,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, in a statement. “We carefully considered the best way to integrate trackpad use into a touch-first environment while retaining everything our customers know and love about iPad. We’re thrilled to bring this new way of interacting with iPad to the millions of people using iPadOS today.”
[There] a lot of gestures to remember, but no more than exist on the Mac. It seems overwhelming, but if you made a similar list for your MacBook or Windows machine, it would be just as intimidating. The iPad’s gestures are just different.
One interesting thing you can’t do is just have a bunch of traditional windows like you’re used to having on a desktop… Apple is sticking to its guns on its attempt to rethink how we move and rearrange windows on the iPad screen, with stuff like split screen and Slide Over. For better or worse (and I think for the better), the new trackpad features don’t turn the iPad into a Mac.
Whether any of that radically changes this year with iPadOS 14 is anybody’s guess. Federighi himself recently said, “If you like what you’ve seen us do with iPadOS, stay tuned, we’re going to keep working on it.”
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait to give it a try and we very much look forward to seeing what Apple has in store for iPad users in iPadOS 14!
Apple’s software boss Craig Federighi walks you through it all in a video in Bohn’s full article.