Magic trackpad and iPad?

again, I point out that by creating a cursor or graphical representation of a mouse within the interface, you will allow developers to take advantage of it. once the precision of the mouse pointer is required on the iPad, it will never go away essentially taking us back to the laptop. the iPad has a mousepad... IT'S CALLED THE SCREEN!!! I use mine in a stand with a wireless keyboard a lot (but not as much as I simply type on the screen because it is much less of a hassle) and I have to say, I like being able to touch the screen much better than using a mouse. try it. it will become natural. the iPad was also awkward to hold at first, but after a couple of hours holding it, it feels more natural than a computer...

The point being, if you can't adapt to life without a mouse or keyboard as a necessity, you should probably not buy an iPad and buy a Macbook Air or netbook.

80% of the time I use the ipad with out a keyboard. 20% of the time, like right now, I also use a keyboard. I also think it would be great if the trackpad would work. It is far easier to type and use a trackpad than reaching over and touching the screen. I see no reason why it can't be done. A bigger problem is jacking in a projector. Sure there are a few apps that work but they ALL should......Steve can do it, why can't I????

Hi,

Just my two pence here. As I actually own both an iPad and an iPad keyboard dock I would like to venture my opinion on this matter. Having only had the dock for two days I can say that I have very quickly become accustomed to using it whilst sat at my desk at work. However, as many other people have already pointed out it would be great to be able to perform gestures to control what I am seeing on the screen.

For all those nay-sayers out there who have too many opinions on this matter:

By the very definition of what the Magic Trackpad is on the Apple Website under the "Overview" section it has been designed to perform gestures, not cursor control:

"Magic Trackpad gives you a whole new way to control what’s on your Mac desktop computer. When you perform gestures, you actually interact with what’s on your screen. You feel closer to your content, and moving around feels completely natural. Swiping through pages on screen is just like flipping through pages in a magazine, and inertial scrolling senses the momentum in your fingers as you move up and down a page."

However, cursor control would not be difficult as the application only presents you with a cursor where appropriate, even then the Up, Down, Left and Right keys serve this function quite well.

And for those who talk about what a "Mobile" device is - sure, a mobile device is a device that is carried from one place to another, and whilst used on the move - it is no longer a mobile device when I am sat at my desk.

Going forward the "computer" as we know it it going to disappear in favour of "devices" that just know how to do the vast majority of tasks that you need perform on a day-to-day basis. The computer will become the "workstation" - which if you think about is already starting to happen with "mobile" devices docking at their relevant "statiions" when not "mobile."

Give me a Magic Trackpad and let me choose. I don't want to tip over my iPad by being heavy-handed.

Thanks a lot.

Kind regards,


James Gillies

Message was edited by: JimboGillies

I agree 100%; I also don't want to have to JB my iPad for a bunch of reasons, but it's getting to the point where Apple is making such serious ommissions that there's no reasonable alternative. I have a BT keyboard too and touching the screen when manual control is needed feels unnatural. Not providing a BT profile for the Magic Trackpad on the iPad is probably a calculated omission by apple since sales of the 11" Macbook Air might be cannibalized. As for the need for a mouse cursor, there isn't any. iPhone control of the Apple TV (2nd gen) doesn't have a cursor and works fine with gestures.

Unfortunately this is Apple being Apple (more like Jobs being Jobs). iPad tethering to an iPhone via BT is another example of this kind of lack of user-wanted features that seems to clash with Apple's $$$.

yes, apple was afraid a device that was released months after the magic trackpad would be cannibalized... no, the reason is that though the iPad has a keyboard dock (because people have been begging for something similar for the iPhone), the iPad is not designed to be used as a desktop device... get the MacBook Air... I guarantee you that Apple just wants you to buy, they don't necessarily care what it is...

touching the iPad screen will still be necessary as there is no cursor with which to make selections...

as for the previous poster, the magic trackpad enables gesture controls in addition to being used to control a cursor (trackpads tend to control a cursor)

I'd love to see support for the Magic Trackpad, included a pointer (a hand) that would appear on the iPad when the Magic Trackpad is connected. I currently use a Wacom tablet with my Mac, and I do certainly see the use for the combination iPad/MT.

@celliott147, I don't understand why you are so insistent on telling people they should not have a feature that THEY feel would be beneficial. If you don't like the feature, don't use it.

I finally broke down and picked up an iPad early last week. I've been leaving my MBP at home running with TeamViewer and going out and about with the iPad. I connect to the MBP when I find I need to do something I can't get done on the iPad. When I am in my office for an extended period of time, I do think it would be nice to have the trackpad on my desk next to the keyboard for ease of operation with the iPad.

Stating that if the feature is there, then the developers would rely on it is absurd. There are many apps out there for the iPad and for the regular PC/Mac that require additional peripherals that are not standard to any system. Credit card readers and steering wheels are two good examples. Are you saying that people should not had designed those devices because they were not envisioned by the original PC/Mac designers? Absolutely not. They are devices that are realized as beneficial later on. If someone develops an application that requires the trackpad, then one would purchase it to use the application.

Just my opinion

Joseph Bulbulia wrote:
It would be too bad if there were never cursor support for the iPad. It would be lovely to use magic trackpad with a keyboard. I find the touchscreen too awkward for serious writing/revision. Maybe the next Macbook air will be fit the niche market to which I belong.

I think the current one already does.

The answer is this needs to happen. Having a mouse appear on a touch screen does not sound anymore difficult than all of the features added in the recent software update. Apple just needs to get on this.

MAKE THE TRACKPAD COMPATIBLE WITH THE IPAD. PLEASE!

How about this then...

I suffer from ALS (Lou Gherig's disease) - like Stephan Hawking.

Since I bought my iPad I've pretty much lost the use of my hands and arms. I can just barely use my ipad but it is a struggle requiring a number of gymnastic moves involving knees, elbows, feet, toes, hands, knuckles (all of which have significantly reduced function) It usually takes me 3 or 4 tries before I get the app I want. I've become so frustrated that for the most part my ipad has become a very expensive paper weight.

My legs, toes and feet are still pretty functional and I manage very well on my desktop using a mouse and trackpad with my feet.

At times I need the portability of the ipad and being able to interface with my ipad using a magic trackpad operated by my feet would solve my problem.

I know that people have been able to use the magic trackpad with the ipad via the BTStack mouse app but I would rather not have to resort to jailbreaking.

I've written to Apple about my situation but never got a response.

I'm starting to lose my speech too and it would be very helpful if I could use the proloquo2go speech app.

If Steve Jobs could experience my level of frustration for just one hour he'd personally stay up all night to work on the app and would also donate $1 million to an ALS Charity

Can anyone think of a way that we can shame Apple into developing this app? The Apple philosophy preventing a dying man from using his ipad.

Hi I used Citrix the other day on my Ipad and was totally blown away by the way they had used the iphone as a trackpad on their apps - absolutely amazing. But, the draw back is i need to be on the iphone and on my ipad Citrix app at the same time (I am a stock broker) and this cant happen easily with the current set-up. I was so impressed I went out and purchased a trackpad for my ipad - but then realisation dawned - they don't work together. Can you add the same feature that Citrix have added so that I can use my ipad as a laptop and chuck my existing laptop out the windw.

As someone who still has my Classic II, I've come a long way with Apple. I have has most all the iMacs (this 27" i5 + two more in use) ..MBP, iPhone 4 and an iPad (about a week after they were released. Wonderful device!)

I live in the middle of our legacy carrier's (Verizon) zone but get neither cell service nor DSL to my home. The iPad is our HOME COMPUTER .. no matter what celliott147 would prefer it to be. It sits on a stand and my wife fires away on a remote keyboard. I would surely love to use my MBP or an iMac, but neither works with ATT. The only PITA is that you need to use the touch screen - sitting in a stand.

The Magic Trackpad (I use with this iMac in lieu of the Magic Mouse) would make the iPad a wonderful device. The fact that the iPad can fire up Navigon in the car or wifi at the airport is a fantasitc bonus, not our primary need.

Jim/Maryland

You can use the gestures of trackpad on an ipad2 itself.
You need someone with a Mac to develop a "user or developer account" then you activate multi gestures on your iPad. Down the app appstart, go to tips and tricks and scroll to the bottom page for better instructions.

wetstuff wrote:
I live in the middle of our legacy carrier's (Verizon) zone but get neither cell service nor DSL to my home. The iPad is our HOME COMPUTER .. no matter what celliott147 would prefer it to be.

It has nothing to do with what cellist says. You are using your iPadcin a way it really wasn't intended to be primarily used. There are bound to be some compromises. It sounds as if you'd be better served by either a defecated mobile hotspot device (if AT&T sells one. Other carriers do) or by getting a phone from AT&T that does it. Then you could use your proper computers.

My iPad has actually become my primary home computing device, mostly because I don't need to be seated at a desk or a table tied to a keyboard or mouse.