Arrow keys anyone???

Thank you for pointing out a kludge: http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

A kludge is a clumsy or inelegant work around to a problem: there are no arrow keys, Apple knows there are no arrow keys, but we, who have been discussing this for a year on a board run by Apple have to make

our needs known by contacting Apple anyway.

A large number of us have used the link since this discussion began.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html is simply a black hole that Apple can ignore.

Pbh444 wrote:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html is simply a black hole that Apple can ignore.

As opposed to this user-to-user forum which they state they do ignore?

Why would they create a feedback page only to ingore it? They can ignore the feedback page yes, but they don't. It is put into their database for review.

Doesn't mean if you send something in, it will get implemented but it is not ignored.

Chris CA wrote:

"and I believe this is what could make apple re-instate the arrow keys"

...

"If Apple would put the arrow keys back in"

When did they remove them?

Why not tell Apple what you would like?

Send suggestions here -> http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

I HAVE told them. I also asked (kindly) for an explanation on the subject - yet no answer (sigh).

I believe they "removed them" when they re-shaped Mac OS to become IOS - coz I don't believe they rewrote every single line of code they already had.. do you?

Or rather: yes, Ur right, the arrow keys have never been "physically" there. However I'm sure the code to handle moving around in a block of text using arrow keys is there, somwhere, hidden inside some very well obscured -forgotten?- corner of the code base.

abeabe wrote

I believe they "removed them" when they re-shaped Mac OS to become IOS - coz I don't believe they rewrote every single line of code they already had.. do you?

Or rather: yes, Ur right, the arrow keys have never been "physically" there. However I'm sure the code to handle moving around in a block of text using arrow keys is there, somwhere, hidden inside some very well obscured -forgotten?- corner of the code base.

Why do you assume that the code for iOS is reused Mac OS code? Is it not also possible that the code was wriiten from the ground up for the completely new device with a completely different style of input?

Yes Meg, sure, that's possible.

However it still doesn't mean the code it's perfect. I for one still have to use other products to get text input and edited *quickly*.

In fact, let's vote for a competition: Anyone saying editing text on an Ipad/Iphone is as quick as on a device with arrow keys, let's compete! Anyone?

Perfect! That works for me much better than trying to touch where I need to place the cursor. I very surprised it took this long for someone to offer his solution! I guess they got caught up in why verse the how.

Wow, here we are one year later and still no resolution. Very unfortunate that such a basic, and extremly useful, function has yet to make an appearance. Unlike some of the more advanced, and apparently obtuse, users within this thread, "work arounds" are for lesser softwares sold at discount.

Premium products are built so that people don't have to hunt for work arounds.

Arrows please.

Wow, here we are one year later and still no resolution...

What it means is that not enough people are using the feedback link posted many times in this thread to let Apple know. If, from Apple's point of view, only a "few" of the millions of iPad users say they want arrow keys, then it's "obvious" that not that many people want arrow keys.

So again, if you want arrow keys, get as many of your friends, enemies, coworkers, family, people-on-the-street to send feedback to Apple.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

One interesting thing I noticed when I was in China a week ago. There are third-party keyboards for Ipad (not surprising). The interesting thing is that these do have arrow keys(!) and that these keys really work the way you expect them to, i.e. you can go up/down/left/right AND you can hold shift to mark text, then press Ctrl+C, Ctrl-X to copy CTRL+V to paste etc!

Because of the way these keys work from the external keyboard i believe the keyboard must use the IOS to perform what they do! Thus, the function calls for handling arrow keys ARE IN THERE (in the OS). or?

It also makes me wonder if Apple deliberately omitted the arrow keys to support the third-party market?

That is a very good point. I have the Apple BT keyboard which I use with the iPad and the cursor keys work fine (fantastic keyboard in general too imho). As the keyboard commands go through bluetooth I'm sure the code is native in IOS. I would hazard a guess that if it is a deliberate marketing ommission by Apple then it is probably a move to cripple the ipad slightly so that it doesn't eat too much into mac air sales. The average person can probably do 90% of his/her daily computing on the ipad and that must worry the Macbook people. Funnily enough, the ipad2 was my first apple product and I was so pleased with it I went and bought the new 13.3" MacAir. I took both it and the iPad around china with me for two months and the moment I go to back to the US I dumped the Mac Air on ebay. That was a very short love affair. I replaced it with the new toshiba portege and that thing is almost as light as the ipad. Just beautiful. Anyway, I digress.

That's interesting -- good to know! Maybe I just need to invest in a keyboard to go with it. I can't imagine it would hurt computer sales, though -- there is so much that I CAN'T do on the iPad -- it's a fun toy, and I use it a lot, but I can't do most of my day-to-day work on it (photoshop, graphic design, etc). Maybe they are just being practical -- arrow keys would decrease the size of an already difficult-to-use (simply because you can't feel the keys) keyboard. I just with it was a popup option, or something. But if the bluetooth keyboards work as well as you're both saying they do, then that may be a good alternative. Thanks for posting!!

Apple had an opportunity to add arrow keys to the iOS 5 split keyboard. They simply chose not to.

I just find it interesting that Apple consumer devices are doing increasingly well in the Enterprise (much to Apple's delight, even if it is via employees that figure out how to bypass IT), yet they still won't provide something as basic as arrow keys on the iPad. Shame on them (feedback already provided to them, and obviously ignored). Sigh...

5haun wrote:

(feedback already provided to them, and obviously ignored). Sigh...

Just because Apple didn't provide you with what you want doesn't mean your feedback was not noticed. Sometimes, the answer is "no" or "perhaps at some time in the future but not right now". Sigh....

I purchased my iPad for mobility reasons and also so I wouldn't have to lug my backpack around. Having to carry an extra keyboard totally defeats the purpose. I'd rather get a MacBook Air- way more portable than two pieces of hardware.

A friend has an HTC Evo phone with arrow keys. They fit just fine. Believe me arrow keys can fit on the iPad with no problem.

Yes, Jarom. I totally agree. However unfortunately, Apple doesn't realise that a lot of us wouldn't buy a MacBook Air no matter what(!). It's simply too expensive to get an extra laptop if you already have Winbased PC and have used such ones for over twenty years and are really pleased with that.

The *possibility* Apple doesn't realise is that the Ipad - with arrow keys - would enable them to reach millions of computer users that otherwise will stay with Msoft or would rather go down the Android path if they decide to try something new...

Pity!

And all they would need to do, is a tiny tiny change (give us arrow keys - damnIT!) of the IOS that really is no big thing (see above discussion on OSs etc.)