Q: Mouse support for iPad pro

Great advice there, Michael.

With iDevices and iOS not being AS ROBUST an OS as any other full laptop/desktop OS, in addition to iOS upgrades/updates going bad, you need fairly regular backups of all your iDevices if you wish to retain any important and personal data stored on these mobile devices.

You could've stress this fact enough!

Excellent job pointing this out!

I tell iDevice,,especially, iPad users this fact, all the time!

What's funny about this "they would need to rewrite the OS" and all this pro Apple talk is that I connected a Samsung S5......3 year old phone to A bluetooth mouse and what do you know a mouse popped right up with full functionality. I could scroll down the top drawer, right click to back out of an app, even text if I felt like clicking every single letter to type with. The fact I have a oh idk 1400 dollar 12.7" I Pad pro...that's including the keyboard 128GB of storage and the pencil....which also is terrible for clicking and selecting btw it's ridiculous. A rubber stylus from the 99 cent store has better responsiveness when selecting items than the 150 or 130 dollar pencil. Yes it has it's purpose for marking up PDF's and if you download Paper 53 you will see the pencil get unleashed much more than in Apple's own apps for the pencil. But if I wanted to write letters why would I want an IPad. I could...write letters, the reason I say that is because of the argument that if you want a mouse buy a Macbook. I'm typing on my Macbook right now but if you think Apple software is the best you have never owned an Android phone or tablet. And I must say I have a Iphone 6s plus. The reason I bought it....battery life and imessage and the fact updates get pushed to your device as soon as there available. The planned obsolesces of any Android device besides a true Google product like the Nexus 7....which pushes updates right away just as Apple does was another reason for the switch. Recently we ran into a problem trying to send an email from a program called Bluebeam Revu. When you clicked send email it would say no email client installed. The problem with that is all the IPads in the office had Gmail installed and working. Turns out you had to select "send to" then check the little on off ticker for Gmail. In Android this never would have been an issue as it asks you what program would you like to be your default when opening a file or even a text message or even launching a program for that matter. I'm sorry but unadulterated Android software is light years ahead of IOS.There selling a product that's trying to take away from the PC market but don't provide mouse support. If Windows 10 wasn't such a disaster the surface would blow an Ipad pro out of the water. With support for an i7 processor there just wouldn't have even been a contest. Sorry to give my opinion and possibly rant but yes the IPad pro should support a mouse. You have to remember some people have huge fingers and trying to touch in an exact part of a touchscreen which for some reason seems unresponsive is just not cutting it. Using TeamViewer to remote in you have no idea if you have clicked or not due to network lag where as if you had a mouse you would know the command has been sent you may just have to wait 5 secs for it to respond but you know you sent it. Using your finger you have no idea and end up clicking/touching several times which is so frustrating by the end of the day you want to go Office Space on it. Our office just bought 30 of these devices. Do you know how many want to hook up a mouse to the IPAD?....all 30! So please Apple if you're trying to make a product that competes with the surface add mouse support. Whoever was the brainchild behind that was probably thinking well they could just buy a Macbook. So the decision wasn't made with users in mind it was made with sales in mind. We bought IPads so they could be connected to Verizon and have data out on the job sites where data isn't usually available. If anyone has an Android device connect a Bluetooth mouse and be prepared to be blown away at how functional it is. You literally can do everything with it and I don't think Google had to "rewrite the code" on my 3 year old phone to make it work. Hook it up to a T.V. which you can either wireless, or with a 10 dollar cord off amazon and now you literally have a pocket sized PC. Please Apple give the IPad mouse support and just think how many loyal Apple users will buy an Apple mouse...when any mouse will do just so they can "have all Apple products". These things cost as much as a laptop, I'm sorry actually more than some of your laptops so why not support a mouse. Logitech has already produced a better keyboard, backlit keys, better build and feel, options to control brightness and other features...and oh yeah it's cheaper than the Apple keyboard which is another story all together. Sorry if you hate the truth but there it is. Add mouse support and let's stop dancing around why trying to touch a specific part of the screen with big hands is a great choice for all users. Half of our office literally went back to using laptops to remote in with there smartphone's hotspot so they could actually get work done. But one thing they all agree on is they love surfing the net and watching YouTube videos! ....which we had no intent on them being used for that purpose but that's what they've been using them for. Nothing more and probably won't until mouse support arrives. Talk about a 30,000 dollar plus investment gone wrong but I'm sure there kids love playing on them. Let the hate roar in but I'm speaking in real life perspective watching users throw them to the side due to frustration. Some have already requested a surface as most of the time they're used for remoting into a desktop in the office anyways.

In case other users, as well as you, aren't still aware of this,

As of the introduction of iOS 9,

iOS has an insertion point "I" beam "cursor" that can now controlled by invoking the iOS software keyboard and then do a two-finger single tap to turn the entire software keyboard area into a giant trackpad.

You can place insertion "I" beam cursor easily anywhere you want, then use the delete key to delete a letter and/or replace a letter in a word.

If you use two-finger double tap within the keyboard area, the trackpad function can highlight words, lines of text or entire bodies of text or paragraphs for editing.

Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates this cool and great feature.

Works on any iPad. Even on an iPad 2!

I found out about this feature before the official release of iOS 9 and have used this ever since.

https://youtu.be/DupotxlG3jg

Still need a mouse, now?

I can't for the life of me understand why users who buy a tablet want to to turn them into a laptop?

Mobile Tablet computing devices are a totally different paradigm than that of a laptop.

If you need physical input devices like keyboards, mice or trackpads, then you NEED/WANT a laptop computer with a full robust OS

The New MacBooks and MacBook Airs are nearly as light in weight as an iPad with both small and large screens with built in hardware input devices and external mice support.

Stop trying to turn a tablet computer into a kludgy laptop wannabe.

Please, stop this insanity!

"Serenity NOW!"

Love, LOVE my large, 128GB iPad Pro just way it is!

I work very well using the iOS software keyboard.

I made/forced myself to use this software input keyboard from day one of the first iPad model in 2010.

I didn't give up on using the software keyboard as a lot of users did right from the getgo.

I kept with it until I developed my own dexterity with it.

So, I  have gotten very good with typing now on the iOS software keyboard, after all of these years.

I find to type fast with it that it just takes a light touch to navigate the keyboard.

My hand and fingers just kinda float over the key area while I type.

I am a pretty good one handed typist on the software keyboard, too!

I wouldn't hold my breath for any external Bluetooth mice or trackpad support any time in the forseeable future.

This is why Apple is still making better, faster, thinner, larger screen laptops that run full OS X.

And the prices for the new MacBook models are very comparable to the higher priced, larger internal storage, standard screen size iPad models.

Use a laptop when you need a laptop and use a tablet for everything else that a tablet is good at!

While I DO use my large screen iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, without all of the extra bulk, I am keenly aware of the different ways iOS makes you do things on an iDevice/iPad and some of iOS shortcomings/limitations.

But, I have learned how to deal with the way everything works and functions using a much more compact OS structure on a touch screen, highly mobile computing device like the iPad.

Instead of using keyboards, mice or trackpads, I use the software keyboard, my fingers and/or third party, Bluetooth Smart Stylus.

I never owned a laptop or MacBook (I am a desktop computer using kinda guy), so I never developed all of the habits ("crutches"?) associated with using a full blown laptop day in and day out.

So, my own experiences with using a tablet device maybe, somewhat,  a unique one or I simply represent a large minority of users who took to the iPad in a way that they couldn't connect to the laptop computing experience.

Being a visual creative type, I have always looked upon iPads as digital electronic sketch/draw/painting ideabooks, anyhow!

It sounds like for your needs your ipad is working great for you. But when your using it to remote in and the software keyboard covers half the screen it's really a better option to have a hardware based keyboard so you can see all the screen you're paying for. Also it seems as if you have missed the trend every PC builder is moving to. Computers that with a snap turn into tablets. Also isn't there a rumor that all devices will eventually run OSX? Maybe I just read some misinformation but if true your statement saying they are 2 different animals would be untrue. Also it's Apple who made there ipad look like a laptop with the added keyboard. Does it not look like a laptop with the keyboard connected? And with the logitech keyboard you not only get a backlit keyboard with more features it's also a case for these very expensive tablets. Trust me I have no faith in mouse support it doesn't fit Apple's business model. But for a company that claims to make life easier adding a mouse would....make life easier. I just wanted to share my thoughts. I was given my ipad for free so I'm not like others who paid the 14 or 1500 for the full setup on these devices. If it was up to me we would have bought laptops Apple or PC that supported cellular mobile data. This was the reasoning behind getting ipads. But trust me for our purposes they aren't proving to be the way to go. I will look into the link you sent me and share it with my co-workers. But still like I said the keyboard covers half the screen if your remoting into a PC so you can't even see what you're typing. As a stand alone tablet for checking email, and using facebook, youtube, these are great. But if Apple already designed a keyboard and made there tablets look like a laptop....especially with the upgrade in screen size you would think a mouse would be a sensible addition. Like I said I added a mouse to my phone and when hooking it up to a TV or monitor there is no denying it's a much more productive device. The bottom line to me is there should have been support for a mouse. Some people wouldn't have used it. Everyone who is trying to remote into a PC would use it along with the hardware based keyboard. I just think options are a good thing and knowing other platforms support it out of the box like Android shows it's a business model and in no way a make your life easier model which is what I believe is Apple's claim to fame.

I agree with the creativity that Macs in general bring. But with a name ipad pro you would think it would have professional features...like a mouse. I own a Macbook pro for music and video creation and think they lead the field in that aspect. But I as well as many other users I'm sure are disappointed they bought an ultra expensive "professional" tablet that can't support a simple mouse. I think other platforms have laid to rest the aspect of having to recode the software to make a mouse work. And with Apple you get one button to click back out of. Other platforms have many more buttons to deal with. So making it to where a right click of the mouse clicks back out of an app seems like a relativity easy prospect. Once again this is about a business model and has nothing to do with making life easier. To me it's rather obvious. 

hamwallethunter wrote:

 

I agree with the creativity that Macs in general bring. But with a name ipad pro you would think it would have professional features...like a mouse.

Whether or not a mouse is a "professional feature" would depend on your profession and your needs. A fair number of people who want mouse support on iPads seem to think that their needs are somehow the "right" ones and Apple is wrong. While Apple's decisions may not meet your needs, they meet many people's and are not, objectively, wrong or not "professional".

iPads without mouse support meet my professional needs perfectly. I'm not sitting at a desk when I use mine. This is neither right or wrong nor professional or "consumer". Apple has, apparently, decided to, with the iPad, meet the professional needs of someone like me. If you don't agree with that, that's fine but, the iPad, as it stands, will not meet your needs. Submit your feedback to Apple.

Well if there wasn't a huge thread on mouse support and if you goggle ipad mouse support I'm sure you will see people are asking and wanting. Apple fanboys/girls stand behind Apple as a company that can do no wrong. From botched updates, to some OSX failures there still a company with work to do. Remember Apple maps? No need to submit my feedback to Apple, this is a business model decision, they would love everyone to own a Macbook Pro, Air, Imac, Ipad pro, mini, Iphone and a lot of people submit to this kind of marketing and consumerism. All I'm saying is it's easy to add a mouse period. I don't think like most people who look up to Apple as the leader in innovation...They haven't innovated in a long time, their are only so many devices you can create before you run out ideas. There products are made well, construction is top notch. As far as the control to the detriment of it's customers well some are just blind to see it. To those who wait in line for the latest and greatest is by far some of the most amusing times for me. It only proves a point. It has nothing to do with enhancements 95% of the time but yet a "look at what I got" status symbol. And now that they use Intel for there newest devices where does all the extra cost go? I won't say anymore on the subject the bottom line is you should be able to add a mouse to a device that supports a keyboard made by Apple. Hopefully one day we see a mouse connected to an Apple device. For so many people they would choose this over a PC and be happy with all the options they have when using the device. Sorry if I've offended anyone in this forum for saying adding a mouse should be an option. Why even disagree with that when if you don't want to use a mouse than don't. But let other people who do use one. And trust me it wasn't my idea to buy 30 ipad pros for what we were trying to do. We have an Apple fanboy in the office who decided to go that route. And the funny part of it was more about looking professional while sacrificing productivity. But I'm sure in meetings our company looks really cool and professional even is if takes twice as long if not more to fill out a pdf or remote into our machines in the office. These were given to people in the 40's btw so it's not me who is more than proficient with any device you hand me, but teaching an old dog new tricks, while on a deadline was a bad choice. Thank you for anyone who can agree with anything I've said and I apologize to any pro Apple supporters that may have got their feelings hurt over any of my statements. I will not continue to banter over something that will not become a reality until OSX is running on every device. Almost like when all the Apple fans said there screen size was fine. I wonder if there still using there 4s or 5s devices. They're not and I watched so many people swear there screen was fine until Apple had to make larger phones to stay competitive and everyone all of the sudden had a 6s or 6s plus in there hand once more proving Apple is status to a very large percentage of there users period.

I post this last month.  You must have missed the fact that you can get a mouse for your ios device and use it in your remote sessions.  Mouse will only work on the remote session.

There are remote desktop apps that support a mouse on the ipad.

Read Multiform post. You can use a mouse with remote Windows and vnc desktop apps on the ipad.  You need the right app store app.

Read his article here:

It's on page 2 of this discussion about half way down.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7319286?start=24&tstart=0

The citrix mouse.

https://www.citrix.com/products/mouse/overview.html

http://store.citrix.com/store/citrix/en_US/pd/productID.317779200/ThemeID.377130 00

ios app:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/citrix-receiver/id363501921?mt=8

Citrix server app:

Demo of Swiftpoint GT travel mouse with Windows remote session. Stop & start to see the details.

https://vimeo.com/113962546

"Connect to any computer in the world Jump Desktop is a secure and reliable remote desktop (RDP & VNC) app for iOS, Mac, Android and PCs which lets you connect to any computer, anywhere in the world." Supports Swiftpoint mouse.

https://jumpdesktop.com/

will not become a reality until OSX is running on every device.

ios is a different user experience on top of os x.

I use a variety of "tools" for work.

#1 - at my desk(s)  iMac's

#2 - mobile where lap top works easily - Macbook or older Macbookpro

3# - when I really want light or at least easy / mobile iPad Pro full size - here is where the mouse issue arises for only ONE program I need occasional mouse support , mostly the IOS works great for all my needs but when I do need to remotely use a system on a windows server the specific program is a nightmare with the pencil , but simple with a mouse.   I solved the problem by using "JUMP" app ( about $15 ) and the "Swiftpoint GT" portable blue tooth mouse.

Solves my problem - not as easy as macbook and trackpad but enables me to do what I need. ( almost as easy )

Truth is I love my large iPad Pro too much as the perfect solution is use the iPad Pro 9.7 and Macbook (or air etc ) .

Shortly heading to Europe on extended trip where travel light is issue - so question is could I put up with the 9.7 and macbook or am I going to go iPad pro 12" only !

4. Regarding using laptops for remote when they don't have cell built is - mifi is a useful alternative ( although I don't know costs in USA ) I use when traveling for all connected items.

But the bottom line , 100% Apple should let us choose if we want to use our regular blue tooth mouse with a iPad then it should.

ycjzorl wrote:

 

Well if there wasn't a huge thread on mouse support and if you goggle ipad mouse support I'm sure you will see people are asking and wanting. Apple fanboys/girls stand behind Apple as a company that can do no wrong.

This actually isn't a very big thread. I'm not especially defending Apple. I'm simply stating that the UI decisions that Apple has made with the iPad meet my needs, both professional and personal. That is a statement of fact. It is also a statement of fact that no one in this thread can give you what you want. Apple is not reading here. If you want to provide feedback to Apple use the feedback link that's been posted in this thread numerous times. Get all the people you think also want that support to do the same. If there are enough people clamoring for it, who knows, Apple may change their mind.

Why even disagree with that when if you don't want to use a mouse than don't.

Huh? I disagree with you. So what. I'm not sure why you think that it's okay for you to assert an opinion but not the people who disagree with you.

These were given to people in the 40's btw so it's not me who is more than proficient with any device you hand me, but teaching an old dog new tricks, while on a deadline was a bad choice. Thank you for anyone who can agree with anything I've said and I apologize to any pro Apple supporters that may have got their feelings hurt over any of my statements.

The only think I find offensive about your statements is the notion that people in their forties (and presumably older) have difficulty learning how to use technology. That is really quite offensive. It's called ageism.

Before the iPad and even after it, I remember working at an ARS and always getting the question "When are you guys going to hurry up and make the Mac a touch screen???" Now I come across this thread. o_0

Where I would use a mouse on an iPad would be while remoting into other computers, and nowhere else, but I've always had some form of a stylus and my bluetooth keyboard for that. Now with the Apple Pencil, the accuracy is that much better! When I'm using my iMac, I use the new trackpad.

All I can say is embrace the new.

People ask for all kinds of things. Some make sense and get done. Some don't.

If I went on a BMW support site and pointed out that I think their Mini Cooper should be able to haul lumber, because I need to haul lumber for my construction  job, how would that sound to you?

Its not about doing something wrong. Its about limited people's options. Why do that? There are plenty of applications that could benefit from the use of a bluetooth mouse.  Certain functions are simply faster and/or easier when using a mouse versus your finger on the screen. Besides, what's wrong with mixing it up from time to time?