iPad - Mouse / Pencil

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iPad - Mouse / Pencil

There have been many questions over the years about using a mouse on an iPad with the same response: NO - not supported.

There is obviously a want by a lot of the iPad community to be able to use a mouse.

I regularly use the iPad with a blue-tooth keyboard.

A lot of the times I wish I could use a mouse in place of my fat fingers on the screen.

I do note that there is a pencil available, only for iPad Pro.

Questions:

1. What is the difference between the pencil and a mouse (I am only comparing pointing, click and drag capability - not mouse scroll function)

2. Why can't Apple provide what a lot of the community want - a mouse for the iPad?

Surely this should be about consumer choice.

Please - no standard throw away lines like "because IOS does not support mice".

Thanks.

iPad, iOS 9.2, null

Posted on Jan 4, 2016 7:08 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jan 4, 2016 7:23 PM in response to Jax66G

There is no mouse. Read about the Pencil on Apple's website.

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Answer 2

Jax66G Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 4, 2016 7:44 PM in response to Kappy

Not a very informative response. Not sure why you bothered actually.

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

362,007 points

Jan 4, 2016 7:48 PM in response to Jax66G

Sure you do.

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Answer 4

MichelPM

Level 10

81,535 points

Jan 5, 2016 6:28 PM in response to Jax66G

iOS has no real pointer/cursor programmed into it (like a regular computer OS) that can be control by a normal mouse input device.

The only thing that iOS has that most people erroneously refer to as a "cursor" or "pointer" is the text insertion point "I-beam" cursor.

This can be controlled with wireless, Bluetooth keyboards with arrow keys to control the location and placement of the text insertion point.

As of iOS 9, a trackpad-like feature has been introduced by a two finger single tap on the iOS software keyboard turning the entire keyboard gray colored and making the entire software keyboard area a giant trackpad for placing the text insertion point "cursor" anywhere you like within a text input field.

If you two finger double tap on the iOS software keyboard, you activate the text highlighting feature.

Once the text area is highlighted, if you continue to hold down two fingers and drag across the iOS software keyboard area, you can highlight partial or full lines of text or multiple lines of text to edit.

This trackpad-like behaviour is as close as Apple is going to get to a mouse-like input device.

Sorry.

It's the way it is. iOS is meant as a mobile touch interface.

If you want to use an external mouse or external Bluetooth trackpad, you should be looking at Apple MacBook laptop computers, instead of an iPad.

The iPad is NOT a complete laptop or desktop computer replacement, yet!

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