I need to use a mouse with my ipad pro. What gives?

A certain group of people want tablets to be laptops.

Why?

Microsoft is doing this with their Surface tablet/laptop combination computer but serving two paradigms has not been ideal for those devices, either.

The trackpad amd mouse were never part of Apple’s tablet vision. Neither was external keyboards, but Apple seemed to acquiesce on using external keyboards as some users just can't seem to adjust to typing on a smooth, glass surfaces.

I don't see Apple acquiescing on mice or trackpads for iOS and iPads any time in the foreseeable future.

It is what is.

Apple is doing what it wants to do, as Apple always has, and giving customers what THEY think customer may want and need.

Apple has never designed products by committee or customer focus groups.

It's their products and they are making plenty of money on these iDevices the way they are.

Apple doesn’t want to add mice or trackpad support to their tablet products.

It is that simple.

We are lucky we got external keyboards and finally a smart stylus to work with.

My first post may have been rude, it surely was (and I'm sorry for that), but it's because some of the Apple's "acolytes" claim the right to say "...it's not for you, buy a computer" "...it's a touch only device!". Who they are to say that? They are more conservative then Apple itself! It's sounds like a cult, not a community.

There are rumors that mouse will be supported in IOS 13. They may be not true, but there is more and more users asking for this functionality. This tread itself has nearly 1000 "same question" button hits. Are they all wrong?

Mobile devices are fully capable of replacing stationary computers in some easier tasks. I don't mean it as desktop replacement but rather as its addition or complacement? I love my Ipad and use for various tasks from comic books reading to documents editing and terminal for checking 3D reconstruction progress on remote workstation… with mouse support I would be able to comfortably interact with this process.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really deal with the ergonomic problems of using a touch screen with a keyboard i.e. shoulder pain. Trying to write a 300 page book on an ipad with a keyboard is painful. Here is a link to a recent interview with Apple's chief engineer of why an ipad is a bad computer replacement: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-exec-craig-federighi-ipad-bad-computer-replacement-2018-6

It's a shame really, because an ipad is lighter than a computer (and I use an Air). Had to stop using my ipad with a keyboard in cafes because of shoulder pain from reaching toward the screen, which, of course, would be solved by an external mouse or track pad. The Apple exec. agrees. You can't argue with Apple.

Gongfermor wrote:

Troll much!?

I think perhaps you don't understand the meaning of "troll". It does not mean expressing an opinion, even an unpopular one. It means "making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument". lkrupp is not trying to provoke you and your you are not an unsuspecting reader.

There's a good bit of post-WWDC swirl indicating that iOS 13 and/or iPadOS will gain mouse support as an Accessibility feature, but even if that is true it's unclear how app developers will respond.

Speculation about future Apple plans is prohibited by the Terms of Use to which we all agreed when we signed up.

why a dumb idea? like an external keyboard, a stylus? It was always stated that stylus keyb mouse would never be attached to the first devices, see where we are now, with keyboards sold with the ipad and stylus as well, so I would not be surprised, and happy to see a mouse

It is definitely not necessary for the OS interface, but could be an option for so many apps to allow a mouse, powerpoint, photoshop, excel word....you name them.

making a mouse efficient on the current OS interface would be useless or would require a complete rebuild of it, but why not?

I personally think it wont come anytime soon, for a very simple reason, it would kill the laptop lucrative business for apple, bringing a mouse and therefore allowing developers to adapt their laptop/desktop applications to ipad would almost certainly kill the macbook air/macbook 11"-13" business (i do not think it would endanger MBPs anyway )

And even though disappointed, I can definitely understand this commercially... But for the 4 guys in this thread that reluctantly repeat the same thing over and over again for one year and a half, it is not because Steve Jobs did not want accessories with the iphone that they do not implement it...it is a very smart commercial medium term vision...

long term? ipad will have a mouse, probably an OSx interface (or both wether you are mobile or static), and we will consider mackbooks like something of the past, true mobile computers, either usable as tablets with no accessories, or as laptop computers when paired with a mouse a keyboard, a second screen, a mouse a trackpad or whatever we use professionnally. What saves the laptops compared to the ipad is the lack of mouse, not much else after the announcement of the iOS 13...

Microsoft did that with the surface, but they do not have a strong hardware chain of laptop products that they could endanger with such a device, and they do not have the spectacular hardware Apple still places in its devices, too bad, it is definitely the computer of the future (tablet and laptop at the same time)

As was previously pointed out, iOS 13 is making more use of finger gestures to control onscreen text and data content which seems to be a good compromise for the absence of a mouse or trackpad.

Bluetooth keyboards have always been available for iPads long before Apple introduced its own.

And third party stylus makers were making smart styluses ( still are ) for iPads long before Apple introduced the Apple Pencil.

Adobe, sometime this year, is releasing its full Photoshop version for iOS, once again, without the need for any mouse or trackpad.

And, Tim Cook has repeatedly stated that both iOS/macOS will share some feature overlap, but these OSes will remain mostly separate from each other iOS will never become macOS and macOS will never become iOS.

Having a full OS on a smaller touch tablet screen is unwiedly, as evidence by full Windows OS on Surface tablets.

All of the UI elements are simply too small to be able to use finger touch most times.

iPads and iOS will remain largely what is has always been...a predominantly finger touch screen interface.

I, also, noted that iOS 13/iPadOS is giving iPads closer spaced columns of apps, now, giving larger iPads/iPad Pros an extra column of apps. Nice.

The ability to open more than one instance of an app. A version of the macOS Exposé feature on iOS. That's another great feature.

Support, finally, for direct connection of flash memory drives and other external drives.

Not sure if this will be a new iOS 13 feature exclusive to the new 2018 iPad Pro models, though, with the USB-C connection.

This may not be available to older iPad Pro models that still use the Lightning connector, I fear.

Lots of cool features to look forward to in iOS 13 and more for iPads and iPad Pro models.

best of both worlds Michel ;)

Mouse option is obviously an accessibility option for now, but if Apple allows it, having now the possibility of a visible cursor, developers will most probably adapt their software for both worlds. Someone pointed out the danger of it though, making some software impossible to drive without a mouse, but we are not there yet ;)

I was definitely convinced they would not implement it so early to avoid cannibalizing MBs, I have to happily admit I was wrong...

Next computer for my daughter will certainly be not a macbook air as I first envisaged (to renew the MBP I gave her), a magic mouse, a keyboard, a stylus, and an external SSD drive on a IpadPro version with sim card. have always been worried to give her a macbook as she is a real dummy with computers, here we are...best of both worlds...She is already an expert on touch gesture (she is an iphone iPad addict since she is 5) and will definitely appreciate the mouse for her university work

The 11" Brydge for iPad Pro 11, weights 1.14 lbs and is perfectly balanced so you can adjust the angle of the screen 180 degrees with NO imbalance whatsoever. It's also cool how you just pull the iPad out of the two small hinges to use the iPad as a tablet anytime you want. I also have the Logitech Slim Folio for iPad Pro 11, but the Brydge is IMHO, so much better.

How much added weight does that Brydge keyboard add to the weight of the iPad Pro?

I have the original iPad Pro and I can't even imagine having this a part of the iPad or even a keyboard case.

I like to keep my iPads as light as possible and I choose cases that are fairly light and aren't very bulky.

I while we are discussing many things here I am going to add my thoughts on all of this.

Glad everyone who wanted mice and trackpad connectivity got it. Glad that conventional USB flash memory drives and both wired and wireless external drives will connect and work, also, in the very near future.

But here is what I really think about all of this.

I thought paying over $1000 for my 2015 iPad Pro with the accessories available back then was just crazy, but at that time I had waited so long for larger screen iPads that I could NOT pass up the opportunity to own one right off the bat.

The “problem” is now that Apple is allowing iPad/iPad Pros to connect up all of the existing laptop stuff to an iPad, I think this is what has drove up the pricing on iPad Pros, now.

The top end 12.9 inch iPad Pro is nearly $2K!

If I decide to trade up at some point, I would have to either go for an 11 inch screen iPad Pro ( having used a 12.9 screen for over three years, going back to even a slightly smaller screen will be a disappointment ) or settle for the 10.5 inch screen iPad Air or iPad whatever in the future!

Plus, how portable is your iPad Pro going to be, now, when you are schlepping around all of this extra stuff with you that you had to schlep around when you used a laptop?

That is why I learned to use every onboard iPad resource and why I carry small wireless drives that can either fit into my pockets or I can take and easily throw into my small iPad carry case/bag.

Your iPad Pro is going to look more like regular laptops look like with all sorts of stuff wired/dongled off of it all the time.

Even with wireless stuff, while easier to carry and deal with, you will still need to carry it!

I still do some stuff with my iPad Pro as a musician, and I can’t believe all of the wired stuff I have to take with me and connect just to play and record or play live music from an iPad!

It’s ridiculous!

One of the things I have to take is a light, but rather large 76-key iOS/Lightning compatibel/connected, MIDI keyboard controller, iOS/Lightning comoatible USB docks with power adapter for microphones and other electronic instruments, and an extra storage drive and I, also, have to travel with a lot of other seperate audio gear, as well!

When I have to travel like that, nothing is really portable about an iPad Pro, any longer.

At least when I am doing creative art and design work, at home or “on the go”, all I have to take is my iPad Pro, a stylus and either a small portable external Bluetooth speaker and/or headphones to listen to music or videos while I work and a small portable wireless drive I can still use and keep in a shirt or pants pocket.

Just sayin’

The OP or whoever can buy Apple keyboard, suppose to work like regular laptop, if they “insist” they want mouse.

iOS doesn't support mice or trackpads.

True...

But for those who want to access computers (MacBooks/iMac/WINDOWS) from the mobile iPad, it works great.

That is correct. This is not the right place to post anything to Apple.

If you wish for Apple to read anything you need to post it at Product Feedback - Apple

Only if you are trying to do remote tools, like TeamViewer (SwiftX mouse) or Citrix. Then you can use a mouse for everything on the the remote computer with a mouse from your iPad.

There is actually going to be mouse support via accessibility. Am so glad for this. I edit documents a lot such as word, excel, PowerPoint and more and this will help my neck strain. So hyped.