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

I haven't used a mouse with a laptop for over 20 years, so to say that a device that can't use a mouse can't replace a laptop is laughable. The mouse is one of the worst user interface devices that has ever been invented. In fact, in 1983 Apple held focus groups prior to the launch of the original Macintosh to review useability, and the consumers in these groups universally panned the mouse as a device and said it would never catch on.

And Apple can say whatever they want. They don't have to say what you want them to say.

Never catch on haha. You must have never performed any extensive document editing. You would have sore fingers after a day. You precisely position a moust exactly where you want to do things. Even though using a up/down/forward/backward might work for some. Maybe the way you use it might be ok but if you edit software programs it is disaster not to have a mouse. You are insane to say the that mouse is one of the worst devices. It goes to show what limited work you do with a computer. If I stick with common stuff a mouse is not needed. You ask any programmer and see what responses you get.

No, you are the one who never catches on. Or perhaps you are just a troll.

Yes, I edit software programs ("code") regularly, and I edit documents constantly. I use a computer 10 hours a day. Without a mouse. I have been developing software for over 50 years, since punch card days. A mouse slows down development to a crawl. I use vi for editing code; it doesn't even support a mouse. Neither does nano or emacs, the tools used by REAL developers. Neither does any other quality development tool except Eclipse; I use it with a trackpad, not a mouse, and it also has keyboard shortcuts that are much faster to use than a mouse. When I need a pointing device I use a trackpad. Before that I used a trackball. A mouse is both ergonomically bad and it's bad for your hands, and frequently causes repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

rainman50 wrote:

Never catch on haha. You must have never performed any extensive document editing. You would have sore fingers after a day. You precisely position a moust exactly where you want to do things. Even though using a up/down/forward/backward might work for some. Maybe the way you use it might be ok but if you edit software programs it is disaster not to have a mouse. You are insane to say the that mouse is one of the worst devices. It goes to show what limited work you do with a computer. If I stick with common stuff a mouse is not needed. You ask any programmer and see what responses you get.

Not everyone in the world has the same needs in a device that you do. This isn't some sort of contest over who works harder or needs more "pro" tools. I don't go around complaining that a guitar is not a "real" musical instrument because it doesn't have keys and a sustain pedal. I just go play a piano instead. The iPad meets the needs of lots of people. It doesn't meet yours. It's as simple as that.

Hi,

The answer to the question why ipad does not have the cursor is so simple. Simply during development they forget about the using mouse. There was no thought about external keyboard or replacing it with laptop. Now it will be quite costly for them to change the structure and software. There is no other logic description for this act as “just forgott”.

Hope this explanation helps those who are try to figure why but why. Even though it does not support mouse they are doing grest in the market. Big key is right advertisment technique.

It is really irrelevant and just your guess if they “forgot” during development or simply made a decision not to offer the feature. The fact is that there is no support for a mouse/cursor. As well, per the ToU, we are not allowed to speculate about Apple’s policies or decisions.

Shah-ram wrote:

Hi,

The answer to the question why ipad does not have the cursor is so simple. Simply during development they forget about the using mouse. There was no thought about external keyboard or replacing it with laptop. Now it will be quite costly for them to change the structure and software. There is no other logic description for this act as “just forgott”.

Hope this explanation helps those who are try to figure why but why. Even though it does not support mouse they are doing grest in the market. Big key is right advertisment technique.

Did you ever actually watch the 2007 MacWorld Keynote when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone? The video is available online, and a transcript exits too - http://www.european-rhetoric.com/analyses/ikeynote-analysis-iphone/transcript-20 07/. I’ll save you reading the whole thing and just quote the relevant part (with my bold):

Well, how do you solve this?

Hmm. It turns out, we have solved it! [0:32:27]

We solved it in computers 20 years ago. We solved it with a bit-mapped screen that could display anything we want. Put any user interface up. And a pointing device. We solved it with the mouse. Right?

We solved this problem. So how’re we gonna take this to a mobile device?

What we gonna do is get rid of all these buttons and just make a giant screen.

A giant screen. [0:32:54]

Now, how are we gonna communicate this? We don’t wanna carry around a mouse, right?

So what are we gonna do? Oh, a stylus, right?

We’re gonna use a stylus.

No. No. Who wants a stylus?

You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck.

Nobody wants a stylus. So let’s not use a stylus.

We’re gonna use the best pointing device in the world. We’re gonna use a pointing device that we’re all born with – we’re born with ten of them. We’re gonna use our fingers.

We’re gonna touch this with our fingers. And we have invented a new technology called multi-touch, which is phenomenal. [0:33:33]

It works like magic.

You don’t need a stylus. It’s far more accurate than any touch display that’s ever been shipped.

It ignores unintended touches, it’s super-smart.

You can do multi-finger gestures on it.

And boy, have we patented it. [0:33:54]

Apple didn’t forget anything when they designed the iPhone and iOS. They have always have been very clear, unambiguous and explicit that it was designed, from the very concept, to be a touch interface only operating system and family of devices.

iOS and Apple tablet devices were always destined to be touch only devices as far back as Apple’s idea for a tablet device back in the early 1990’s

Apple was never going to have a tablet that used mice or trackpads.

See this YouTube video for Apple’s early tablet concept

Apple's Tablet Vision 1990's - YouTube

Apple didn’t forget anything.

Found this except.

“The invention of the first tablet PC, or personal computer, is credited to three men: Alan Kay, Steve Jobs and Bill Moggridge. Computer specialist Kay created the concept for the tablet PC in the early 1960s, which he called the Dynabook, but need technical expertise to build the product. Technical enthusiast Jobs analyzed Kay’s product in the 1970s, and lent a hand in determining the components needed to build the machine.”

Lawrence Finch wrote:

When I need a pointing device I use a trackpad. Before that I used a trackball.

I hated using a mouse so much when I was using PC's for work, that I was happy to resort to that little rubber button in the center of a PC keyboard instead of using a mouse. As with anything else, I became very proficient using that silly little thing. Trackpads were a gift from the gods as far as I am concerned. 😀

GB

Throw away that Pencil right now.

The bottom line is there is not one good reason that people should not have that as an option as well. You don't have to use it if you don't want but that's no reason to not make it an option.

Morzerarc wrote:

"If you see a stylus, they blew it." Steve Jobs

Apple is clearly blowing it.

Throw away that Pencil right now. Pull it from the shelves. Refund the money to the people who spent $100 on something they clearly do not need.

While they're at it throw out the keyboards. Remove bluetooth. If touch is all we need then what is this smart keyboards and pencil nonsense? What are they thinking? They're doing it wrong!

You may not need a trackpad but that does not mean it shouldn't be an option. To say "hey, touch is all you need but here, you can use a keyboard and a stylus if you want but absolutely no other productivity options ever!" is ridiculous.

And I don't believe for an instant that the maker of the best trackpad on the planet can't make one that works in iOS.

The bottom line is there is not one good reason that people should not have that as an option as well. You don't have to use it if you don't want but that's no reason to not make it an option.

I’m not the one you need to convince to make it an option. For now it is not an option nor has it been one for the entire history of iOS. If you want that to change, submit feedback at Apple‘s feedback page. Nobody here has any say in how iOS is coded.

It doesn't really matter who you respond to here.

We are just users like you here.

This doesn't change the facts.

iOS, to date, does not natively support mice and trackpads/trackballs.

With iPads, we have been eight years with no native mice/trackpad support.

No one see this changin’ anytime in the near future.

You really want to schelp around more bulky input devices with your iPad?

Fingers and stylii are much easier to carry and transport around.

BTW,

Third party stylus makers have been supporting stylii on iPads since the very first 2010 iPad.

Also, third party Bluetooth, and other “smart” stylii since the iPad 2/3 models.

Morzerarc wrote:

I replied to Michael Black's post. Not sure where you got this "us" part.

This is a public forum; anyone in the world can visit it and read it, even if they are not registered. "Us" is any of the billions of Internet users who might visit here.

You are the one saying that Apple didn't design it for anything but touch, quoting Jobs and defending Apple's position.

To keep on about "very clear, unambiguous and explicit that it was designed, from the very concept, to be a touch interface only operating system" is willfully ignoring compromises they have made. They left that behind with their first keyboard and now with their stylus.

It's a discussion. This is a discussion forum. If the OP wants to rant about something he wants then what's the problem? You and others don't seem to have a problem with ranting about what he can't have. 195 people said they have this question too.

I'm confused. If Apple doesn't read this and it's call "discussions" then how is this a technical support forum? Who's providing the technical support? It's owned by Apple, it's hosted by Apple, yet no Apple employees participate?

"Constructive feedback about product features is welcome as well".