IPadOS 13.4 Mouse Support

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Handle9

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#269667 1-Apr-2020 08:02

I’ve been giving iPadOS on my work iPad Pro a good play now that it has mouse support. I’ve always found the iPad good for trips where I just need a few emails and to give a single presentation but for editing PowerPoint it’s never been great.

Once Microsoft updates its apps I think this could replace my laptop for most work trips. For stuff I really need a PC for I can Citrix into a VM or VPN/RDP to my desktop server.

Really the only thing that would stop me using an iPad Pro as my main machine is extended external monitor support and the horrid keyboard on the SmartFolio. The lack of travel on the butterfly keys is terrible but would be ok for 2-3 night work trips.

For school kids this will make the iPad superior to Chromebooks for many tasks and the 10.2 inch is relatively inexpensive now.

clicknz

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#2451953 1-Apr-2020 08:52

Hi - I’m curious if you have tried Keynote as an alternative to PowerPoint? I find it a much more elegant piece of software and easier to work with (on the Mac you can import PP files into Keynote (plus you can export presentations as PP files... but there may be some formatting errors). I’m not sure whether you can do this on iOS.

i believe the newer iPad Pro’s with USB C can run a second monitor no problem - but the output is often mirrored only (depending on the app), whereas I believe that a second monitor from a Lightning port iPad is always mirrored.

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Mike

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Handle9

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#2451963 1-Apr-2020 09:01

clicknz:
Hi - I’m curious if you have tried Keynote as an alternative to PowerPoint? I find it a much more elegant piece of software and easier to work with (on the Mac you can import PP files into Keynote (plus you can export presentations as PP files... but there may be some formatting errors). I’m not sure whether you can do this on iOS.

i believe the newer iPad Pro’s with USB C can run a second monitor no problem - but the output is often mirrored only (depending on the app), whereas I believe that a second monitor from a Lightning port iPad is always mirrored.

I've got zero interest in Apple productivity apps. We're a global corporate and heavily in the Office 365 camp. One of the reasons an iPad is viable is the office 365 apps.

The Microsoft apps are pretty good on iOS anyway, they just don't have mouse support yet.

I've got the last version of the 10.5 inch iPad pro. External monitor support is there from a hardware perspective but the OS isn't there yet. If I could run mail/Teams on the native device and a productivity app on the external monitor then there isn't much I wouldn't be able to do.

I'd need to learn new workflows but the value would be there.

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#2451989 1-Apr-2020 09:14

clicknz:

Hi - I’m curious if you have tried Keynote as an alternative to PowerPoint? I find it a much more elegant piece of software and easier to work with (on the Mac you can import PP files into Keynote (plus you can export presentations as PP files... but there may be some formatting errors). I’m not sure whether you can do this on iOS.

I use Keynote when I use my iPP. It's much more efficient on an iOS device than any MS app. It converts nicely to PP when on PC so yes - it does work on iOS.

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#2452239 1-Apr-2020 12:23

I use powerpoint with a mouse on my ipad 9.7 - have been since it came out (I use a surface mouse and microsoft mobile universal keyboard). I use Duet to connect my ipad to my surface pro as a second monitor. Because the ipad has LTE, it also forms a wireless hotspot for the surface.

I tend to prefer the mouse on the windows device and touch on the ipad, however, when just using the ipad, the mouse works - but out of habit I often forget to use it.

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eracode

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#2452269 1-Apr-2020 13:22

@handle9 The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro might really suit you - comes out next month. Has latest ‘new’ scissor-mech keys (i.e. back to scissors after they ditched the butterflies) same as the recently revamped MacBook Air, 1 mm travel, backlit, full-size keyboard with trackpad for the new track/mouse support. Looks very cool.

https://www.apple.com/nz/ipad-keyboards/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184929/apple-magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-trackpad-hinge-price-release-date

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Handsomedan

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#2452314 1-Apr-2020 14:36

eracode:

@handle9 The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro might really suit you - comes out next month. Has latest ‘new’ scissor-mech keys (i.e. back to scissors after they ditched the butterflies) same as the recently revamped MacBook Air, 1 mm travel, backlit, full-size keyboard with trackpad for the new track/mouse support. Looks very cool.

https://www.apple.com/nz/ipad-keyboards/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184929/apple-magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-trackpad-hinge-price-release-date

That really appeals to me, too.

The price of a new iPad Pro and magic keyboard combined really scares me though...

$2467 for a 256GB iPP 11" with Magic Keyboard and Pencil (2nd Gen)

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Handle9

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#2452346 1-Apr-2020 15:41

eracode:
@handle9 The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro might really suit you - comes out next month. Has latest ‘new’ scissor-mech keys (i.e. back to scissors after they ditched the butterflies) same as the recently revamped MacBook Air, 1 mm travel, backlit, full-size keyboard with trackpad for the new track/mouse support. Looks very cool.

https://www.apple.com/nz/ipad-keyboards/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184929/apple-magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-trackpad-hinge-price-release-date

It looks great but it's not compatible with the 10.5 inch iPad pro and the price is quite frankly ridiculous.

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Handle9

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#2452349 1-Apr-2020 15:45

Handsomedan:
clicknz:

Hi - I’m curious if you have tried Keynote as an alternative to PowerPoint? I find it a much more elegant piece of software and easier to work with (on the Mac you can import PP files into Keynote (plus you can export presentations as PP files... but there may be some formatting errors). I’m not sure whether you can do this on iOS.

I use Keynote when I use my iPP. It's much more efficient on an iOS device than any MS app. It converts nicely to PP when on PC so yes - it does work on iOS.

As above that isn't a starter for my use case. I need to use PowerPoint, I produce a lot of PowerPoint for other people and have no interest in dealing with and strange compatibility issues which always happen.

If you are 100% in the apple world I can see the appeal but for me it doesn't work.

Handle9

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#2452535 1-Apr-2020 18:15

Handsomedan:

eracode:

@handle9 The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro might really suit you - comes out next month. Has latest ‘new’ scissor-mech keys (i.e. back to scissors after they ditched the butterflies) same as the recently revamped MacBook Air, 1 mm travel, backlit, full-size keyboard with trackpad for the new track/mouse support. Looks very cool.

https://www.apple.com/nz/ipad-keyboards/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184929/apple-magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-trackpad-hinge-price-release-date

That really appeals to me, too.

The price of a new iPad Pro and magic keyboard combined really scares me though...

$2467 for a 256GB iPP 11" with Magic Keyboard and Pencil (2nd Gen)

Apple gear is expensive but to be frank the pricing for the keyboard is ridiculous. $550 for the 11 inch is just obscene.

Fortunately there will be third party options come out which will probably be superior, I’ve always found the keyboards on the Logitech cases to be far better than the apple ones.

eracode

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#2452656 1-Apr-2020 22:12

Handsomedan:

eracode:

@handle9 The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro might really suit you - comes out next month. Has latest ‘new’ scissor-mech keys (i.e. back to scissors after they ditched the butterflies) same as the recently revamped MacBook Air, 1 mm travel, backlit, full-size keyboard with trackpad for the new track/mouse support. Looks very cool.

https://www.apple.com/nz/ipad-keyboards/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21184929/apple-magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-trackpad-hinge-price-release-date

That really appeals to me, too.

The price of a new iPad Pro and magic keyboard combined really scares me though...

$2467 for a 256GB iPP 11" with Magic Keyboard and Pencil (2nd Gen)

True - you can buy a midrange MacBook Air or a starter MacBook Pro 13” for less than that.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Senecio

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#2452724 2-Apr-2020 05:38

eracode:

True - you can buy a midrange MacBook Air or a starter MacBook Pro 13” for less than that.

I was faced with that decision a few years ago. And when you put it like its hard to ignore the versatility that proper hardware and a desktop operating system can provide over a tablet. Typing this on my entry level MacBook Pro 13"!

I still stand by the statement that laptops/desktops are for content creation, tablets are for content consumption. The best solution as always it to have one of each, if means allow.

TwoSeven

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#2452916 2-Apr-2020 13:05

Senecio:

eracode:

True - you can buy a midrange MacBook Air or a starter MacBook Pro 13” for less than that.

I was faced with that decision a few years ago. And when you put it like its hard to ignore the versatility that proper hardware and a desktop operating system can provide over a tablet. Typing this on my entry level MacBook Pro 13"!

I still stand by the statement that laptops/desktops are for content creation, tablets are for content consumption. The best solution as always it to have one of each, if means allow.

It is an old school approach but it works.

These days we refer to things as devices not as laptops, desktops, mobiles. Devices generally have a purpose for what they are used for, so people will end up with a couple of different types. However, the last couple of years there is a level of overlap starting to occur which blurs the traditional boundaries a bit.

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