The iPad needs...
in [UK Mac]
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From: Jim on 7 Jun 2010 12:00 On 2010-06-07, SM <info(a)that.sundog.co.uk> wrote: > Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > >> Objection: four other keys. I'd want up and down as well as left and right. > > Silly - just turn theiPad on its side and use the left right ones ;-) [laugh!] Jim -- Twitter:@GreyAreaUK "If you have enough book space, I don't want to talk to you." Terry Pratchett
From: zoara on 11 Jun 2010 08:34 Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: > zoara <me18(a)privacy.net> wrote: >> Aside from the mention of it being useful on forums (I forget who >> mentioned it and it's fallen off my feed) the consensus seems to be >> that >> cursor keys would be a better way of moving the cursor around than > > the >> current method. > > No, the cursor keys would be a useful addition for a lot of > situations. > I wouldn't want to lose the tap cursor, so an "as well" not an > instead. I assumed it was "as well", not "instead". I meant "better for moving the cursor short distances" - I just didn't say that very well. > >> I agree, but I still don't think it's something that the iPad > > *needs*. >> The whole philosophy of the iPad is about stripping out the stuff > > that >> a >> few people want and leaving just the stuff that most people need. If >> you >> and I can manage without cursor keys (even if it's not optimal) then > > I >> think most people will not be bothered in the slightest. >> >> So it might be nice to have cursor keys but I think if it did, it >> would >> be drifting away from what an iPad actually *is*. > > I really don't think so. They are just two other keys. But if Apple added "just this" and "just that" things that a minority of people wanted, you'd end up adding so much to the iPad that it would probably be a notebook! > As it is the > keyboard on the iPad is great. I am a lot faster typing on this than > my > net book - a *lot* faster. Interesting. > If it is usefulness, I am betting a cursor key would be used more than > a > euro key, or a yen key. Hmm, good point. On the iPhone these are quite hidden away (on the symbol keyboard, two taps from the main one) - presumably the same applies to the iPad? And presumably any cursor keys would have to be visible at all times? I think that makes a difference... -z- -- email: nettid1 at fastmail dot fm
From: zoara on 11 Jun 2010 08:34 Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> wrote: > On 2010-06-07, zoara <me18(a)privacy.net> wrote: >> Ugh, forgot to respond to these. >> >> Aside from the mention of it being useful on forums (I forget who >> mentioned it and it's fallen off my feed) the consensus seems to be > > that >> cursor keys would be a better way of moving the cursor around than > > the >> current method. >> >> I agree, but I still don't think it's something that the iPad > > *needs*. >> The whole philosophy of the iPad is about stripping out the stuff > > that a >> few people want and leaving just the stuff that most people need. If > > you >> and I can manage without cursor keys (even if it's not optimal) then > > I >> think most people will not be bothered in the slightest. >> >> So it might be nice to have cursor keys but I think if it did, it > > would >> be drifting away from what an iPad actually *is*. > > I agree that they'd only be useful to a few people in a few places, > for for > those people in those places they'd be *bloody* useful. But that's not how Apple operates. It's more like Android to address that sort of requirement. > I wonder how hard it > would be for apps to have a custom keyboard without having to write > one from > scratch? I don't think you can. Write from scratch or get what you're given. Some apps do have custom keyboards, though. -z- -- email: nettid1 at fastmail dot fm
From: Woody on 11 Jun 2010 08:42 On 11/06/2010 13:34, zoara wrote: > Woody<usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: >> zoara<me18(a)privacy.net> wrote: > >>> Aside from the mention of it being useful on forums (I forget who >>> mentioned it and it's fallen off my feed) the consensus seems to be >>> that >>> cursor keys would be a better way of moving the cursor around than >>> the >>> current method. >> >> No, the cursor keys would be a useful addition for a lot of >> situations. >> I wouldn't want to lose the tap cursor, so an "as well" not an >> instead. > > I assumed it was "as well", not "instead". I meant "better for moving > the cursor short distances" - I just didn't say that very well. > >> >>> I agree, but I still don't think it's something that the iPad >>> *needs*. >>> The whole philosophy of the iPad is about stripping out the stuff >>> that >>> a >>> few people want and leaving just the stuff that most people need. If >>> you >>> and I can manage without cursor keys (even if it's not optimal) then >>> I >>> think most people will not be bothered in the slightest. >>> >>> So it might be nice to have cursor keys but I think if it did, it >>> would >>> be drifting away from what an iPad actually *is*. >> >> I really don't think so. They are just two other keys. > > But if Apple added "just this" and "just that" things that a minority of > people wanted, you'd end up adding so much to the iPad that it would > probably be a notebook! I really don't think it is a minority of people. I find it an irritation every time I have to edit a bit of text. I know the iPad isn't supposed to be a creation tool, but apple do sell iWork for it, so even they are not sure what it is! >> As it is the >> keyboard on the iPad is great. I am a lot faster typing on this than >> my >> net book - a *lot* faster. > > Interesting. > >> If it is usefulness, I am betting a cursor key would be used more than >> a >> euro key, or a yen key. > > Hmm, good point. On the iPhone these are quite hidden away (on the > symbol keyboard, two taps from the main one) - presumably the same > applies to the iPad? And presumably any cursor keys would have to be > visible at all times? I think that makes a difference... Well, there is quite a lot more room on the iPhone. I would also go as far as saying they are not needed on the iPhone, but on the iPad text input requirements are different -- Woody
From: Jim on 11 Jun 2010 08:49
On 2010-06-11, Woody <usenet(a)alienrat.co.uk> wrote: >> >> But if Apple added "just this" and "just that" things that a minority of >> people wanted, you'd end up adding so much to the iPad that it would >> probably be a notebook! > > I really don't think it is a minority of people. I find it an irritation > every time I have to edit a bit of text. > I know the iPad isn't supposed to be a creation tool, but apple do sell > iWork for it, so even they are not sure what it is! I can imagine them being damn useful in Numbers. Jim -- Twitter:@GreyAreaUK "If you have enough book space, I don't want to talk to you." Terry Pratchett |