than you might think. One of my friends uses a mouse
with his iPad all the time because of his repetitive-
strain injuries. In many ways, the iPad an ergonomic
miracle because at its core it’s just a screen – the user
decides how they want to use it. The more flexibility it
can offer, the better.
Looking more broadly at the iPad product line, Apple
has done a great job in the past couple of years at
bringing features previously available only on the iPad
Pro to the rest of the iPad line. There’s Apple Pencil
support across the line and Smart Keyboard support on
the iPad and iPad Air. But the iPad Pro still needs ways
to differentiate itself from the non-pro iPad models.
Improving support for pointing devices will help
companies like Brydge push the boundaries of iPad
accessories, yes – but Apple could also benefit. Imagine
a next-generation Smart Keyboard that includes
cursor control, via a trackpad or other touch-sensitive
surface. I’m confident that Apple could make a pro-level
iPad accessory that would blow away the third-party
accessory makers in terms of quality – but the software
needs an upgrade to make it happen.
Finally, improving pointing-device support could
potentially open the door for an entirely new categoryBrydge is also releasing an iPadOS Trackpad for the iPadthanyoumightthink.Oneofmyfriendsusesamouse
withhisiPadallthetimebecauseofhisrepetitive-
straininjuries.Inmanyways,theiPadanergonomic
miraclebecauseatitscoreit’sjustascreen–theuser
decideshowtheywanttouseit.Themoreflexibilityit
canoffer,thebetter.
LookingmorebroadlyattheiPadproductline,Apple
hasdoneagreatjobinthepastcoupleofyearsat
bringingfeaturespreviouslyavailableonlyontheiPad
PrototherestoftheiPadline.There’sApplePencil
supportacrossthelineandSmartKeyboardsupporton
theiPadandiPadAir.ButtheiPadProstillneedsways
todifferentiateitselffromthenon-proiPadmodels.
Improvingsupportforpointingdeviceswillhelp
companieslikeBrydgepushtheboundariesofiPad
accessories,yes–butApplecouldalsobenefit.Imagine
anext-generationSmartKeyboardthatincludes
cursorcontrol,viaatrackpadorothertouch-sensitive
surface.I’mconfidentthatApplecouldmakeapro-level
iPadaccessorythatwouldblowawaythethird-party
accessorymakersintermsofquality–butthesoftware
needsanupgradetomakeithappen.
Finally,improvingpointing-devicesupportcould
potentiallyopenthedoorforanentirelynewcategoryBrydge is also releasing an iPadOS Trackpad for the iPad