We wrote yesterday about Apple’s new approach to iPad software, with the iPadOS. Well, we criticized the lack of mouse support which was rumored before WWDC 2019, but turns out we were wrong. It’s actually here and we have details about it below.
Right now, the mouse support on iPads is an AssistiveTouch accesibility feature. Thanks to the new iPadOS, users will be able to hook up a USB mouse to the iPads, or even an Apple Magic Trackpad. iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith discovered this functionality as the developer beta of iPadOS went live. Mouse support is available within the Assistive Touch area and it’s not very clear if the OS brings Bluetooth mice support or not.
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1135653636145590273
There is a Bluetooth devices section in the Pointing Devices settings. The cursor looks like a big circle in the video done by the dev, but there’s also a menu for cursor options, so rest easy. The iPads are moving more and more into work, productivity and creativity, as they got USB Type-C ports last year and now they’re also letting you hook up mice and USB drives, SD cards and more with full Files support.
Expect things to evolve towards laptop functionality even more in the future, as the iPads become smarter.
