The next major iteration of iOS, at number 14, should arrive next September, along with the new iPhone 12. And for a few hours, different information has appeared on the internet about the new features that this update should include.
It all actually comes from our colleagues at 9to5Mac, who were able to inspect the code of iOS and iPadOS 14. They noticed the presence of mentions referring to aimproved mouse support on iPadOS.
Since iPadOS 13, it is possibleto use a Bluetooth mouse with your Apple tablet. But to take advantage of this feature, the configuration procedure is quite daunting and hidden in the accessibility settings. Additionally, the cursor appearing on the screen when using a mouse is a circle, which is quite unsettling for most of us who have been using PC and Mac computers for years.
But with iPadOS 14, Apple would like to change that. On the one hand, adding a mouse as a means of controlling the iPad wouldmuch simpler than in the current state. On the other hand, the operating system would display a much more classic mouse pointer,possibly arrow-shaped, similar to what we see on Windows or macOS.
According to the source, it will then be possible to experience a similar mouse control experience on iPad compared to Mac.
A few small particularities should be noted however. On the one hand, the mouse cursor should disappear after a few seconds of user inactivity, the iPad being initially a finger device. On the other hand, the cursor could change shape depending on the case. For example, by passing over a link, the arrow would transform into a hand with an extended index finger.
© 9to5Mac
Finally, without a mouse, it should be possible to perform a sort of right-click by tapping your finger twice on the screen.
All this means that Apple has decided tomake mouse support complete on iPad and accessible to everyone. On the one hand, this should please iPad users who have been reluctant to ditch their laptops to work efficiently. Plus, developers might also like it. It would indeed be simpler to port an application from iPadOS to macOS while taking advantage of Catalyst, particularly with regard to mouse interactions.
On the other hand, won't the iPad lose what made it so unique, with a whole development of functionality implemented by Apple under iOS and iPadOS to perform as many actions as possible with your finger? Or would the Apple tablet become too complex, trying to act like a PC, while aiming to remain the best tablet on the market? The future will tell us.
Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.
