I keep wondering when Apple is going to hear the alarm and respond to the real iPad keyboard wakeup call. Apple can point to touch-based apps all it wants — even going so far as to partner with IBM to help the company deliver better enterprise mobile apps — but the fact remains: Some people just want to type on their damn iPad, and Apple’s touchscreen solutions suck. I also keep hoping that Apple will turn its design acumen and considerable tech and manufacturing resources toward building a real, physical keyboard specifically for iPads.
Yeah, I totally see your point. Full-featured tablets with keyboards are just flying off the shelves.
See, the problem is that a tablet's primary appeal is the simplicity. Those who need to get more complicated work done, need something else, like a laptop.
BTW, you seem to be unaware that a ChromeBook is actually a low-end laptop and not a tablet. Comparing sales of Chromebooks to tablets is misleading and pointless. Instead, compare sales of the MacBook Air (Apple's low-cost laptop) to the ChromeBook and you'll see a very different picture emerging.
I don't believe that a lot of people want a Microsoft Surface (it's still encumbered by, well, Microsoft) . . . and I agree with you that the primary appeal of a tablet is simplicity. Nor do I disagree that complicated work is best done with a laptop.
What I had hoped to make clear is that there is a segment of iPad owners -- not "tablet" owners, but iPad owners -- who can clearly see the benefits of having an Apple-designed integrated physical keyboard. These people can do much of their work on an iPad . . . and would like to do even more -- the stuff that requires more serious typing.
As for school districts that would like to go with -- or continue using -- the iPad for all its awesomeness . . . I'm sure that some see the lack of a physical keyboard as a hinderance, hence turning to something else, like Chromebooks.
For this segment of iPad users, Apple can very easily a) let them do more work on their iPad, which they _want_ to do, and b) remove doubt about the iPad being a somewhat "limited" platform for computing in schools.
Personally, I'd really like Apple to take a stab at this challenge. I'll always have a MacBook Pro, but there's plenty of situations where I'd prefer to use my iPad only . . . but just can't quite get there. For instance, it's really annoying to lose screen space every time I want to type something on my iPad's touchscreen. I want to see Apple's physical iPad keyboard design choices, which will result in increased iPad usage from myself -- and I believe it will also result in increased usage from others, too.
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The iPad Keyboard: When Will Apple Get Real?
Posted by: Chris Maxcer August 7, 2014 07:13 AMI keep wondering when Apple is going to hear the alarm and respond to the real iPad keyboard wakeup call. Apple can point to touch-based apps all it wants — even going so far as to partner with IBM to help the company deliver better enterprise mobile apps — but the fact remains: Some people just want to type on their damn iPad, and Apple’s touchscreen solutions suck. I also keep hoping that Apple will turn its design acumen and considerable tech and manufacturing resources toward building a real, physical keyboard specifically for iPads.
http://www.citeworld.com/article/2461707/tablets/microsoft-has-lost-about-17-billion-on-surface-so-far.html
See, the problem is that a tablet's primary appeal is the simplicity. Those who need to get more complicated work done, need something else, like a laptop.
BTW, you seem to be unaware that a ChromeBook is actually a low-end laptop and not a tablet. Comparing sales of Chromebooks to tablets is misleading and pointless. Instead, compare sales of the MacBook Air (Apple's low-cost laptop) to the ChromeBook and you'll see a very different picture emerging.
Thanks for extending the conversation.
I don't believe that a lot of people want a Microsoft Surface (it's still encumbered by, well, Microsoft) . . . and I agree with you that the primary appeal of a tablet is simplicity. Nor do I disagree that complicated work is best done with a laptop.
What I had hoped to make clear is that there is a segment of iPad owners -- not "tablet" owners, but iPad owners -- who can clearly see the benefits of having an Apple-designed integrated physical keyboard. These people can do much of their work on an iPad . . . and would like to do even more -- the stuff that requires more serious typing.
As for school districts that would like to go with -- or continue using -- the iPad for all its awesomeness . . . I'm sure that some see the lack of a physical keyboard as a hinderance, hence turning to something else, like Chromebooks.
For this segment of iPad users, Apple can very easily a) let them do more work on their iPad, which they _want_ to do, and b) remove doubt about the iPad being a somewhat "limited" platform for computing in schools.
Personally, I'd really like Apple to take a stab at this challenge. I'll always have a MacBook Pro, but there's plenty of situations where I'd prefer to use my iPad only . . . but just can't quite get there. For instance, it's really annoying to lose screen space every time I want to type something on my iPad's touchscreen. I want to see Apple's physical iPad keyboard design choices, which will result in increased iPad usage from myself -- and I believe it will also result in increased usage from others, too.
--Chris