In my opinion, the iPad's real inherent weakness is text entry. It's the problem that causes all the other problems, including the mouse dilemma.
Compared to laptops, the iPad has inherent strengths and weaknesses. The strengths are obviously its versatile form factor (slate can be held, mounted, touched, drawn on) and high portability (usually smaller so it can be taken to more places). The weaknesses (of tablets in general) are poor text entry, less information+controls on screen at once (because of touch UI and screen size limitation), less power (because of device size limitation), and using it on a surface is more cumbersome as it requires a stand accessory. All these disadvantages are probably negligible for most people--except I believe for text entry.
Using the virtual keyboard takes away half your screen real estate. Plus to use it even remotely quickly you have to put the iPad down and use two hands which requires some sort of stand and, more importantly, negates one of the key strengths of using an iPad. And even then it's not as fast and accurate as a physical keyboard. If you use a physical keyboard, you again have to put the iPad down and lose one of the key strengths of an iPad, and also stand it up which basically changes it back into a laptop form factor but without a solid base, and without a pointing device which is the most efficient way to navigate with a horizontal keyboard and vertical screen--hence the widespread complaints for mouse support.
The reason for all of this is that we are using a keyboard on a form factor it was never designed for.
Say for a moment, Apple somehow gave the iPad a better form of text input well-suited for tablet use--requiring only one hand, not taking up a significant portion of the screen, and comparable to a physical keyboard in speed and accuracy--the iPad could then sufficiently replace laptop functionality for most people while retaining all of its inherent strengths, and not requiring any transformation or borrowing input methods from other form factors. It would be ideal.
But of course such a text input solution is very difficult, maybe even impossible, otherwise it would have been done by now. Handwriting recognition, voice dictation, and other innovations like Swype--all fall short for various reasons.
Realistically we're stuck with the regular keyboard, which means the only choices the iPad has is to either make another step toward being a hybrid or continue enduring the cries for mouse support. But whatever Apple chooses, if the keyboard doesn't change, the iPad has to transform and lose a key strength whenever anyone wants to do the basic task of inputting text, which I think is the real underlying problem.
Like I said, this post is pointless, since nothing can be done, but it's something to talk about.
Compared to laptops, the iPad has inherent strengths and weaknesses. The strengths are obviously its versatile form factor (slate can be held, mounted, touched, drawn on) and high portability (usually smaller so it can be taken to more places). The weaknesses (of tablets in general) are poor text entry, less information+controls on screen at once (because of touch UI and screen size limitation), less power (because of device size limitation), and using it on a surface is more cumbersome as it requires a stand accessory. All these disadvantages are probably negligible for most people--except I believe for text entry.
Using the virtual keyboard takes away half your screen real estate. Plus to use it even remotely quickly you have to put the iPad down and use two hands which requires some sort of stand and, more importantly, negates one of the key strengths of using an iPad. And even then it's not as fast and accurate as a physical keyboard. If you use a physical keyboard, you again have to put the iPad down and lose one of the key strengths of an iPad, and also stand it up which basically changes it back into a laptop form factor but without a solid base, and without a pointing device which is the most efficient way to navigate with a horizontal keyboard and vertical screen--hence the widespread complaints for mouse support.
The reason for all of this is that we are using a keyboard on a form factor it was never designed for.
Say for a moment, Apple somehow gave the iPad a better form of text input well-suited for tablet use--requiring only one hand, not taking up a significant portion of the screen, and comparable to a physical keyboard in speed and accuracy--the iPad could then sufficiently replace laptop functionality for most people while retaining all of its inherent strengths, and not requiring any transformation or borrowing input methods from other form factors. It would be ideal.
But of course such a text input solution is very difficult, maybe even impossible, otherwise it would have been done by now. Handwriting recognition, voice dictation, and other innovations like Swype--all fall short for various reasons.
Realistically we're stuck with the regular keyboard, which means the only choices the iPad has is to either make another step toward being a hybrid or continue enduring the cries for mouse support. But whatever Apple chooses, if the keyboard doesn't change, the iPad has to transform and lose a key strength whenever anyone wants to do the basic task of inputting text, which I think is the real underlying problem.
Like I said, this post is pointless, since nothing can be done, but it's something to talk about.
