A larger screen gives Apple's iPad Pro a more fully-featured virtual keyboard
The onscreen keyboard with Apple's iPad Pro includes a dedicated number and character row, as well as buttons for caps lock, tab and more, taking advantage of the device's spacious 12.9-inch display.
The full array of virtual keys, essentially matching what users would find on a standard physical keyboard, can be accessed in both portrait and landscape modes when typing on the iPad Pro.
The include the ability to tap (or temporarily hold) shift while pressing a number key to input the symbol located above it. Keys for plus, minus, equals, dash, backslash, brackets, colon, semicolon, apostrophe and more can be found on the expanded virtual keyboard.
Apple also prevents accidental pressing of the new caps lock button by requiring that users hold their finger down on it for a short period. Simply tapping the caps lock button will not enable it.
When switching to the numeric and symbol keypad (by pressing the ".?123" button to the right of the spacebar), more symbols can be accessed, including currencies and even an ellipses button. In this keyboard, buttons on the far left include undo and redo options.
While the virtual keyboard has gained a great deal, it also loses one key feature: the split keyboard option.
With the iPad Air and iPad mini, users can take two thumbs and drag the keyboard apart to allow easier access for typing. That's not possible with the iPad Pro, presumably because Apple feels the device is too large to simultaneously hold and type on.
The onscreen virtual keyboard does automatically disappear once a user connects a hardware keyboard to the Smart Connector. It is replaced by a small menu bar at the bottom of the screen that includes QuickType suggestions, and shortcut buttons to font adjustments, where applicable.
The full array of virtual keys, essentially matching what users would find on a standard physical keyboard, can be accessed in both portrait and landscape modes when typing on the iPad Pro.
The include the ability to tap (or temporarily hold) shift while pressing a number key to input the symbol located above it. Keys for plus, minus, equals, dash, backslash, brackets, colon, semicolon, apostrophe and more can be found on the expanded virtual keyboard.
Apple also prevents accidental pressing of the new caps lock button by requiring that users hold their finger down on it for a short period. Simply tapping the caps lock button will not enable it.
When switching to the numeric and symbol keypad (by pressing the ".?123" button to the right of the spacebar), more symbols can be accessed, including currencies and even an ellipses button. In this keyboard, buttons on the far left include undo and redo options.
While the virtual keyboard has gained a great deal, it also loses one key feature: the split keyboard option.
With the iPad Air and iPad mini, users can take two thumbs and drag the keyboard apart to allow easier access for typing. That's not possible with the iPad Pro, presumably because Apple feels the device is too large to simultaneously hold and type on.
The onscreen virtual keyboard does automatically disappear once a user connects a hardware keyboard to the Smart Connector. It is replaced by a small menu bar at the bottom of the screen that includes QuickType suggestions, and shortcut buttons to font adjustments, where applicable.
Comments
Never used the split keyboard. I wouldn't even consider it a key feature to most users. Am I alone?
Yes, you are absolutely alone. Everyone is using it. Absolutely.
What if... you could use the iPad Pro keyboard to input text into your AppleTV?
It will also make the Apple Pencil more useful too.
Think I'll wait...
This is supposed to be a "pro" iPad, but where are the Ctrl and Esc keys?
the pencil already has levels of force. 3D Touch is for fingers, which do the touching in its name.
Never used the split keyboard. I wouldn't even consider it a key feature to most users. Am I alone?
Nope. It's kinda silly.
I'm going out a limb here and take the first as sarcasm... But then again, English is not my first language!
And yes, I tried the split keyboard when it launched in iOS 5, I believe, not my thing... literally "all thumbs", worst typing ever!
A lot o people bash the iPad as a "content consuming" device, which I disagree. I work a lot on it. I type almost as fast in it as in my aging notebook, with the advantage of no stuck keys. The supposed lack of tactile feedback is a non issue for me, at least. The iPad Pro looks like a great upgrade to my iPad 2.
Too bad it will sell for more than 2000 US dollars here in Brazil... that's a bummer for sure!
Talking about "fully-featured" whatever... Do you want a total fully-featured computer? Then get a Mac!
Never used the split keyboard. I wouldn't even consider it a key feature to most users. Am I alone?
I use it all the time on my iPad Air. When you're holding the iPad with both hands and typing with your thumbs, it's essential.
Good question ... Is it perhaps because iOS isn't dependent on those keys the way OS X is?
This is supposed to be a "pro" iPad, but where are the Ctrl and Esc keys?
And where's that damned serial port? You can criticize things the iPad Pro lacks, but a missing Ctrl key it's an especially valid choice.
Good question ... Is it perhaps because iOS isn't dependent on those keys [Ctrl and Esc] the way OS X is?
Think outside the brick. When managing a remote OS X or Linux computer, Ctrl and Esc are ["for many, many people"] essential.
With the on-screen keyboard being a "soft" keyboard, iOS really ought to provide more flexibility/customizability. (And I'm not talking about anything so silly as keyboard extensions that don't function without being given permission to log your every keystroke and access every resource on your device--this from the "privacy" guards at Apple.)
This is all very nice. But I still think that the key to clear the screen of the keyboard is too wide. Same thing for the number shift keys. If they made the keyboard key narrower, and the number shift key narrower, on both sides, and the emoji, keyboard key narrower, they could move that .com key to the left side, and put arrow keys on the bottom right. That would be a great thing to have back.
Maybe they should just offer a way for users to configure their own keyboard (just as is done with browser toolbars on the desktop versions of most browsers these days). A customizable keyboard would allow for the creation of text macros and other timesavers.
Why the invective? Jeez I am close to giving up on AI so many people have lost the art of civil conversation. I agreed with you it was odd but wondered if Apple might not consider them critical to iOS. Then again maybe there is something we don't know about the keyboard yet.