Is touch typing even taught anymore? In some ways the typing class I took in High School (1963, thanks Miss Nauman) was of more practical value than any other. I have used that skill practically every day of my life.
I never learned to touch type in a class (I type around 75-80 words a minute, give or take). I learned to touch type by playing a MUD about 16 hrs. a day back in the day. All of a sudden, without realizing it had happened until that moment, I noticed that I was just typing without looking down. It just happened out of practice and necessity.
Not everyone has the same needs as you. I could easily picture a use for an iPad Mini with keyboard.
In fact, I fully expect that at some point, Apple will offer an iPad Pro which has a physical keyboard but is otherwise an iPad. If they do that, it would probably be 10" at first, but there's no reason they couldn't exend it to 8", as well.
You need a MacBook Air, not an iPad. There you have your iPad pro 11".
Can someone explain to me the positive argument for the purchase of an iPad along with an always-attached keyboard vs. getting an Air?
Not me. I find the touchscreen keyboard quite useable, and I don't want the extra cost or carrying weight of an iPad keyboard to mess up the portability of the iPad. A tablet keyboard might make sense for someone who is a touch-typing maven who relies on tactile sensation of physical keys.
You need a MacBook Air, not an iPad. There you have your iPad pro 11".
Not even close. The MBA is much heavier and has much shorter battery life. Furthermore, it doesn't have a touch screen which many people prefer for playing games and such. it is also more complex to use (some people STILL get lost with file management on full blown computers).
They're entirely different products.
The iPad Pro would be for someone who wants the minimum weight possible and maximum battery life, likes playing games and using apps on the iPad, and who types long messages regularly (either texting or email). I believe that's actually a significant number of people.
I have never typed more than 45 words per minute. There are two finger typists out there who seem to really type fast. They don't even need to keep their eyes on the keyboard. I doubt they will be anywhere near as fast as a good touch typist but they really get the job done. This Belkin small keyboard would probably work for such people. I learned touch typing in high school. It is a great skill, but I wish I could do two Finger typing as fast as a friend of mine. Such a skill on a tiny keyboard would possibly be faster. A touch typist would be making mistakes and correcting them whereas a two finger typist would be moving along steadily without mistakes. The closely spaced keys would give the two finger typist an advantage.
… In fact, I fully expect that at some point, Apple will offer an iPad Pro which has a physical keyboard but is otherwise an iPad. If they do that, it would probably be 10" at first, but there's no reason they couldn't exend it to 8", as well.
I think you could be right about this, except I would argue that the keyboard will always be detachable otherwise it isn't really a tablet at all.
An iPad only slightly larger than the current full sized one (say the same relationship as the mini is to the full size one), would give a height of roughly 11" which is the minimum size of a full-size touch keyboard. Such a device would have keyboard case options that turn it into a full-sized laptop. The onscreen virtual keyboard of such a device would also be full-sized and ready for touch typing.
It might also have a sort of desk-top "cradle" that it could sit in, and lean over at a few preset angles. Alternatively, the desk itself, instead of being furniture that a computer sits on, could become a bluetooth "accessory" for docking a tablet computer with built in keyboards/extra storage etc. In a very short time, the whole idea of buying a "computer" to sit on a "desk" might be old hat except for specialist uses.
I don't understand it myself. If you really needed a keyboard the way to go would be a full size Bluetooth keyboard.
Sure. Two separate items to keep track of. Two chargers to keep track of. Two devices to keep charged. Holding a keyboard AND an iPad on your lap would be very difficult. An MBA is much more expensive, harder to use, and heavier than an iPad, as well, so that's not a solution, either.
It amazes me how so many people have absolutely no imagination.
There are millions of people who like iPads and who find that the iPad is all they need. They don't need the weight and size and expense of a full blown MBA. All they want is an iPad with an easier way to type than the onscreen keyboard (which is fine for short messages, but clumsy for lengthy emails). An iPad with attached keyboard would be an easy step up from the iPad for people who don't need a full computer.
Small keyboards don't _have to_ be unusable. Yes, many of the netbook keyboards were bad, but I used to have an HP Mini, and the keyboard on that was perfect. They somehow managed to make the key spacing feel as if it was normal sized.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Huber
Is touch typing even taught anymore? In some ways the typing class I took in High School (1963, thanks Miss Nauman) was of more practical value than any other. I have used that skill practically every day of my life.
I never learned to touch type in a class (I type around 75-80 words a minute, give or take). I learned to touch type by playing a MUD about 16 hrs. a day back in the day. All of a sudden, without realizing it had happened until that moment, I noticed that I was just typing without looking down. It just happened out of practice and necessity.
You need a MacBook Air, not an iPad. There you have your iPad pro 11".
Quote:
Originally Posted by onClick
You need a MacBook Air, not an iPad. There you have your iPad pro 11".
That's what I was thinking.
Not me. I find the touchscreen keyboard quite useable, and I don't want the extra cost or carrying weight of an iPad keyboard to mess up the portability of the iPad. A tablet keyboard might make sense for someone who is a touch-typing maven who relies on tactile sensation of physical keys.
Not even close. The MBA is much heavier and has much shorter battery life. Furthermore, it doesn't have a touch screen which many people prefer for playing games and such. it is also more complex to use (some people STILL get lost with file management on full blown computers).
They're entirely different products.
The iPad Pro would be for someone who wants the minimum weight possible and maximum battery life, likes playing games and using apps on the iPad, and who types long messages regularly (either texting or email). I believe that's actually a significant number of people.
I have never typed more than 45 words per minute. There are two finger typists out there who seem to really type fast. They don't even need to keep their eyes on the keyboard. I doubt they will be anywhere near as fast as a good touch typist but they really get the job done. This Belkin small keyboard would probably work for such people. I learned touch typing in high school. It is a great skill, but I wish I could do two Finger typing as fast as a friend of mine. Such a skill on a tiny keyboard would possibly be faster. A touch typist would be making mistakes and correcting them whereas a two finger typist would be moving along steadily without mistakes. The closely spaced keys would give the two finger typist an advantage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
… In fact, I fully expect that at some point, Apple will offer an iPad Pro which has a physical keyboard but is otherwise an iPad. If they do that, it would probably be 10" at first, but there's no reason they couldn't exend it to 8", as well.
I think you could be right about this, except I would argue that the keyboard will always be detachable otherwise it isn't really a tablet at all.
An iPad only slightly larger than the current full sized one (say the same relationship as the mini is to the full size one), would give a height of roughly 11" which is the minimum size of a full-size touch keyboard. Such a device would have keyboard case options that turn it into a full-sized laptop. The onscreen virtual keyboard of such a device would also be full-sized and ready for touch typing.
It might also have a sort of desk-top "cradle" that it could sit in, and lean over at a few preset angles. Alternatively, the desk itself, instead of being furniture that a computer sits on, could become a bluetooth "accessory" for docking a tablet computer with built in keyboards/extra storage etc. In a very short time, the whole idea of buying a "computer" to sit on a "desk" might be old hat except for specialist uses.
Sure it could. Apple could make it a convertible.
I don't understand it myself. If you really needed a keyboard the way to go would be a full size Bluetooth keyboard.
Sure. Two separate items to keep track of. Two chargers to keep track of. Two devices to keep charged. Holding a keyboard AND an iPad on your lap would be very difficult. An MBA is much more expensive, harder to use, and heavier than an iPad, as well, so that's not a solution, either.
It amazes me how so many people have absolutely no imagination.
There are millions of people who like iPads and who find that the iPad is all they need. They don't need the weight and size and expense of a full blown MBA. All they want is an iPad with an easier way to type than the onscreen keyboard (which is fine for short messages, but clumsy for lengthy emails). An iPad with attached keyboard would be an easy step up from the iPad for people who don't need a full computer.
What's so difficult to understand about that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Sure it could. Apple could make it a convertible.
To me that would be a laptop not a tablet, but … semantics. Not worth arguing about.
Belkin reviews? Since when did AI become iLounge?
The Logitech is much better- where is it's review? Did Belkin pay AI for this?
I am an owner of a Logitech. It turns my iPad mini into a netbook if I want and it is excellent to type on. It fits into a sleeve.