Journey to design the perfect mouse pointer for iPad so that even 'fuzzy chickens' can easily use

It can be said that the updated version of iPadOS 13.4, which Apple just released in March, is almost entirely focused on the experience of using the mouse on their tablet products. Apple senior vice president of software, Craig Federighi said Apple has spent a lot of time researching this feature to bring the most complete and easy experience to users, though previously have they tried using a mouse or trackpad on an iPad or not.

In a recent interview, Craig said: ' We designed the mouse pointer on the iPad so that it retains the original touch and does not need to change too much in terms of UI (user interface) ". .

The latest iPadOS update focuses on the user's mouse experience on iPad.

Not only did Apple re-use the mouse cursor on a Mac, but it completely changed the design and mechanism of operation of the mouse version for the iPad. Specifically, this mouse pointer is just a very small dot, which appears when you touch the trackpad, not on the screen like computer mouse products. The desktop version is great, but Apple thinks the iPad needs a completely different experience.

" We have always focused on the idea of ​​touch pointing, " says Craig . We want to bring the same experience as on Apple TV. When dealing with paragraphs, the cursor on the iPad needs to be more responsive and accurate . ' The end result shows that the mouse features on the iPad seem to be synthetic and inspired by so many different software interfaces.

Craig went on to explain: ' We have accumulated experience from tvOS, along with the knowledge gained after years of producing Macs, the interface on the iPhone X and the first iPads. Combining all of this, we were able to create a completely natural and suitable mouse feature for the iPad . '

Mouse on iPad is a product of a series of previous devices that Apple has ever produced.

One of the features that makes the mouse cursor on the iPad special is its versatility. As mentioned above, this pointer is just a small dot (by default) to simulate the user's fingertip. But when dragged to the application icons, it will immediately transform into other shapes to cover these icons.

Craig said: ' At the beginning of mouse pointing research, we thought it was most important to provide an easy touch experience, and accuracy was not the most important goal when users were active. at the main screen. However, saying so does not mean that we completely ignore this issue. Accuracy is still carefully designed, especially when you handle tasks like editing text . '

In addition, Apple must also calculate in detail every operating environment of the mouse on the iPad, for example on the website, because each site has a different interface and mode of operation. They understand that not all web developers are willing to change to serve new mouse cursor on iPad. So they need a mouse system that can work with most websites today.

The mouse cursor on the iPad does not emphasize accuracy when users are on the main screen, but once it has stepped in to handle tasks such as editing text, it also becomes as fast as the trackpad on Macbook products. .

Finally, Apple also pays special attention to the experience of people who have never used a mouse on an iPad. They will not need to learn any new action, simply enjoy the ability to flexibly change between touch directly on the screen and mouse easily. After all, Apple doesn't want to destroy iPadOS on its own - one of the best touch operating systems it has ever made.