Mouse support could be our favourite iOS 13 feature for the iPad Pro
We’re less than two months away from Apple’s WWDC, which is where we expect to hear the first details about the next version of the brand’s iPad and iPhone operating system.
The latest rumours suggest that one of the smaller iOS 13 features might be support for mouse input via USB-C, an addition that would further help the iPad Pro perform as a true laptop replacement.
Read more: iOS 13: Everything we know
This information comes from MacStories editor Federico Viticci who was speaking on the Connected podcast. During the podcast Viticci suggested that you’ll be able to plug the mouse directly into the USB-C port and access it via the Accessibility section of the iPad’s Settings menu. This implies it won’t be on by default, but we would certainly enable it if this did happen to be an option.
These rumours were further backed-up by developer Steve Troughton-Smith in a Tweet which you can see below.
If you missed last week's @_connectedfm, @viticci had a pretty interesting scoop that he'd been sitting on re mouse support coming to iPad as an accessibility feature. As far as I'm aware, that *is* indeed in the works. I feel like every pro user will turn that on, day one ?
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 22, 2019
As the iPad Pro 2018 is the only currently available iPad to boast a USB-C port it would be that device alone that would benefit from this. However there’s always the chance Apple could enable Bluetooth mice to work too.
After a year in which Apple focused on performance with iOS 12, iOS 13 looks like it might see a whole load of visual features added with a lot of iPad-centric features. A system-wide dark mode is rumoured, as is a redone Mail app and possibly resizable windows on the iPad Pro to help out with multitasking.
Pair that multitasking feature with this rumoured mouse support and the iPad Pro could finally start to make good on its laptop alternative promise.
While iOS 13 will likely be announced during WWDC it probably won’t get a full release until later in the year. Apple tends to seed new versions of its software just before the new iPhone comes out. This year we expect that to be the iPhone 11, alongside possibly the iPhone SE 2.
What’s your most requested iOS 13 feature? Tweet us @trustedreviews and let us know.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
