For years Apple has been trying to brand the iPad as a computer, and since then, it's been hard to see their vision. That is until Apple added support for an external keyboard and mouse. Suddenly that vision is a little closer. So, let's look at your options for an external keyboard and mouse, see how they work, and if it's a good fit for you.
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The simplest way to get started is by picking up a cheap Bluetooth keyboard, say around $15. Then pair it to your iPad by putting the keyboard into pairing mode and selecting it from the list of found Bluetooth devices. Once it says "Connected" next to your keyboard you are ready to take advantage of a whole slew of features and convinces that an external keyboard brings.
For one thing, the iPad has a pretty small screen. And, once that on-screen keyboard pops up, it doesn't leave much room to work with. But, with a connected external keyboard, the on-screen keyboard is replaced with a shortcut menu that hovers over the home bar. What appears on this menu changes based on where you're typing. For instance, if you're in a text editor, like Notes, you may get QuickType and text formatting options. In other apps, you may only get dictation and quick access to the keyboard settings.
Beyond just typing text, you also have access to most of the keyboard shortcuts you're familiar with on macOS. For instance, you can use the same Cmd + Z to undo, Cmd + X to cut, Cmd + C to copy, and Cmd + V to paste. Although, if you're not already familiar with these shortcuts, you can hold down the Cmd key to see a full list of supported shortcuts for the app you're using.
You can take those shortcuts a step forward if you find a made-for iPad keyboard. These keyboards typically have a row of function keys that serve as shortcuts to iPadOS features, like playback controls, screen brightness, and dedicated home and multitasking buttons.
However, a keyboard is nothing without its mouse counterpart. So, once you pair your mouse to your iPad, the same way as the keyboard, you will see a little dot floating around the screen.
This is a place I think Apple did a great job of bringing a pro feature to the iPad in a uniquely iPad way. You see, the cursor doesn't work exactly as it does on a desktop computer. Instead, it is made to simulate you touching the screen. Notice, that as it moves across the screen, it conforms to the buttons a user would touch. Then, you can left-click to select that button, as you typically would. You can also right-click, which simulates a long press giving you access to those hidden long-press menus in, once again, a uniquely iPad fashion. On the other hand, you can pair a trackpad that uses the same gestures as if you are touching the screen. This means you can swipe across the trackpad with four fingers to slide through multitasking, swipe up with four fingers to close an app, or scroll using two fingers.
For a better experience, you can dive into Settings to make adjustments for a more personalized user experience.
For starters, you can customize the keyboard by going to Settings, General, Keyboard, and Hardware Keyboard. Here, you can make changes specific to your external keyboard. Say, if you prefer that iPadOS does not auto-capitalize, you can flip that switch. However, these settings only change for the external keyboard, not the on-screen.
You can also make adjustments to your trackpad by going to Settings, General, and Trackpad, where you can change the speed, scrolling direction, and clicking options. If you prefer to disable gestures, you can go to Settings, General, Gestures, and flip the "four and five finger swipe" off.