Here’s something that I could really, really use in iOS 5: better hardware keyboard support on iOS. Don’t get me wrong, I love how the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard supports brightness, volume, and playback controls, but we really need access the iOS task switcher with some sort of keyboard shortcut, and I can’t see how that would be terribly complicated to implement in a software update. In terms of key combinations, Cmd+Tab (Mac equivalent of Alt-Tab comes to mind, but I think that even the largely unused escape key would do.
Basically, this would help me solve a major disconnect in the experience of using the iPad as an upright netbook-like device. Having to reach for the home button isn’t a chore, but what I’m proposing is a feature that’s so simple and straightforward that I cannot fathom why Apple didn’t include it to begin with. After all, so many functions that are absent on the touchscreen keyboard work just fine when you attach a hardware keyboard to the iPad. I’m able to indent paragraphs with the tab key, insert pöïntlëss umlauts with alt + u, and use Cmd + an arrow key to move the text input point around.
Please, Apple, for the love of all that is commandy and tabby, please bring better hardware keyboard support with iOS 5. This new little tablet of mine is on the cusp of awesomeness, and all your programmers need to do is add one little shortcut…
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