The iPad’s Onscreen Typing Solution Isn’t A Solution At All

Before launch, we spent a lot of time thinking about how you might be able to type on the iPad, seeing as plain onscreen keyboards one 10-inch tablets are just, well, awkward. But apparently, Apple doesn’t think so.

The above left image was a crude mockup, and it was supposed to illustrate a problem, not a solution. The above right image is what Apple actually released. Here’s what Brian had to say about it in our hands-on:

Typing in portrait is better than anticipated but still quite a stretch for our average-sized hands, which means that letters like F G and H will take a moderate conditioning for some. What about in landscape mode, sitting flat on the table? Well this is problematic too, as the iPad sort of wobbles. The back is not perfectly flat, meaning your typing surface is never perfectly flat, so the virtual keyboard becomes that much more difficult to use.

Sounds passable for a media consumption device, but seriously, this thing’s got its own version of iWork – you’re supposed to type on it. That explains the giant hardware keyboard attachment, I guess!