Something to look forward to: Apple has always positioned the iPad as an alternative to traditional PCs (or, at least, laptops), but without proper built-in mouse support, that comparison has fallen flat – sometimes, you need more precision than a touch screen alone can offer. It seems Apple understands that now, though. The company will reportedly be adding mouse cursor support to iPadOS 14 when it launches.
This news comes courtesy of 9to5Mac, which gained access to iPadOS 14 source code. According to the outlet, this will help iPads more closely resemble the desktop-like environment of a Mac, but without compromising on the devices' smaller, more convenient form factor.
This isn't the first hint we've gotten that Apple was planning full mouse support for iPads. As we reported last month, Apple has been working on a new keyboard design behind-the-scenes, which could launch later in the year with a built-in trackpad. If a trackpad-equipped keyboard is set to release, software-enabled mouse support is inevitable.
According to 9to5Mac, iPadOS 14's mouse cursor support will allow for changing arrow pointers (a hand for hovering over buttons, an arrow for general usage), as well as "tap to click" functionality. The outlet claims tap to click could indicate that the previously-mentioned upcoming iPad keyboards will have a "depression" system with haptic feedback.
Ultimately, none of us will know for sure what to expect until Apple begins talking more about these changes in an official capacity. Provided the coronavirus outbreak doesn't shake things up, we'll probably learn more about iPadOS 14 and its major tweaks at WWDC in a few months.