Got Typos? Blame your iPad
Yes, we all adore our iPads, but there is near universal agreement that the popular tablet’s keyboard is not up to snuff. According to The Register, the problem may lie not with the user or even with the iPad’s touchscreen keyboard, but with the device itself.
Register Reader Dave Addey took matters into his own hands (literally!), creating a slow-mo video that shows the iPad failing to register his keystrokes properly when communicating with a variety of applications.
An iPad key turns grey when a keystroke is registered. Yet in Addey’s test a number of his keystrokes are not sent by the iPad to the application in use. The iPad may be expecting the application’s autocorrect feature will be able to fix the errors on the fly, but that wasn’t the case for Addey.
To test the iPad, Addey typed a paragraph that was unfamiliar into the device using Pages. His typing contributed three errors, but the keyboard made a whopping 20 mistakes, of which autocorrect fixed only eight.
Real typos are green, blue were spotted by autocorrect, red remained
(credit: TheRegister)
Addey repeated his test using Notes and Mail, and found similar results, which means that the issue isn’t specific to Pages alone, and could be found throughout iOS.
For our readers who are unwilling to watch all 12:21 of the video, I suggest skipping to about 5:18. Watch as Addey types the “h” in “thankless” — while the key lights up grey, as it should, the letter fails to appear on the screen, and the autocorrect feature does not pick up the error. Those with near infinite patience can watch carefully as he types the beginning of the second sentence. Even after watching him type it several times, I’m still not exactly sure how it is supposed to read.
While Addey’s test represents results from just one individual, it’s intriguing because so many users find typing on an iPad with any fluidity to be nearly impossible.
It will be interesting to see if others can repeat, and possibly confirm, his results. We at PadGadget will also be watching with interest to see how keyboard overlays such as the Touchfire Keyboard Overlay and the iKeyboard affect users typing experience on the iPad once both products are more readily available in the marketplace.