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twerppoet said:That is correct. You can not change the touch keyboard's layout to Dvorak. I believe you can find a few app in the App Store that will let you enter text with a Dvorak keyboard, but that text will have to be copy & pasted to other apps later.
Still, since touch typing on the screen keyboard is never going to be fast to begin with I kind of doubt the Dvorak keyboard layout would help that much (other than providing a more familiar layout for devoted Dvorakians).
It would be kind of like getting professional running shoes to jog on the treadmill.
Tim SPRACKLEN said:'Settings', 'General', 'Keyboard', 'International Keyboard', 'British', 'Dvorak'
Tim
Your understanding of the Dvorak keyboard is very inaccurate. The Dvorak keyboard is over 38 percent faster and over 50 percent easier to use. It is more like getting professional running shoes versus running barefoot on sharp gravel.
twerppoet said:I understand the Dvorak keyboard well enough, and just how it produces that greater efficiency. It is almost entirely about the mechanics of touch typing; more efficient key placement to distribute the work between hands, and the most common keys closest to the home rows and stronger fingers.
I think you underestimate how much a cramped, non-standard, touch keyboard is going to impact that efficiency. There have been a few, very few, people who have reported being able to touch-type with the iPad's touch keyboard with any real efficiency. Dvorak is all about making touch typing efficient.
So I maintain, that except for those few who are comfortable with holding their hands above a keyboard with 'no' contact, and have the spacial/motor skills to still be accurate that way; the primary benefit would be finding the keys where you are trained to expect them. I don't deny that there should be some improvements. Just having the more heavily used keys a bit closer together will help some; but hen pecking is hen pecking. A 38% efficiency improvement proven on a physical keyboard does not necessarily translate to the the physical and layout compromises inherent to the iPad's hardware.
It is just my opinion of course, and I have no studies to back this up. If you do, specific to the type of screen/keyboard involved, I will be happy to change my opinion.
Hold in mind I have no objection to the idea of Apple including a Dvorak keyboard. I even think they should. I believe the only reason they did not was because they were concentrating on supporting regional keyboard styles, not professional ones: They will probably get around to it eventually. You could probably help hurry that on it's way by giving them some feedback, if you haven't already.
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