What's new
Apple iPad Forum 🍎

Welcome to the Apple iPad Forum, your one stop source for all things iPad. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

How to use Dvorak layout in iPad?

Status
Not open for further replies.

twerppoet

iPad Fan
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
24,152
Reaction score
15,404
Location
Milton-Freewater, OR
I read up on this long ago when I was first learning to type. The letters are where they are due to the mechanical limitations of the first typewriters. When the keys were placed efficiently for humans the letters constantly jammed, making it, ironically, less efficient to type efficiently. By the time the mechanics improved enough to make this a non-issue the QWERTY keyboard was already so entrenched in the system (because everyone already knew how to use it and everyone sold it because everyone knew how to use it) that every attempt to replace it with a more efficient layout (of which Dvorak is the most popular) has met with little success.

BTW, I first learned to touch type on a cheap mechanical typewriter, of a design that still managed to jam every now and then.

There's more to it than that, of course, but I'm not 'that' well read on the subject, and besides this post looks to be getting over long already. Wikipedia is available for anyone who is curious. I'm sure there's a decent article there.

The following is pure opinion and very skippable: Dvorak devotees are a lot like Linux users these days. They know they have the superior product, but it doesn't seem to make any difference when confronted with the reality of human habit and the market. That may change, but it will probably be a very slow process. In fact, I expect that the Dvorak (or another efficient keyboard) will be come popular when keyboards are no longer common input method: when they are essentially a specialist's tool, because specialists are far more likely to pursue efficiency over convenience.

The reason I've never switched is that I'm too lazy and cheap to search for, buy, and learn how to use a new keyboard (habit and the market). If I ever start writing on a professional level (many thousands of words a day) I'll probably re-evaluate that decision.
 
Last edited:

Hawkeye89

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Florida
twerppoet said:
I read up on this long ago when I was first learning to type. The letters are where they are due to the mechanical limitations of the first typewriters. When the keys were placed efficiently for humans the letters constantly jammed, making it, ironically, less efficient to type efficiently. By the time the mechanics improved enough to make this a non-issue the QWERTY keyboard was already so entrenched in the system (because everyone already knew how to use it and everyone sold it because everyone knew how to use it) that every attempt to replace it with a more efficient layout (of which Dvorak is the most popular) has met with little success.

BTW, I first learned to touch type on a cheap mechanical typewriter, of a design that still managed to jam every now and then.

There's more to it than that, of course, but I'm not 'that' well read on the subject, and besides this post looks to be getting over long already. Wikipedia is available for anyone who is curious. I'm sure there's a decent article there.

The following is pure opinion and very skippable: Dvorak devotees are a lot like Linux users these days. They know they have the superior product, but it doesn't seem to make any difference when confronted with the reality of human habit and the market. That may change, but it will probably be a very slow process. In fact, I expect that the Dvorak (or another efficient keyboard) will be come popular when keyboards are no longer common input method: when they are essentially a specialist's tool, because specialists are far more likely to pursue efficiency over convenience.

The reason I've never switched is that I'm too lazy and cheap to search for, buy, and learn how to use a new keyboard (habit and the market). If I ever start writing on a professional level (many thousands of words a day) I'll probably re-evaluate that decision.

Your understanding of the QWERTY keyboard is about right.QWERTY was designed to slow down the typists, because of the jamming.

I chose to learn to type with Dvorak, so I do Not want to learn QWERTY, and I feel Apple would be wise to add Dvorak to the iPad which has to be easy, since the have added so many other keyboards on the iPad, and the include Dvorak on OSX.
 

freebirdforever

iPF Novice
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
1,523
Reaction score
24
Location
Florida
Website
senshudo.tv
Your understanding of the QWERTY keyboard is about right.QWERTY was designed to slow down the typists, because of the jamming.

I chose to learn to type with Dvorak, so I do Not want to learn QWERTY, and I feel Apple would be wise to add Dvorak to the iPad which has to be easy, since the have added so many other keyboards on the iPad, and the include Dvorak on OSX.

So your saying that Apple should include something because you want them to or because you refuse to try something new? Or am i reading this wrong?

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk
 

PCUK

iPF Novice
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
Messages
103
Reaction score
3
Location
Devon, England
If they won't add the most essential item of arrow keys then I can't see them adding something that many people have never heard of.
 

Hawkeye89

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Florida
freebirdforever said:
So your saying that Apple should include something because you want them to or because you refuse to try something new? Or am i reading this wrong?

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk

I am saying that Apple should add Dvorak because doing so makes the iPad much easier and more effective and efficient, and it should not be difficult for Apple to add Dvorak, since they did so long ago with OSX.
 

TriumphNut

iPF Noob
Joined
May 11, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
Arlington, TX
Yes, I see that the iPad 3 can be changed with the software. I want an external honest to goodness keyboard that I can pull the key caps and convert it to Dvorak, just as I've done since 1986 (Mac Plus). It's about time to replace my Mac G4 Quicksilvers and I plan to use the iPad as a quick reference and eBook tool. Everyone that I've contacted about the wireless keyboard's Key Caps ... have said only 'DUH' so far. RHB
BTW Steve Wozniak uses the Dvorak Layout. ALSO, the Worlds Speed Typing Championship is held by a Dvorak user.
 

Evan_J

iPF Noob
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
United States
Dvorak in iPad

Late to thread, but I have no idea why Apple wouldn't include Dvorak among multiple other keyboard layouts. Apple has supported Dvorak since the mid-1980s, when they added a hardware keyboard layout switch to toggle between QWERTY and Dvorak on the IIc. It has been supported to my knowledge as a standard feature in every version of Windows as well. There would be no cost to Apple, and it can't consume more than a few bytes of memory to store the entire layout. No, you can't touch type on the screen, but having the same layout keeps one from having to learn or re-learn QWERTY just to be able to frequently type short messages on screen without an external keyboard. Even using 2 fingers and looking at the Dvorak screen would be faster than hunting for the keys on the weird and unfamiliar QWERTY layout, for us dedicated Dvorak users.
 

scifan57

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Messages
34,979
Reaction score
23,105
Location
Regina,Canada
Evan_J said:
Late to thread, but I have no idea why Apple wouldn't include Dvorak among multiple other keyboard layouts. Apple has supported Dvorak since the mid-1980s, when they added a hardware keyboard layout switch to toggle between QWERTY and Dvorak on the IIc. It has been supported to my knowledge as a standard feature in every version of Windows as well. There would be no cost to Apple, and it can't consume more than a few bytes of memory to store the entire layout. No, you can't touch type on the screen, but having the same layout keeps one from having to learn or re-learn QWERTY just to be able to frequently type short messages on screen without an external keyboard. Even using 2 fingers and looking at the Dvorak screen would be faster than hunting for the keys on the weird and unfamiliar QWERTY layout, for us dedicated Dvorak users.

There is an app available that gives you a Dvorak keyboard layout. Search the app store for Dvorak keyboard for iPad.

image-1930566526.jpg
 

Agent_137

iPF Noob
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
You don't need an app. It's built in now. I don't know how long it's been built in though; I just got my first iPad today.

To turn it on, I went to Settings --> General --> Keyboard --> International Keyboard --> Choose a Hardware Keyboard Layout --> Dvorak

It works perfectly anytime I'm using the hardware keyboard.

There still is no built in option for the software keyboard, but Dvorak is useless for a software keyboard anyway since you can't touch type on it anyway.

System specs:
  • iOS 5.1.1
  • iPad Model MC705LL
  • Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad (presumably would work with any hardware keyboard though)
 
Last edited:

thewitt

iPF Novice
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Messages
1,627
Reaction score
73
Support for a hardware Dvorak keyboard has been in place since iOS 3.2
 

Darryn

iPF Noob
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Melbourne, Australia
"There still is no built in option for the software keyboard, but Dvorak is useless for a software keyboard anyway since you can't touch type on it anyway."

This is the opinion of a qwerty user I am sure.:)....I have great difficulty with the soft keyboard as the keys are all in the wrong place
 

Mickey330

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
Messages
11,890
Reaction score
2,226
Location
Western NY state (USA)
This is an old discussion in an old thread. Therefore, this thread is now closed. Thanks for your understanding.

Marilyn
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Most reactions

Latest posts

Top