Where is the external keyboard for the iPhone?
I won’t need a laptop if the iPhone works with a bluetooth keyboard or even with a keyboard with a iPod dock built in. I know somebody has to be working on this, especially now that there is all kinds of excitement for the iPhone SDK.
BTW, I am getting a iPhone 3G when my Blackberry dies.
Inquiring minds: Do you really need it?
Me: Yes, yes, yes. Please believe me.
Here is how it stands, I either get a laptop or an iPhone so I can work on the road. My G5 is getting old so I rather spend money on a new desktop instead of a laptop as desktops are generally better for editing and last so many more years. An iPhone with a keyboard will not let me edit but I can write which is the biggest reason why I need a mobile device. See, doesn’t that make perfect sense?
Inquiring minds: You going to write on that small screen?
Me: Yes, yes, yes. Why don’t you believe me?
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Sean LeBlanc
Let me know if you find an external keyboard. My Blackberry is starting to show it’s age, and I might just buy an iphone 3G if an external keyboard of some type is available.
If not, I may wait to see what comes of other projects: OpenMoko, Google’s project, or the BlackBerry Thunder…I’m not sure if The Steve is the one who is holding back an external keyboard or what – doesn’t seem like a hard problem to solve, if Apple allows it to be solved. Of course, many users apparently DO view it as a problem, in spite of the dogma about not needing an external keyboard, which you and I know both know is hogwash.
Jun 20th, 2008
Ryan
How can there not be bigger demand for this??? It would be so much easier to reply to emails with an external keyboard. They exist for other handheld devices. I’m just so confused about why all the information on the web about this is 6 months to a year old. Maybe we’re the only people in the world who want this.
Oct 28th, 2008
Greg G
There IS quite a demand for it, which for some reason has been largely ignored by Apple. For whatever reason, the iphone was released with a downright insipid bluetooth stack (mono headsets only!) and this has yet to be fixed. There’s no reason why the iphone hardware should be unable to interface with existing bluetooth keyboards, but the software doesn’t allow it.
There are a number of possible reasons why Apple might not want to fix this.
1) Apple’s marketing is geared towards asthetics, simplicity and entertainment. They work hard to associate their products with fun, not getting work done. Making the iphone get a haircut and buy a tie (i.e. marketing it to businesses) would go against the image they’re trying to cultivate.
2) It costs money to do things. Apple won’t spend money trying to impress business/professional users. This is why we waited forever for JDK/JRE 6 support in OSX and will never see it in 32-bit OSX.
3) Why would anyone buy a Macbook Air (other than to slide it into an envelope) if you could type efficiently on an IPhone?
4) Apple still wants to believe that the iphone is a closed platform. Opening up more ways to get information in and out of it endangers this belief. Adding better I/O support also creates new ways for less competent users to screw up their IPhone.
5) Bad PR associated with admitting that there was no good reason to disable this feature (HID support is intentionally crippled).
6) ???
I’m sure there are more reasons. Until someone hacks together decent bluetooth (or even wired keyboard) support I won’t be sending any money in Apple’s direction.
Dec 13th, 2008
Staffan
Greg, it has probably not been ignored by apple, just not acknowledged, as they never acknowledge anything (well, rarely) until they have found a solution.
I am absolutely certain that there will be bluetooth or connected keyboards in a nearby future.
Not sure if it will be produced by apple though. However, i cant imagine that they would be afraid that the iphone ever will compete with macbook air, thats two completely different products.
But hopefully they could open up for external bluetooth-keyboards sooner rather than later and wait for people to hack it.
Feb 11th, 2009
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