Touch/Type Cover - Is having one essential?

[deldalton]

So you code on an iPad using the onscreen keyboard? That's rather impressive.

Not exactly, lol. I just meant general typing ...

Special characters--I'm not sure what you mean by that (how special is special?).

By "special" I simply mean the symbol characters like brackets, full stops etc. Which are, typically, on a secondary page accessible by tapping the "symbol" button. But, on a physical keyboard the symbols are usually easier to access by holding the shift key.

 

[drolem]

I apologise for the lack of use information in my opening post.

I will mostly be coding, with occasional drawing or other forms of digital art.

It is the price that's put me off slightly, but the idea of the tablet was to increase my productivity; not hamper it so if a keyboard is essential I'll get one. But, I've never had an issue touch typing on an iPad, so I'm not convinced it'll cause me any problems without it.

I'll most likely be using the Surface on my lap, perhaps with my knees raised so I expect that the keyboard may get in the way.

But, coding will have me regularly utilising special characters (brackets, periods etc). Is it easier to access special characters on a physical keyboard compared to the on-screen keyboard?

The on-screen keyboard is good enough for occasional typing such as entering username/password -- but not sufficient for coding, writing, data entry, etc. You need to have a more or less real keyboard for those, whatever they may be.

You can use actually use a real, full size keyboard and mouse through a USB hub if you find the type or touch cover over priced. (which is what I do when I use mine on my desk. The type cover is usually for travel, even if it's just to a meeting. Since the covers double as protectors, it makes sense to get one of them.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I wouldn't want to be without my Type Cover... it's a great accessory.

If you ever plan on taking it anywhere it's nice to have as an actual cover as well. I'm not a big fan of typing on-screen and certainly wouldn't want to have to do that full time.

 

[deldalton]

Everyone seems keen on the Type cover. Has anyone had any experience with the Touch cover? Why is the Type cover preferred?

 

[kristalsoldier]

Everyone seems keen on the Type cover. Has anyone had any experience with the Touch cover? Why is the Type cover preferred?

In my experience (which is greater on the TYPE cover than the TOUCH cover), the biggest advantage is the nature of the keyboard. Surprisingly, the TYPE cover is rather good as a keyboard (and I am particular about keyboards given that I use ThinkPad keyboards all the time). The first generation of the Touch cover was not all that responsive (to me - others have had a different experience). I attribute this to the number of sensors that the first gen Touch Cover had which was around 90 (going by what Panos said recently). I believe the new version of the Touch cover is much better given that they have increased the number of sensors manifold (I am sure if you search on Youtube or Google, you will get the details).

Nevertheless, for me my RT is a key element in my work process, which involves a lot of writing - and, I mean a lot!!!! It is because of this reason that I opt for Type cover since to me it is virtually the same as using a "normal" keyboard.

But as in all such things, YMMV.

 

[oion]

Everyone seems keen on the Type cover. Has anyone had any experience with the Touch cover? Why is the Type cover preferred?

The Type cover has actual moving keys with a 2.5 mm keystroke (Type 2 will be reduced to 1.5 mm). The Touch cover has 0 mm keystroke; it's a flat sheet with slightly raised bumps.

I'm leery about losing 1mm keystroke, but maybe it'll work out for me. Normal scissor-switch low profile keyboards have 2mm keystroke, after all.

 

[jnjroach]

I'm a daily user of the Touch 1 cover, and I like it but with that said, the Type 2 is going to be about the same thickness of Touch 1 so I'm moving in that direction. Also Type 2 is getting the colors this time

 

[deldalton]

I liked the idea of the Touch cover because I thought that the Type cover would be significantly bulkier, and I wanted a tablet not a laptop. But, I'd still like something sturdy. Looking at the Touch 2 and Type 2 covers I'm actually swaying towards the latter. It's still incredibly thin, looks lightweight, and looks more solid than the Touch 2 cover. Of course, I can only go by the pictures and information I find online at the moment.

I think I'm going to wait until they start appearing in stores in the UK. Then, I can see how I get on without it and actually check them out in person before committing.

 

[kristalsoldier]

I'm a daily user of the Touch 1 cover, and I like it but with that said, the Type 2 is going to be about the same thickness of Touch 1 so I'm moving in that direction. Also Type 2 is getting the colors this time

Tell me about it!! I love the purple one - though I note that I still can't pre-book it on the MS site!

 

[KDA617D]

Introducing a different aspect. My type cover keyboard produces the letter 'y' when I press 'z' - a perception before the sun is over the yardarm! Any help with this anomaly much appreciated.

 

[oion]

Introducing a different aspect. My type cover keyboard produces the letter 'y' when I press 'z' - a perception before the sun is over the yardarm! Any help with this anomaly much appreciated.

This is either a problem with the keyboard itself or.... ..... actually, I can't think of when a keyboard would be mismapped unless the wrong keyboard layout was chosen upon setup.

Checking from Wikipedia:

The QWERTZ layout is fairly widely used in Germany and much of Central Europe. The main difference between it and QWERTY is that Y and Z are swapped, and most special characters such as brackets are replaced by diacritical characters.

Sounds like you're in QWERTZ mode? Could try this to change keyboard layout.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Everyone seems keen on the Type cover. Has anyone had any experience with the Touch cover? Why is the Type cover preferred?

You should find a store to try them out... the Touch Cover is just horrible imo. It looks nice sure, but I find it quite annoying to type at any length with.