Marcin WicharyFeb 25
Did Apple explain why they abandoned the snapping/magnetic/shape-changing iPad mouse pointer announced in 2020, and went to a more traditional arrow last year?
Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 25

Answering my own question:

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/208 starting at 8:45, but there’s no explanation, just the sort of “we’ve always been at war with eastasia” one expects from Apple’s polished statements.

Elevate the design of your iPad app - WWDC25 - Videos - Apple Developer

Make your app look and feel great on iPadOS. Learn best practices for designing a responsive layout for resizable app windows. Get...

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Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 25
For comparison, the 2020 video: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10640/
Design for the iPadOS pointer - WWDC20 - Videos - Apple Developer

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Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 25
You bet I’m writing a blog post.
Show threadMarcin Wichary3d ago
Here we go: https://unsung.aresluna.org/the-curse-of-the-cursor
The curse of the cursor – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadJochen Marschall2d ago
@mwichary
Very nice, thank you!
There’s probably a lot more to be said in the history of other systems. I think some experimented a bit and also all came back to the Kay approach. I always thought by being on an angle, the cursers stays out of the way while still being precisely on point.
1/2
Show threadJochen Marschall2d ago

@mwichary

One story I’d like to add. This is more in the category of mouse trails and shake to locate.
I installed the Master Control Program (yes, MCP) on my AmigaOS 3.1 in the mid 90s. This allowed me mouse actions I had not seen anywhere else before. The curser disappeared when I started typing or I could scroll in an unselected window just by moving the mouse curser over it.
2/2

Show threadMarcin Wichary
@ritchey_de Thanks! I recognize the first thing from the first Mac, but can you tell more about the second? Do you mean scrolling with the scroll wheel without the window having focus?
Mar 22 at 11:51pmWeb