Microsoft adding trackpad functionality to Office for iPad

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The 12.9
Microsoft already working on adding support for latest iPadOS features.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Microsoft plans to add trackpad and mouse functionality to its Office for iPad suite of apps by the fall, according to two published reports.

The Verge and TechCrunch reported Friday that work is already underway to update Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

iPadOS 13.4 introduced trackpad and mouse support on all iPad models released in the past four to five years.

According to The Verge:

Microsoft is still planning to keep the individual Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps available on iOS, and it’s likely we’ll see cursor support emerge in the main Office app and these standalone versions, too.

Various keyboards with trackpads, including Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Logitech’s Combo for 10.2-inch iPads and the 10.5-inch iPad Air, along with the Pro+ from Brydge.

On iPadOS 13.4, the iPad mouse cursor appears as a small circle instead of an arrow. Users move it and click as normal, but get an extra level of interactivity with the iPad user interface. Mouse over a Home screen icon, for example, and the cursor gives a little wiggle and raises itself up, showing a drop shadow underneath. Mouse over a button, and it gets surrounded by a little lozenge.

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