Apple Might Soon Turn The iPad Into A Hardcore Gaming Device, Says Analyst

The anticipated expansion of iPad mouse support could be a sign that Apple is aiming to take another step higher in its gaming capabilities beyond Apple Arcade. The Cupertino-based tech giant has already introduced mouse support to iPad with iPadOS, but, up to now, it still remains as an accessibility feature. BayStreet Research’s Cliff Maldonado says that adding full mouse support for iPad could make the Apple tablet more appealing for power users and hard-core gamers.

Apple is anticipated to introduce full mouse support on the iPad soon to make the tablet a gaming and productivity platform, reports CNET. The Apple iPad is slowly becoming a PC, which is a game-changer, and it means Apple is doing what consumers want the iPad to be—a device as good and as powerful as the MacBook, says BayStreet Research principal analyst and founder Cliff Maldonado. Introducing full mouse support to iPadOS has a lot of implications, Maldonaldo adds.

While Apple Arcade is the company’s most significant and boldest step into the gaming industry, Maldonado claims it appeals more to casual mobile gamers and not to hard-core PC and console gamers, explains Maldonado. With the mouse and computing power within the iPad, Apple could have its first incursion into the hard-core gaming segment, says analyst.

Apple’s latest marketing campaign is bold enough to call the iPad as a replacement for computers. While there is a chance that this positioning could affect the demand for Apple’s own PC segment, the Cupertino-based tech giant doesn’t seem to be alarmed after all so long as the consumers stay within the Apple ecosystem.

Apple is still focused on the developers and the customers, and a little shift to the hard-core gaming segment by adding full mouse support would give the tech titan more benefits and opportunities. The analyst believes that providing full-fledged keyboard and mouse support could even give competitive gamers an advantage. Maldonado believes that this step could be an ideal disruption to PC gaming.

Should the analyst’s prediction come to fruition, full mouse support could also transform iPad into a productivity platform, possibly enabling users to totally replace their laptops with the Apple tablet with its accessories like mouse and a keyboard. Apple could also position the iPad in direct competition with Google Chromebooks.