Apple really doesn’t want us thinking about touchscreen MacBooks—and Sidecar proves it

I’ve been using iPads for so long that my hands automatically expect to do some things when I see one, even when I’m using one as an external display for my MacBook with Apple’s new Sidecar feature. But Apple only indulges this muscle memory so far.

When I’m “running” macOS on my 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Sidecar, I can reach over to the iPad’s display and use my fingers to scroll through websites in Safari or documents in Pages. I can even use some iPadOS multi-touch gestures, and Sidecar performs these fluidly when the Mac and iPad are on the same network. If I’m just scrolling, it’s wonderfully convenient.

But if I use my finger to try to click a link on that same page? Nothing. I have to waste time either dragging my mouse pointer over to the display or picking up my Apple Pencil. This makes no sense. The technology is clearly there. And what about if I tap on a gigantic icon on the dock or on a file on the desktop? Again, nothing.