C++ singleton GetInstance() return

Question

When implementing a singleton in C++, is it better for GetInstance() to return a pointer to the singleton object, or a reference? Does it really matter?

Answer 1

The getInstance() method returns a reference since the function-static object is initialized when the control flow is first passing its definition.Also working with a reference is better: now user can not delete the singleton’s pointer. In addition, this implementation is so simple!

class CKeyboard
{
public:
    static CKeyboard& GetInstance()
    {
        static CKeyboard keyboard;
        return keyboard;
    }

private:
    CKeyboard() {}
    CKeyboard(const CKeyboard&);
    CKeyboard& operator=(const CKeyboard&);
};

http://www.devartplus.com/3-simple-ways-to-create-singleton-in-c/