People don't seem to get that Steve was right about his approach then, and Apple is right now. At the time the iPhone was created, Apple had a few obstacles to navigate: First, nearly everyone understood a "phone" to be something other than what the iPhone was. It was largely for this reason that the original iPhone needed to be small -- it had to somewhat resemble what people expected a phone to be, and there was no precedent whatsoever for carrying around a large-screen device in one's pocket or holding it up to one's ear to talk. Second, there was originally no app store for iPhone and very little sense of what would later be possible with phone apps. Third, the obvious points of comparison to the iPhone were the Palm Pilot and the Newton (and various related devices), both of which were stylus-driven niche devices.
Apple thus had to differentiate the iPhone from the stylus-driven niche devices, it had to create something which people would think of as a replacement for their portable phones (then ironically-called "feature phones"), it had to create a sense of immediacy and usability, and it had to encourage good habits by future developers (who history had already shown would gravitate toward extremely small interface elements if stylus use were an option). By making a stylus not even an option, Apple was able to ensure usability, to make interface elements large enough for people to use with their fingers, and to not require people to carry around or become adept with any other tool. The iPhone could fully replace a person's phone and he or she would then discovery everything else it could do.
Things change, though, as the article observes. While one-handed use was essential for the early success of the iPhone and hardly a detriment for the apps that existed at that time, everyone now is comfortable with the concept that a "phone" is a mini-computer more than it is a device for conversing orally with someone. Apps have changed hugely. And social barriers regarding the use of larger devices for traditional "phone" use have largely disappeared. Most importantly, developers now understand that user-interface elements have to be capable of finger touch control, so introducing a stylus now will add something without taking away something else (usability). I therefore think we can say with fairly high confidence that neither larger screens or styluses contradict Steve's earlier reasoning, which was simply focused on different considerations specific to that time. The best stylus for most purposes remains our fingers, but Apple rightly recognizes a modern use-case for larger screens and an actual stylus.
Apple thus had to differentiate the iPhone from the stylus-driven niche devices, it had to create something which people would think of as a replacement for their portable phones (then ironically-called "feature phones"), it had to create a sense of immediacy and usability, and it had to encourage good habits by future developers (who history had already shown would gravitate toward extremely small interface elements if stylus use were an option). By making a stylus not even an option, Apple was able to ensure usability, to make interface elements large enough for people to use with their fingers, and to not require people to carry around or become adept with any other tool. The iPhone could fully replace a person's phone and he or she would then discovery everything else it could do.
Things change, though, as the article observes. While one-handed use was essential for the early success of the iPhone and hardly a detriment for the apps that existed at that time, everyone now is comfortable with the concept that a "phone" is a mini-computer more than it is a device for conversing orally with someone. Apps have changed hugely. And social barriers regarding the use of larger devices for traditional "phone" use have largely disappeared. Most importantly, developers now understand that user-interface elements have to be capable of finger touch control, so introducing a stylus now will add something without taking away something else (usability). I therefore think we can say with fairly high confidence that neither larger screens or styluses contradict Steve's earlier reasoning, which was simply focused on different considerations specific to that time. The best stylus for most purposes remains our fingers, but Apple rightly recognizes a modern use-case for larger screens and an actual stylus.
