What are the chances of this working with Air 2?
Not likely. I re-watched the presentation, and they said something about special sensors in the iPad Pro. I doubt the Pencil will work on a device that doesn't have these sensors.
A more interesting question is what other Apple devices will get this support in the future. I think it's logical to assume that future versions of the smaller iPads will. iPhones and iPod Touches would be nice, but I'm not expecting that.
So a $100 pen and all you can really do with it is draw? How many people draw on their ipad on a regular basis?
Not a majority, but quite a lot. And they will definitely appreciate this device.
Jobs quote about tablets and stylus: "If you need a stylus, you already failed". ...
I just watched that video. As with everything else, context is key.
The first Jobs quote in the video was talking about handwriting recognition. I remember that interview. It was justifying the use on an on-screen keyboard instead of handwriting (e.g. Apple Newton and Windows tablets from that time) or gesture-scripts (PalmOS and Pocket PC). He was pointing out that you need a stylus for these input methods, but a virtual keyboard doesn't.
The second quote was talking specifically about Tablet PCs of the day and the Pen technology in Windows - which could not be operated without a stylus (or a mouse, I suppose). I used them. They sucked. That's why they didn't sell many of them.
In all cases, he was describing the basic functionality of the OS. The Apple Pencil is a specialized input device and is not at all required for basic OS functionality.
100 bucks tho.....seems a little steep.... but I'm sure people will pay it.
They won't pay $100 for a metal tube with rubber on the end, like all of the styli sold for other touchscreen devices. But the Apple Pencil is a precision input device. It's easily worth $100. A graphic tablet with similar capabilities can easily cost that much.
There are actually pressure sensors in the device itself. Are they needed? No, not if the screen can sense pinpoint pressures accurately enough. But does it allow for a more custom experience? Yes. And there're actually 2 tilt sensors in the thing too. So quite a bit of tech to give a fairly thorough replication of the drawing/writing experience.
If I remember the presentation correctly, the pressure sensors for the screen are global. That is, they measure overall force, not force at a single point. If you want to distinguish the pencil's force from your fingers' force (remember, you can use both at once - the video even showed that) then you need something beyond what it uses to detect finger pressure.
I'm asking without having double checked, but aren't the pressure styluses on those devices powered by the tablet? They act like little antennas, don't they?
I know of some graphic tablets that power the stylus/puck from the pad. Yes, they put an antenna coil in the stylus/puck, which gets energy from a field generated by the tablet, in much the same way RFID/NFC tech works.
I think that is a great idea for a device that can draw power from a host computer or has a power brick like a Wacom tablet. I think it may not be a good idea for an iPad. Maintaining the field for powering the pencil is going to be a drain on your battery.[/QUOTE]