Apple Predicted to Launch Optional Stylus Accessory Alongside 12.9-Inch 'iPad Pro'

[occollegeboi420]

Yeah, I find that funny considering Google and Android phones wouldn't even exist in their current form without iPhone.

It's not like the iphone was ever the first touch screen phone, or smartphone, or just a phone at all for that matter either.

 

[Tech198]

It's getting there

This probably also ties in to the fact its "larger screens" (probably a main part of it)

Why would u need a stylus on a small screen when u can use it on a large one ?

It would also explain why never had this out before too, because the hardware didn't need it. It was too small a display.

But now with 9-inch and larger.. it makes more sense...

 

[thekeyring]

It's not like the iphone was ever the first touch screen phone, or smartphone, or just a phone at all for that matter either.

No, but it was argubaby superior touch technology, and a different UI, which popularised touch based phones over blackberry-like phones.

 

[Rogifan]

It's not like the iphone was ever the first touch screen phone, or smartphone, or just a phone at all for that matter either.

It was the first phone with multi-touch.

 

[Renzatic]

It was the first phone with multi-touch.

It was the first successful multitouch phone, but wasn't the first with that feature on the market. I think there were one or two before it.

If KDarling reads this, he'll probably post some pictures.

 

[huschpuscheli]

i saw this concept of a haptic pen years ago. i guess apple's will work like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk-ExWeA03Y

 

[urda]

It's not like the iphone was ever the first touch screen phone, or smartphone, or just a phone at all for that matter either.

You are aware that iPhone made Google go back and redesign Android completely right?

So actually, it basically is.

Citation: http://bgr.com/2013/12/19/original-iphone-android-story/

 

[Takeo]

Steve also thought a 3.7" phone was the perfect size. He's been wrong MANY times

And he was right. And still is. Anything over 4" is a ridiculous size for a phone.

 

[Rogifan]

It was the first successful multitouch phone, but wasn't the first with that feature on the market. I think there were one or two before it.

If KDarling reads this, he'll probably post some pictures.

Yes I'd be curious to know which phones for sale prior to iPhone featured capacitive screens with things like pinch to zoom and inertial scrolling. The first LG Prada was single touch.

Note: I'm not arguing that Apple invented multi touch or anything like that. So no need for anyone to reply to this with the history of multi touch.

 

[apolloa]

I said "products" not "tablets". But since you mentioned Sony--they did introduce a windows 8 tablet with ntrig pen in 2013--it was called the tap 11. Also--the Sony duo 13-- is still the best hybrid tablet with pen computer. Sony closed pc operations in late 2014.

Now, try googling Dell Venue.

Actually you said:

But Samsung was the first to introduce a pen into phones

But thanks for the info on the Sony tablets as I didn't know that.

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Wasn't there jokes about the Tab Pro being in response to the runored iPad Pro?

I know rumours are rumours but this might be similar to what's happened with the Watch: Apple begin work on a new idea/iteration and before they've finished and released it, someone else has had the same idea.

I say might: undoubtably they don't sit with their head in the sand. They could have a Tab and a Surface on campus and be thinking 'crap, we need to be competitive here' or else 'this would be so great but they lack x which we could build...'

Actually smart watches have existed for years, long long long before Apple ever 'invented' one, Apple are most definitely following the market and playing catch up with smart watches.
And no, I don't believe for a second Samsung launched a product based on 'rumours' made up by analysts, I live in the real world.

See.. I didn't want to get into this argument..

 

[spinedoc77]

You mean copy Mac OS X? Surely you don't think Apple has to look outside of their own software to know what multi-window support is, do you? 🙄



If the iPad Pro is even more powerful than the Air 2, a lot of "desktop" type Photoshop tasks should be doable right on the tablet.

The comparison to the Surface isn't being fully stated. Part of the "power" of the Surface Pro is supposed to be running desktop x86 type apps - those things either require a mouse and keyboard or they require a stylus to be accurate enough pointing at things never intended for fingers.

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, actually I'm not really sure what you mean at all. 😛. Do you mean Apple will "copy" OSx? Well then it would be OSx wouldn't it? Or at least to a certain degree. 🙄 I'll predict it's nowhere near OSx for the simple reason that Apple makes a large part of its money convincing consumers they need a laptop with OSx on it AND an ipad with iOS on it. In any event if they do multi window I'll bet it's very reminiscent (copied) from Samsung.

By the way many of the desktop programs on the surface are optimized for fingers, they are a blend of traditional desktop and modern touch screens. Some examples include MS OneNote, PhotoShop, and soon the entire MS office suite. Even in its current iteration the MS office suite has nice big ribbon buttons and is quite usable on a touch screen. Once again though it does beg the question just what type of "work" are people accomplishing without a mouse and keyboard anyhow.

 

[Altis]

This will be great, if true, as it's needed to compete will all the other devices that come with a great active stylus.

Having said that, I suspect the "Pro" won't be so pro if iOS isn't modified. 3x3 folders and no split-screen or multitasking on a nearly 13" screen, and a price that will likely approach MBA territory... no user accounts, no USB, no monitor output...

I'd love for some of these things to be included but if Apple's previous and current mentality is any indication, they won't.

 

[spinedoc77]

Wait till MR coughs up the "ipad pro to have kickstand" rumor. Heads will explode

Hah, that will be Armageddon for sure. The kickstand is one of the most ingenious additions to a tablet IMO, such a simple thing yet no one ever really did it right.

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Samsung led the way? Didn't the Surface come out before Samsung's large screen tablet? And do you have any reviews or sales figures for said device? I haven't heard a lot about it since it came out and if I'm remembering correctly reviews at the time weren't that great. In many ways it seemed like a rushed product, like Samsung just wanted to get something out the door before Apple did.

Interestingly enough the very FIRST windows tablet (the newer variety with Atom cpu's) was a Samsung tablet with a Wacom digitizer and pen. That was the very first one out on the market. Obviously it ran windows instead of android though. That single day was the day my entire computing world changed and I gave my baby my ipad, right then I knew the paradigm had changed.

 

[Natzoo]

You're acting like you would be forced to use the stylus.

Back then, you were forced to use it with "smart" phones because using your finger would be annoying.

Why can't the ipad pro be like an imac, you know apple should be innovative. Why can't they make a mac into a tablet and no the ipad is nothing like that

 

[V.K.]

Sigh... Steve is rolling over in his grave 🙁

perhaps he is but I don't care. I want a well implemented stylus support to make an ipad actually useful for my work. I love my ipad air but it's almost exclusively an entertainment consumption device for me. If the new giant ipad has a well integrated stylus I will most likely buy it (and charge it to my work grant too!) even though I had no intention of doing so before. using a finger is completely unsuitable for certain tasks like drawing and note taking and people who do have to do these things a lot will definite appreciate a stylus.

I like the pen that I got with my SP3, but to be honest, with the iPad, there's a lot of hate with the stylus.

Unlike the SP3, the iPad with existing styluses, seems to be a basic blunt object, no better then the finger, hopefully it will be better when they roll it out

this is because currently ipad can't tell between a finger and a stylus. To work well an active pressure sensitive stylus is required.

 

[queshy]

A lot of people are bringing up what SJ said about styluses in the past...this is different.

This would be like an accessory, in addition to the touch screen. It could add nice new functions that people could use.

What SJ wanted to avoid was a device that relies on a stylus, which is inconvenient for a number of reasons...

 

[subjonas]

The day Apple releases a stylus for an iPad will be the day I will believe that they don't know what they are doing.
Nobody needs a stylus. There are better methods out there...

I wish Steve was still with us.

Should we draw with our minds? Or with coordinates? Or maybe use knobs like an etch-a-sketch?

 

[Wanted797]

I like this idea. Apple catering for creative and professional market. Something it's other software approach indicated they would be going away from.

Steve didn't like the idea of a stylus on a phone or tablet because 90% of people don't care, but if this is option it's at least there for the 10% of professional people who are forced to buy a computer and draw pad.

The surface needed a dam stylus because Windows 8 being a full desktop OS using your finger was impossible (hardware and software didn't work together well).

 

[Jiz]

If they do make a stylus, it will be very smart and a worth accessory I'm sure.

 

[AlecZ]

"If you need a stylus, you've failed" or something like that.

 

[Stella]

And he was right. And still is. Anything over 4" is a ridiculous size for a phone.

Except its proven the consumer prefer larger phones! Apple have been forced by demand to move to larger screen sizes.

Styluses: it depends what your using it for. General navigation why? For artists, or where precision is required, probably a good idea.

SJ is dead. The market has moved on. SJ ideas will get outdated some will last the test of time as good decisions.

 

[Michael Goff]

Hogwash.

Android does a truly atrocious job at using screen real estate because they screwed up and built their developer's kit around the idea of letting software decide how to scale elements. Today, YEARS later, Android still has crummy tablet apps. I have a 10" Android tablet (mid-2014). I virtually NEVER use the multi-tasking.

Microsoft allows you to multi-task, but honestly, it's rarely that big of a deal for me - I use that feature more when docked to my large monitors than when using my SP3 on its own. Microsoft has screwed up by not putting any effort into their app store, so there are effectively NO apps available, again, even years and years later. (I owned a SP1 as well and thought the situation would be better today. It's not.) The one thing Windows does well is allow for quick scrolling through open full-screen apps with edge gestures, but iOS does this as well. They both work great and I find it far preferable to having multiple apps open side-by-side the majority of the time.

Further, allowing side-by-side apps, which Apple will likely offer soon, speaks to nothing of the quality of the apps themselves, and how well they use the available space. In that category, nothing touches Apple because they designed the system correctly from the bottom up, and have by far the largest pool of top developers creating apps for their devices.

I'm talking about the OS level things and you're talking about third party applications. Also, how is over 180k nothing? Seriously, I doubt you have anything Windows 8 if you think the situation hasn't gotten any better. This whole response basically says "Whatever Apple does is right and everyone else is wrong". You start with saying that Android lets software do the scaling, which conveniently ignores the large swathes of software on iOS that isn't scaling right because it hasn't been updated to the newest resolutions.

Seriously, it'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Is Apple innovating or playing catch-up?


Image

Clearly innovating. Remember Apple don't always do it first but they always do it right!

It will be interesting to see what they come up with. I'm interested in the pro if it's more than simply a bigger iPad air.

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Except its proven the consumer prefer larger phones! Apple have been forced by demand to move to larger screen sizes.

Styluses: it depends what your using it for. General navigation why? For artists, or where precision is required, probably a good idea.

SJ is dead. The market has moved on. SJ ideas will get outdated some will last the test of time as good decisions.

To be fair if Jobs were still alive I'm sure that his ideas would have evolved with the times. So who knows maybe he would have come round to bigger phones.

Back in the day when I had the iPhone 4 I thought that the Galaxy S2 was too big. Fast forward to 12 months later and I was all over the original Galaxy note and I've used bigger phones since then. Likewise I thought that the iPad was a waste of money when it first launched as it was after all just a big iPhone. By 2012 I'd bought my first iPad. So people can change their minds.

 

[samcraig]

Sigh... Steve is rolling over in his grave 🙁

I doubt it. Those who think Steve was against stylus altogether - I think missed the point.

At the time, he was differentiating his product with everything else in the market. He was showing that his team worked on an os that didn't require a stylus. And used a clever sound bite.

 

[zhenya]

I'm talking about the OS level things and you're talking about third party applications. Also, how is over 180k nothing? Seriously, I doubt you have anything Windows 8 if you think the situation hasn't gotten any better. This whole response basically says "Whatever Apple does is right and everyone else is wrong". You start with saying that Android lets software do the scaling, which conveniently ignores the large swathes of software on iOS that isn't scaling right because it hasn't been updated to the newest resolutions.

Seriously, it'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.

180k what? Apps in the Windows app store? Seriously. Numbers aren't everything and that's especially the case in that store where the vast majority of the apps aren't even 2nd tier like on Android, they are 3rd and 4th tier, built by people who have no business having their apps in a legitimate store. Go to the Alternatives section here. I have given and gotten tons of advice on both the SP1 and the SP3 as well as the several Android tablets I've owned. I own 3 Windows 8.1 devices and manage a network of 75 others. I know how the operating system works. I actually think it's the best operating system Microsoft has released in years, maybe more, but it's still half-baked for tablets.

Compared to the Android and Windows, the VAST majority of apps, and everything major has its own iPad design. I'm far from thinking that Apple does everything right, but they are so far the only ones who are putting together a cohesive tablet experience. It may not do everything everyone wants, but what they have is extremely solid.