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I know every time I used a highlighter on a book, I always thought "you know, I'd really rather much use a wedged shape thing that controls a disembodied pointer and roughly mimics exactly what I'm doing right now".

Cuz comeon, who needs stylusesses? They've been using those since 50,000 BC or so. I want The Future.

futurama_meme.jpg
 
"Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave"

Read the article a little closer. The patent application is from 2010. Steve Jobs died 2011. Surely Steve Jobs knew of this patent him self but Apple never found any use of it, perhaps until know with the alleged iPad "Pro".

His vision for a stylus as the main touch navigation for the iPhone was one thing, but his vision for the stylus to have other uses, was something else. I think this patent was even made when he was in charge, before he gave his position to Tim. (I think, can't remember when Tim took over)

So this patent we see here was made when Steve still lived. It may not be the Stylus we will see with the iPad Pro but still. It shows.
 
Just as well Steve Jobs is no longer alive:


Apple are certainly copying and following the others if they do launch a Stylus for the iPad.

You do know people use a tablet for things they don't use their phone for, right? You also know he was against the idea of a stylus being the main input device, right?
 
OK, so they are catching up to MS, not Samsung in this instance. In other contexts they have copied Samsung

In what way? A phone with a bigger screen?

Or is this another case of 'all companies do x, but when Apple does x it shows its not innovative/a copycat'?
 
Ming-Chi Kuo is wrong 80% of the time. Why does anyone keep posting his garbage?

They should have Score card with his past and future predictions. My first iPhone was a 5s, then I fould and followed this site through the iPhone 6 and watch predictions. Can't honestly say I put a lot of stock in the predictions anymore.
 
...because they work so poorly.

I've spent upwards of $500 buying styli for my iPad, and none of them has worked satisfactorily. They now lie abandoned in my bottom desk drawer. I finally ended up buying a Surface Pro 3, and it is fantastic for the kinds of detailed notes, drawings, and annotations that I need to do.

I dropped about $250 on ipad pen options--and then tooks a flyer on a heavily discounted SP1 for $500. As they say in the apple world--'it just worked".
 
You do know people use a tablet for things they don't use their phone for, right? You also know he was against the idea of a stylus being the main input device, right?

And you do know iOS is in no way shape or form designed for a stylus and never was or has been, right? Try the Surface Pro or the Galaxy Note and you will see what the Stylus do apart from pretty drawings and the way they are integrated into the OS.
 
I love how some people are being purposely obtuse here. Everybody knows exactly what Steve Jobs meant.
 
In what way? A phone with a bigger screen?

Or is this another case of 'all companies do x, but when Apple does x it shows its not innovative'?

I dont follow phones closely, but i am under the impression Samsung introduced the first larger phones. I do follow tablets, and here clearly Samsung lead the way with a larger form factor and an active digitizer.
 
"Steve Jobs is rolling over in his grave"

Read the article a little closer. The patent application is from 2010. Steve Jobs died 2011. Surely Steve Jobs knew of this patent him self but Apple never found any use of it, perhaps until know with the alleged iPad "Pro".

So this patent we see here was made when Steve still lived. It may not be the Stylus we will see with the iPad Pro but still. It shows.

Okay. Here's the conundrum. Fingers are obviously the end all be all of tablet interaction per the Word of Steve, the fact the iPad doesn't have a built in digitizer yet, and always factual subjective opinion. But some people need a fine point to write notes, draw, and do all that other stuff.

So what do you do? What could Apple give us that's an elegant combination of both? The on-hand ever-readiness of your fingers, with the precision of a stylus?

...I believe I have the answer.

BugleFinger.jpg
 
To be honest, iOS is poorly designed from an engineering perspective.

Really? How so? It works fine for me for most things, but then again I'm not trying to use my iPad as a PC. I use a PC every day at work. It's the last thing I want to use when I'm not working.
 
The Steve Jobs quote in context means nothing in relation to a possible stylus option for a new iPad. Also, he never saw consumers with a static set of desires so meeting a different market at different times with approaches that he currently derided was pretty usual business. Apple's timing has been pretty stellar before and after Steve Jobs as can be seen by its insane success. Also, Steve Jobs deserves a lot of respect and the culture he helped create at Apple is still there to some degree so speaking about what he thought was a good direction is still relevant.

The "if you see a stylus they blew it" line was probably true at the time, but it's clear his understanding was that seeing a stylus meant it was using tiny hit targets for buttons that required a stylus. That's no longer the case as Apple helped convert the entire world of small device input to finger multitouch. If you see a stylus now, chances are it's a secondary input.

A stylus as an _optional_ input is a great idea and already exists in several forms. Sadly the iPad doesn't have proper hardware support for them and Apple changing that will be great for professionals that can use it. This _is_ rumored as an iPod _Pro_ after all.

iOS is going to be primarily about finger and voice input for a long time and I personally wouldn't want that to change to stylus, but I'm also looking forward to a stylus that Apple might introduce.
 
Just as well Steve Jobs is no longer alive:


Apple are certainly copying and following the others if they do launch a Stylus for the iPad.

As they filed a patent for it in 2010, how exactly is it copying products released in 2013/14?

When iPhone was released, everyone copied it. Now people seem desperate to paint a picture of Apple copying everyone else.

Sometimes, like any company, Apple sees what others are doing and realises it needs to get in on the action to survive.

They were worried about phones replacing the iPod so built the iPhone. Streaming has picked up, so they've purchased Beats Electronics. Why don't people cite these instead of clutching at straws with 'big screen phones? Styluses? Apple has lost it!'
 
And you do know iOS is in no way shape or form designed for a stylus and never was or has been, right? Try the Surface Pro or the Galaxy Note and you will see what the Stylus do apart from pretty drawings and the way they are integrated into the OS.

I really think Samsung is the only company committed to the pen for navigation--its heavily embedded in the os overlay. In windows--the pen largely works as a mouse, some times not: it is not really consistant. I guess you could argue the surface pen click to open oneNote is os navigation--
 
I dont follow phones closely, but i am under the impression Samsung introduced the first larger phones. I do follow tablets, and here clearly Samsung lead the way with a larger form factor and an active digitizer.

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.
 
Yes, he hated stylus and made a tablet and phone OS entirely around the idea of never using a stylus....

He hated the idea of using a stylus as the primary means of interaction.

And you know what? I agree with him. I remember those old stylus driven phones. They were a pain to use.

But that doesn't mean styluses are entirely useless, and should be avoided entirely. They're still, and likely always will be, the perfect tool for certain types of tasks.
 
As they filed a patent for it in 2010, how exactly is it copying products released in 2013/14?

When iPhone was released, everyone copied it. Now people seem desperate to paint a picture of Apple copying everyone else.

Hasn't wacom had this tech implemented since the late nineties? Apple and nTrig are both follow on developers
 
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