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Apple Researching Pen-Based Input Recognition for Tablet Devices?
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The devices ability to recognize the difference in pen input and finger input would be paramount to its success. Using the "ink manager" to identify pen input vs gestures would aid in this process. Looks like where this is going to me anyway.
Students and artists would love this thing. A friend of mine on his 3rd year of engineering only brings his trusty ASUS tablet to school. All his physics notes, diagrams, sketches are there even uses ebooks instead of bringing 8lbs of books. He told me he was the first one that had a tablet when others had laptops but then others followed and eventually bought one.
Coming from Apple, this would sell well.
Coming from Apple, this would sell well.
Unfortunately there aren't enough students and artists that would buy it to make it a feasible business venture. It needs to have wider appeal.
People are making comparisons to the Cintiq which is great although it also means there's likely going to be Cintiq prices... and how good would it really be for artists if the screen is not IPS?
Ruahrc
I think you underestimate the demand for a device like this. The fact that many different industries could use an electronic device for note-taking and integrating with in-house databases alone means there's a huge market for this type of device, totally discounting students and artists. Any business that uses legal pads and Sticky Notes would be able to eliminate a huge waste of paper alone, not counting the fact that the data would be entered as soon as it's written, rather than waiting until it's transcribed from potentially-misplaced paper notes.
I already know that the medical field in particular would benefit by this, much less any manufacturing and construction field where a conventional desktop or notebook computer would be too big or too clumsy for ready use. If you've ever visited a hospital emergency room, you'll see where they have to roll around a portable desktop (often a laptop on some sort of cart) to enter and monitor the patient at each bed. The efficiency of the computer made carrying one around better than using the clipboards they used to carry, but they're far more difficult to transport and use when you're in a hurry.
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Turn it sideways.
You think I am that stupid lol?
I am referring to the actual hardware layout, such as a home button, volume buttons, etc. If they were to put it as it is on the iPhone, it would be more suited or designed for vertical layout even though there is an accelerometer. However, if you look at most mock-ups, they place the home button on the bottom of it in landscape or widescreen orientation. That is what I would prefer! To me it would establish it more as a digital media (iTunes Extras & LPs) device as apposed to an e-book reader. Although, even in the case of books, or iTunes LP comics, I like the 2 page landscape view better like a real book, and then if you want a bigger full page, you rotate to vertical to blow up 1 full page. But I guess we'll see what happens.
I doubt we'd see 512 levels of pressure sensitivity from a tablet stylus. We'd be lucky to have any sensitivity at all.
Even a dedicated graphics tablet with no display and no battery costs $200-$800, and is worth every penny to me as a web designer. I doubt that this would be in the same league, but an integrated tablet device would be worth a hell of a lot more than $100.
No it wouldn't. If the surface responded to any type of pressure, you'd need a display interface like in the old Palm Zire I used to own. The hard capacitive surface of the iPod beats it hands down. I just want to be able to write with a stylus on a bigger version of the iPod.
This is really funny. Suddenly a stylus is a good thing. Read the thread about the MS tablet concept. Stylus = boo in that thread
Did you ever try to write with your finger? Maybe nobody writes anymore. For me, being able to use both touch and hand writing is mandatory before I'd buy a tablet.
1) As someone mentioned, the original patent application is from 2000... TEN YEARS AGO.
2) That's why it looks Newtonish. Heck, the patent even mentions the Newton (and Windows 95).
3) Jobs said he preferred fingers for the iPhone. That doesn't mean a finger is best for all purposes or devices. It just means he was selling the iPhone at the time.
4) There's a new resistive multitouch screen that's so sensitive, it can even recognize the separate pressures of paintbrush bristles. I'd love to see a tablet with that kind of screen. Fingers, stylus, brushes. Best of all worlds.
2) That's why it looks Newtonish. Heck, the patent even mentions the Newton (and Windows 95).
3) Jobs said he preferred fingers for the iPhone. That doesn't mean a finger is best for all purposes or devices. It just means he was selling the iPhone at the time.
4) There's a new resistive multitouch screen that's so sensitive, it can even recognize the separate pressures of paintbrush bristles. I'd love to see a tablet with that kind of screen. Fingers, stylus, brushes. Best of all worlds.
well maybe it's time steve quits with this line of selling. when apple was a niche company some loved but most really couldn't care less it was quite ok to have change of heart overnight (intel crap -> intel wonderfull, flash based music device crap -> oh it's so great not to have hard disk etc etc) and the herd would follow.
it's another thing altogether now when his words are followed closely, everything he says goes on record and the sales statements that can be considered illogical and contra dictionary will be ridiculed, just because it's fun.
Well if the tablet is geared towards graphic artists, I don't think a finger would be too great as far as accuracy.
+1 Agree.
These days anything over $99 is overpriced, especially when we talking about
products: they are always overpriced, I know that as I have bought several of them so far...
I remember early in the newtons life talking to a area health service head nurse. She liked the newton not that she had one but all the doctor she worked with had been given one. Making her life much easier.
It really improved the doctors handwriting.
The newton was cool but the stylus was the a short coming. You couldn't do anything with out the stylus. Which made it very un-notebook (the paper kind) like, where you can find anything you like in the pad it wasn't till you wanted to write that that you need a pen.
The iPhone is good the other way, you can use the touch screen to do almost anything, but a keyboard just isn't the most natural or flowing way to get ideas down.
Now Pen and Touch bye bye notepad.
tab
Designers. There are quite a few of us and we'd love it.
let alone 1024.
Designers. There are quite a few of us and we'd love it.
let alone 1024.
+1 Agree.
If Apple products were truly overpriced you would not have bought them. To be viable, the pain of the purchase price needs only to be slightly exceeded by the pleasure of ownership.