Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Still Considering Offering a Stylus?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It really depends on your usage. If you're typing on a keyboard, then a large virtual one like the iPhone is much nicer than a microscopic mechanical one.
On the other hand, I love my Palm PDA, using Graffiti for text input. But Graffiti (or any kind of handwriting recognition) is painful without a stylus.
Unfortunately, they are incompatible technologies. Palm screens work based on pressure at various coordinates, so anything can be tapped against the screen. iPhones use a capacitative model, which requires the use of fingers or something that approximates the electrical characteristics of fingers.
Palm's typical plastic-tip stylus doesn't behave anything like fingers.
I assume some enterprising company will also provide a means to retrofit said tablet for sterile use. Perhaps by enclosing it in a sterile shell/wrapper that you can see/write/touch through.
They make all kinds of other electronic equipment that can be sterilized, so it would definitely be possible to make a tablet computer that way. Apple probably wouldn't do it, but others might.
I wouldn't want to be required to use one with an iPhone or a tablet, but it would be nice as an option for some applications - especially apps that involve drawing and handwriting or precision-manipulation of content.
YES! Can't wait to get my hands on a stylus, all pimped-out with swarovski crystals.
To put it another way, there's a very good reason why we stopped finger painting and invented brushes, pencils and pens.
Dell ships a stylus with the multi-touch XT2, so it's possible to have a stylus with a capacitive screen.
The "pen" as they call it fits into a hole in the side of the 1.1" thick tablet.
See http://n-trig.com/Content.aspx?Page=DuoSensePenSolutions
Attachments
I have a couple fo Pogo Sticks plus a couple of rubber tipped ones that I like better. I have not learned how to do any dragging motions with the stylus though. At the present time I use a stylus for all text inputting & my fingers for everything else. I have an iPod Touch.
I use my iPod Touch to work on data entry into spreadsheets for my tax prep & accounting business. My fingers or thumbs are up to about 5% accuracy compared to 98+% with a stylus. Neither are as good as mechanical keyboard entry, but that choice seems to be hated by many here. Just look at how bad the stylus user is treated here.
With the choice of so many stylus models that work with the iPod Touch/iPhone, what is the purpose of this patent?
So you eat with your fingers, not with utensils?
A stylus is forward, fingers are backward.
And to the the guy who loses his styluses... are you a toddler?
I'm sure if they do introduce a stylus, it'll be great, and it'll make sense. I'm also sure things that don't need a stylus, you'll be able to use your fingers.
I use a Wacom, and a real sketch pad. There's no way you can do any sort of art with a finger. I'd hope they add some way to sketch and write on the tablet.
Too bad about the stylus...
It brings to mind our ol' (deceased) HP iPaq 2215s. I still have a spare stylus or two. I found that, when I used the 2215, as often as not, instead of the stylus, I used the top end (the "button") of my ballpoint pen as a stylus. Similar effect.
What all this brings to mind, though, is the hassle of applying a 10" screen protector! Dang! That's gonna be a real booger! Bubbles!
It brings to mind our ol' (deceased) HP iPaq 2215s. I still have a spare stylus or two. I found that, when I used the 2215, as often as not, instead of the stylus, I used the top end (the "button") of my ballpoint pen as a stylus. Similar effect.
What all this brings to mind, though, is the hassle of applying a 10" screen protector! Dang! That's gonna be a real booger! Bubbles!
Didn't HTC recently file a patent for a capacitive stylus? Had a magnet on the end, which induced a current as it moved.
Jobs said:
"We don't want to carry around a mouse, right? So what are we going to do? Oh, a stylus, right? We're going to use a stylus. No. Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus. So let's not use a stylus. "
(Of course, you didn't have to use a stylus on other touch phones either, but he wasn't going to let that little detail stop him )
"We're going to use the best pointing device in the world. We're going to use a pointing device that we're all born with -- born with ten of them. We're going to use our fingers. We're going to touch this with our fingers."
(Best quick pointing device, perhaps. Not for details of course. And he didn't say fingers were the best handwriting or drawing device. )
I totally agree. He never said never. He didn't say he hated them. That was a fanboy myth that arose later.
Btw, HTC has done a cool thing with their phones: you don't need a stylus, but if you pull it out during a call, the phone automatically starts the notes app which allows text or drawing or even recording. Clever.
Jobs said:
"We don't want to carry around a mouse, right? So what are we going to do? Oh, a stylus, right? We're going to use a stylus. No. Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus. So let's not use a stylus. "
(Of course, you didn't have to use a stylus on other touch phones either, but he wasn't going to let that little detail stop him
)"We're going to use the best pointing device in the world. We're going to use a pointing device that we're all born with -- born with ten of them. We're going to use our fingers. We're going to touch this with our fingers."
(Best quick pointing device, perhaps. Not for details of course. And he didn't say fingers were the best handwriting or drawing device.
)I totally agree. He never said never. He didn't say he hated them. That was a fanboy myth that arose later.
Btw, HTC has done a cool thing with their phones: you don't need a stylus, but if you pull it out during a call, the phone automatically starts the notes app which allows text or drawing or even recording. Clever.
Well after months of tablet rumor watching...
this is one I've been very interested in. I hope that not only does this "mythical apple tablet" come with a stylus but that Apple has also worked diligently on "upping the ante" of handwriting recognition within a multi-touch device.
Yes I type must faster than I write on a laptop...but writing a quick jotted note, drawing quick graphs and small pictures within a great "notebook" program (just like taking my legal pad of paper to meetings) is very important to me. Using my iPhone to take notes during a meeting just doesn't work that well. I use my iPhone notes program to make a grocery list, to-do reminder lists etc. I want my
Slate to take the place of; my many written lists, sticky notes, meeting agendas, audition notes, reminders, lyrics to songs I've written etc. that I have scattered all over my desk, my piano, and my nightstand. I look at it as a way to consolidate my written notes into a convenient place that I can walk around and use unlike my macbook pro. (Much like I look at my TV as a way to consolidate my entire movie collection to one central device). To me this is the killer feature I'm looking for. What Apple products are to me are "creations of convenience". I'm praying this device will fill the gap that I'm looking for. I don't use my MacBook Pro to near its potential as I have an iMac at work and home. This Slate could very well be the "in-between" device for my iPhone and iMac and replace my Macbook Pro in a much needed way.
I know it's going to do all the great media stuff I want it to. Will be great to watch movies on the plane, read books (hopefully get my Forgotten Realms library all in one place and put those books in storage just like I did my dvds), read some magazines (Rolling Stones please!!!), play some games, surf the web (read macrumors, engadget, gizmodo ), fire off a quick email, yada yada yada... I have no doubt it's going to be an awesome "output" device.
But please oh please be a great "input" device as well. A "digital legal pad" if you will.... That's the convenience I'm looking for.
Haven't been this excited for a potential product since the iPhone.... Here's to the next two weeks of anticipation...
this is one I've been very interested in. I hope that not only does this "mythical apple tablet" come with a stylus but that Apple has also worked diligently on "upping the ante" of handwriting recognition within a multi-touch device.
Yes I type must faster than I write on a laptop...but writing a quick jotted note, drawing quick graphs and small pictures within a great "notebook" program (just like taking my legal pad of paper to meetings) is very important to me. Using my iPhone to take notes during a meeting just doesn't work that well. I use my iPhone notes program to make a grocery list, to-do reminder lists etc. I want my
Slate to take the place of; my many written lists, sticky notes, meeting agendas, audition notes, reminders, lyrics to songs I've written etc. that I have scattered all over my desk, my piano, and my nightstand. I look at it as a way to consolidate my written notes into a convenient place that I can walk around and use unlike my macbook pro. (Much like I look at my TV as a way to consolidate my entire movie collection to one central device). To me this is the killer feature I'm looking for. What Apple products are to me are "creations of convenience". I'm praying this device will fill the gap that I'm looking for. I don't use my MacBook Pro to near its potential as I have an iMac at work and home. This Slate could very well be the "in-between" device for my iPhone and iMac and replace my Macbook Pro in a much needed way. I know it's going to do all the great media stuff I want it to. Will be great to watch movies on the plane, read books (hopefully get my Forgotten Realms library all in one place and put those books in storage just like I did my dvds), read some magazines (Rolling Stones please!!!), play some games, surf the web (read macrumors, engadget, gizmodo
), fire off a quick email, yada yada yada... I have no doubt it's going to be an awesome "output" device. But please oh please be a great "input" device as well. A "digital legal pad" if you will.... That's the convenience I'm looking for.
Haven't been this excited for a potential product since the iPhone.... Here's to the next two weeks of anticipation...
Jobs said:
"We don't want to carry around a mouse, right? So what are we going to do? Oh, a stylus, right? We're going to use a stylus. No. Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus. So let's not use a stylus. "
(Of course, you didn't have to use a stylus on other touch phones either, but he wasn't going to let that little detail stop him
"We're going to use the best pointing device in the world. We're going to use a pointing device that we're all born with -- born with ten of them. We're going to use our fingers. We're going to touch this with our fingers."
(Best quick pointing device, perhaps. Not for details of course. And he didn't say fingers were the best handwriting or drawing device.
He also said "who wants to watch video on a tiny screen, photos are great" when the iPod photo was released in October 2004. The iPod with video was released October 2005. He complained about losing remote controls when he advertised the magnetic mount on the side of the iMacs G5, yet dropped the feature without a second thought when the aluminum iMacs came along.
I have said it before, I'll say it again: no stylus, no sale. The only reason to buy a tablet over a laptop is so that you can take written notes. Writing notes with your finger is not progress.
I think in this current era of lawsuits, Apple is only trying to cover their bases. If anything, the more patents you own, the more bartering power you have. Just because a company patents something /= they necessarily intend to use it.
don't hold your breath. because you haven't said anything that is really all that out there. you just claim to have seen, or rather have a friend that has seen, something that has been in rumors for weeks. even if the rumors are true, doesn't mean you aren't lying.
A statement like "my friend has seen the tablet and was told that it will have X that hasn't been in any of the rumors" and then it turns out true would be proof you aren't just grabbing at attention.
and as I said, of course you wouldn't give the name of the Apple Exec that goes all the way to Arkansas for treatment or the name of your friend, to protect your friend of course. well used trick, as is the one of some hot shot (in his mind) analyst claiming to know exactly what is about to be released but merely repeating the rumors that are floating around
in point of fact, Apple hasn't even announced an announcement so until that happens, you really won't be scoring any points.
I didn't say it wasn't possible. I said it couldn't work with the kind that Palm uses - in response to someone who wanted to use one.
I guess this is a matter of personal preference. I much prefer Palm text entry using Graffiti over a micro-keyboard or Palm's on-screen keyboard. But I also prefer Apple's iPhone on-screen keyboard over any other PDA/phone keyboard (virtual or physical.)
iPhone keyboard vs Graffiti? That's an interesting question, but probably moot, since it's doubtful that you'll ever have a single device offering both.
I realize that you didn't claim it was impossible - I just wanted to point out that other kinds of styli that work with multi-touch capacitive screens are already available on the mass market. You didn't make that clear.
Is it not obvious to anyone else that this is just the new POS that they are using in the apple stores?
I guess it was. Didn't go all the way to the end..
24in iMac
iPhone
Appletv
time capsule
www.avsvideos.com
I guess it was. Didn't go all the way to the end..
24in iMac
iPhone
Appletv
time capsule
www.avsvideos.com