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thisisnotmyname

macrumors 68020
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Oct 22, 2014
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Hi Folks,
Waaaay back when I had one of the first smart phones. It was used with a stylus (just a thin piece of plastic) and had a pretty weak plastic screen. That resulted in a very scratched up screen very quickly and degraded the experience. I haven't used a stylus since and obviously there's a HUGE difference between those early soft plastic screens and gorilla glass but wondering if someone with more recent experience can comment on their experience using a stylus on glass. Does it leave little scratches over time? Should I be putting some sort of screen protector on so there's a consumable between the pencil and screen?
Thanks.
 
The answer is yes and no. I doubt the stylus itself will have any harmful effect on the screen. However, as another poster pointed out in another thread, anything that gets embedded in the nib of the stylus or is laying on the screen surface, has the potential to scratch the screen. For instance, volcanic ash is particularly nasty. Before anyone laughs, you'd be surprised where volcanic ash turns up, as it can be carried aloft many thousands of miles.

Personally, I just make a habit of cleaning the screen often, as well as wiping the Pencil nib.
 
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The answer is yes and no. I doubt the stylus itself will have any harmful effect on the screen. However, as another poster pointed out in another thread, anything that gets embedded in the nib of the stylus or is laying on the screen surface, has the potential to scratch the screen. For instance, volcanic ash is particularly nasty. Before anyone laughs, you'd be surprised where volcanic ash turns up, as it can be carried aloft many thousands of miles.

Personally, I just make a habit of cleaning the screen often, as well as wiping the Pencil nib.

good tips, thank you.
 
We had 20 students using iPad Airs and Intuos bluetooth styluses for a semester. Twice.

I would't even waste a minute worrying about the Pencil's effect on my screen. But yes, I do keep my screen clean. My students didn't. :)

But, it's everyone's choice how to use their tools.
 
I have a glass screen protector coming tomorrow, but just because I don't like those microscratches that you can get when you look REALLY closely at a Gorilla Glass screen. Not saying Pencil will cause those, but a piece of sand on the Pencil tip potentially might.

I'm having to press harder than I'd like for pressure sensitivity in some apps right now, so for peace of mind, I'm putting a tempered glass protector on. If it's annoying or gets scratched, I can take it off and go back to stock, or put a fresh one on.

It'll be interesting to see the wear tests on Pencil tip / glass over the next few months. I'm not sure how to tell when the Pencil tip needs replacing yet. Hopefully artists that draw 5x more often than I do will be able to post an update. :)
 
i have a glass screen protector on my ipad pro. no difference with my pencil use with out without the screen. only difference now is I don't worry about scratches when using my pencil ..
 
Glass is usually a 5.5 on Mohs' hardness scale compared to plastic which 3 to 4. A softer material cannot scratch a harder material. The only variable is if iPP uses a fragile oleophobic coating like on iPhones but from reports of it being fingerprint prone and its intended use with pencil it's a good guess that the pencil will not scratch the glass. Worse case you can always resort to using the warranty since you're using it like it's intended.
 
I don't think so as both the Apple Pencil and the iPad pro are made by Apple, instead of the iPad Pro from Apple and the stylus from a 3rd party company. I have the Apex rechargeable stylus with my 6S Plus and it has some effect to the screen. I would assume that Jony Ive did his homework when developing both the iPad Pro and Pencil that no damage to the iPad Pro's display.
 
I have thought the same thing. I guess time will tell.

Given the cost to replace the screen, I believe AppleCare might be a safe option
 
I don't think so as both the Apple Pencil and the iPad pro are made by Apple, instead of the iPad Pro from Apple and the stylus from a 3rd party company. I have the Apex rechargeable stylus with my 6S Plus and it has some effect to the screen. I would assume that Jony Ive did his homework when developing both the iPad Pro and Pencil that no damage to the iPad Pro's display.
Assuming is dangerous and nearly always misleading. I hesitate to trust Apple or their execs given their current weak record of past and present quality irregularities. Between having their ego stroked by devotees that will forgive any issue citing a one of a kind aberration, Apple enjoys the freedom that comes with not being held accountable. They've spent years setting up this dynamic. There's no reason do anything different at this late date.
 
Yes, I'm pretty sure Apple's designers thought about this...

My thoughts exactly. If Apple's own stylus damages their product, well, that would just be sad. You shouldn't need a extra protection just to use the products exactly as they are meant to be used.

I've also never heard of this being a problem with the Surface Pro and its pen.
 
My thoughts exactly. If Apple's own stylus damages their product, well, that would just be sad. You shouldn't need a extra protection just to use the products exactly as they are meant to be used.

I've also never heard of this being a problem with the Surface Pro and its pen.


I raised a thread about this already a week ago. It is NOT the stylus itself that damages the screen. It is grit that is on the screen or the stylus that gets dragged across it. This doesn't happen in general with a finger because our fingers are soft and spongy. But as also reported in other threads, the amount of pressure required for the stylus in certain apps is significant. If you are unlucky enough to drag a piece of grit across the screen, it will scratch.....nothing to do with the design.

This has been a longstanding issue with Wacom's Cintiq screens which are also textured glass. Therefore artists do not opt for a screen protector because no screen protector has the correct texture to give the right feeling.

The only mitigations are
1) A massive screen protector (which could be difficult to apply) along with the risk of a change of "feeling"
2) Always slide your finger over the pencil tip to wipe off any grit.
3) Use a soft microfiber cloth and gently wipe the screen before using the pencil
 
I raised a thread about this already a week ago. It is NOT the stylus itself that damages the screen. It is grit that is on the screen or the stylus that gets dragged across it. This doesn't happen in general with a finger because our fingers are soft and spongy. But as also reported in other threads, the amount of pressure required for the stylus in certain apps is significant. If you are unlucky enough to drag a piece of grit across the screen, it will scratch.....nothing to do with the design.

This has been a longstanding issue with Wacom's Cintiq screens which are also textured glass. Therefore artists do not opt for a screen protector because no screen protector has the correct texture to give the right feeling.

The only mitigations are
1) A massive screen protector (which could be difficult to apply) along with the risk of a change of "feeling"
2) Always slide your finger over the pencil tip to wipe off any grit.
3) Use a soft microfiber cloth and gently wipe the screen before using the pencil

How about getting a tempered screen protector, then putting a matte privacy screen protector on top of it? That would give you the texture, and the protection you are looking for.
 
great responses folks (well other than our resident troll but whatever :p ). I'm not going to sweat it. Worst case Apple will follow typical patterns and I'll be replacing this in a year anyway so can't get too bad as long as I'm keeping my devices clean in the interim.
Thank you!
 
I've used an adonis stylus with a plastic point (ball pen sized e.g. jot script) on two iPads everyday for 5 hours a day for a year and no bad effects.... so I should think it will be fine.
 
Assuming is dangerous and nearly always misleading. I hesitate to trust Apple or their execs given their current weak record of past and present quality irregularities.

Such as?

Between having their ego stroked by devotees that will forgive any issue citing a one of a kind aberration, Apple enjoys the freedom that comes with not being held accountable.

That's right, they face absolutely no pressure over the quality of their products. :rolleyes:

This idea that people who buy Apple products are "devotees" is a lame ad hominem. "Oooh, we're a cult!" How edgy!

They've spent years setting up this dynamic. There's no reason do anything different at this late date.
That's correct, but you have it completely backwards. They've set up a dynamic where their products are of high quality and they have a great reputation for taking care of their customers.

And you are correct that there's no reason to think this will change with the iPad Pro. Look how much noise is made over non-issues, like "bendgate". You can be certain that if Pencils started scratching screens in mass numbers, the internet would be in an uproar. This would be similar to the screen coating issues with people cleaning their MacBook Pros with solvents (actually, that's worse, as it's at least partly the fault of the consumer), where at first there's a small uproar of affected people, then once Apple has determined it's a sufficient problem, applied a program to deal with it.

So, let's wait until screens start showing scratches before jumping the gun.
 
Such as?.
It's really quite simple, but one does need to be knowledgeable and pay close attention to Apple. Clever, masters of concealment, quick to go silent, only speaking on an issue if it becomes a major issue that draws national attention do they surface to perform damage control.

A long time Apple enthusiast that has had the pleasure of using many of their new computers prior to the iToys days, they largely did their best work until they became so successful they could roll back on due diligence to focus on the fine art of increasing profits while driving mass production numbers into the stratosphere.

I do give them credit for maintaining a certain degree of quality, even if not their best, given the break neck speed at which the Chinese workers toil to meet Apples demands. It's a sub humane task that could only be achieved under the intimidation metered out at the manufacturing plants.
 
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I didn't read everyone's response, but I have a lot of experience with styli. I've been taking all my lecture notes on my iPad for two years. In that time, I've scratched two different iPad screens. In between I used a zag screen protector. That worked great. But after a year it got messy and I was too lazy to buy a new one after I took off the old one.

The stylus brand that I used the whole time was the Addonit Jot brand. To make a long story short, the only reason the stylus scratched the screen was b/c the plastic tip that touched the screen would wear out, and the metal piece would start rubbing the.screen.

So long as only plastic touches the screen, it won't hurt the screen. Check out the Mohs Hardness for verification.
 
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there is one solution to this that would please us all..

make the screen so it doesn't leave a mark.. finger, smudge, or pen.
 
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