Inability to Use Apple Pencil for Navigation in iOS 9.3 Appears to be Intentional

[M. Gustave]

Firewire, vga ports, mouse, cd drive, usb ports... remember the gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments when Apple removed those from their products?

They did it because those "features" all sucked, and were outdated ways of working/interfacing. Just like using the Apple pencil like a stylus is ultimately not the future, it's the past.

iOS is touch based, and developers need to always have that in mind, and innovate ways of making fingers work optimally in the UI. I personally have come full circle on this. Microsoft just doesn't get it, and regardless of sales figures, the "Surface" is an outdated dinosaur in many ways.

 

[Cwolk]

I agree. This is what Apple should have done from the beginning and they know it. And here's why:

1) They could have partly avoided the controversy about adding a stylus to their product, caused due to Steve Jobs hating it so much; they could have showed consumers that it was more of a writing tool, rather than just an all in one stylus, therefore bypassing accusations about Apple not sticking to core beliefs (one of which is a "no" to styluses).

2) More artists and designers would have bought it; if they marketed it as ONLY a drawing/writing tool then the public would have viewed it as more specialized in that category and it would have been more appealing for those people.

3) Then if consumers didn't like it they could have made an outcry to bring it back. Now, if consumer's don't like it, Apple will have to backtrack and change it again.

 

[samcraig]

Firewire, vga ports, mouse, cd drive, usb ports... remember the gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments when Apple removed those from their products?

They did it because those "features" all sucked. Just like using the Apple pencil like a stylus is ultimately not the future, it's the past.

iOS is touch based, and developers need to always have that in mind, and innovate ways of making fingers work optimally in the UI. I personally have come full circle on this. Microsoft just doesn't get it, and regardless of sales figures, the "Surface" is an outdated dinosaur in many ways.

If the Pencil can interact with the screen - there's no reason why it can't be used the way the user wants to interact with the interface. Just because it's a touch interface doesn't mean that the pencil cannot ALSO function as a method to manipulate either. I think it's you that doesn't get it.

I agree. This is what Apple should have done from the beginning and they know it. And here's why:

1) They could have partly avoided the controversy about adding a stylus to their product, caused due to Steve Jobs hating it so much; they could have showed consumers that it was more of a writing tool, rather than just an all in one stylus, therefore bypassing accusations about Apple not sticking to core beliefs (one of which is a "no" to styluses).

2) More artists and designers would have bought it; if they marketed it as ONLY a drawing/writing tool then the public would have viewed it as more specialized in that category and it would have been more appealing for those people.

3) Then if consumers didn't like it they could have made an outcry to bring it back. Now, if consumer's don't like it, Apple will have to backtrack and change it again.

1. You've really missed the boat on why Steve was against the stylus.

2. An artist or designer was so likely never remotely considering whether or not it was only marketing as a drawing/writing tool as long as it functioned how they wanted it to within the app they were going to use

3. How could consumers outcry to bring it back if it was never there to begin with?

 

[ateslik]

until this is substantiated as fact I'm going to relax, but it is very disruptive to stop using the pencil to navigate. In particular, Procreate annoyingly switches to a dropper tool if the pencil is held in one spot for too long, and you can't switch it back to a different color in your palette easily with the pencil. I use that as a very annoying example of a current situation that requires switching back and forth between stylus and finger, and it's terrible.

 

[DevNull0]

Firewire, vga ports, mouse, cd drive, usb ports... remember the gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments when Apple removed those from their products?

They did it because those "features" all sucked, and were outdated ways of working/interfacing. Just like using the Apple pencil like a stylus is ultimately not the future, it's the past.

iOS is touch based, and developers need to always have that in mind, and innovate ways of making fingers work optimally in the UI. I personally have come full circle on this. Microsoft just doesn't get it, and regardless of sales figures, the "Surface" is an outdated dinosaur in many ways.

I was wondering how the blind fanaticism crowd would twist this into sounding good to them. Thanks for the laugh. Navigating with a stylus is like firewire and vga. That's a good one.

 

[Brindze]

Does anyone at Apple read any of this? Is there any way to communicate to them what a TERRIBLE DECISION this is?

 

[I7guy]

Firewire, vga ports, mouse, cd drive, usb ports... remember the gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments when Apple removed those from their products?

They did it because those "features" all sucked, and were outdated ways of working/interfacing. Just like using the Apple pencil like a stylus is ultimately not the future, it's the past.

iOS is touch based, and developers need to always have that in mind, and innovate ways of making fingers work optimally in the UI. I personally have come full circle on this. Microsoft just doesn't get it, and regardless of sales figures, the "Surface" is an outdated dinosaur in many ways.

SP4 is a workhorse and what it does, it does very well. For those who need an extremely portable, powerful, windows based laptop the sp4 fits the bill. It may not be as good as drawing device as an ipp, but an ipp isn't anywhere near the form and function for those who need windows.

 

[furi0usbee]

The ghost of Steve strikes again...

 

[M. Gustave]

I was wondering how the blind fanaticism crowd would twist this into sounding good to them. Thanks for the laugh. Navigating with a stylus is like firewire and vga. That's a good one.

I'm the one laughing, mate, at all the asinine things people say the iPad should do and have. OSX, stylus navigation, USB ports, sd cards, mouse... if Apple listened to you folks, they'd be producing a hybrid of Microsucks and Samdung products.

 

[Hank Carter]

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/17/apple-pencil-jony-ive/


I think the answer lies here...

 

[Amplelink]

It's still in beta, folks. Let's not get too worked up until it's confirmed in the GM. This does seem to be an inexplicably odd decision. Or is it perhaps using the pencil as a navigating tool wears down the pencil nub/screen since it means that many more strokes across the screen by the pencil?

 

[jlc1978]

Well then it shouldn't have been in there in the first place. I find it useful. The Pencil never did everything a finger did (e.g. it doesn't activate the Notification screen in iOS 9.2), but things like selecting text and scrolling are useful features, particularly since if you already have the pencil in your hand, it's easier to scroll a list or the UI with it.

Using the pencil instead of a finger was pretty natural. I use the pencil to type as well as scroll and select text. I hope they reactivity the feature.

 

[rippley5150]

I wonder if the new ipad air will be able to use the pencil? I'm debating on upgrading from my ipad mini. Don't know if I need an ipad pro or not.

 

[samcraig]

Or is it perhaps using the pencil as a navigating tool wears down the pencil nub/screen since it means that many more strokes across the screen by the pencil?

I seriously doubt this is the reason. I'm sure Apple would love nothing more than to sell you a new pencil or ipad if you needed it. Or Applecare...
[doublepost=1456191543][/doublepost]

I'm the one laughing, mate, at all the asinine things people say the iPad should do and have. OSX, stylus navigation, USB ports, sd cards, mouse... if Apple listened to you folks, they'd be producing a hybrid of Microsucks and Samdung products.

Except your logic fails as soon as you realize that Apple's Pencil HAD this functionality since launch and is now potentially being revoked.

 

[wheelhot]

Could be the decision resulted from the idea that app developers will be lazy and optimise their IPP app interface to use with pencil only and not touch, which shouldn't be as it should be finger first and pencil as an add-on?

 

[Cwolk]

1. You've really missed the boat on why Steve was against the stylus.

2. An artist or designer was so likely never remotely considering whether or not it was only marketing as a drawing/writing tool as long as it functioned how they wanted it to within the app they were going to use

3. How could consumers outcry to bring it back if it was never there to begin with?

1. If they had limited it to SOLELY a drawing utensil then the critics would have thought less that they were going against Steve Jobs words, as it would have been a more proprietary (and different-than-a-stylus) instrument from the start instead of just one for general use. I purposefully am not reading very deeply into why Jobs did not like the stylus, because the general public isn't either and their opinion is what counts.

2. That's partly true, but based on that, theoretically, no one really makes a decision only on marketing, as they first would consider how the product fits them and their own needs. While everyone would like to think like this, they don't always and many can be persuaded just by what they hear about it. That's partly why ads work.

3. I may have not been clear; I mean to say that, if Apple had put drawing-only functionality on the pencil to begin with, then consumers might have been mad. Based on the reaction they got, Apple could have then made a decision whether to add full functionality to the pencil or not. Now, if consumers don't like it, it's harder for Apple to backtrack since they've already changed it once.

 

[Wintrmte]

A $1,000 tablet can't use the stylus to navigate? Even worse is that it obviously can and the feature is being held back. Let's hope they enable it as they ought to.

This will be in the Penicl2 product..

 

[Bubbler328]

apple.com/feedback

 

[jlc1978]

I posted feedback as well - though if it's intentional I doubt they will care. But I guess it doesn't hurt. When people see how the Pro works with the Pencil on 9.2 they are impressed. It'll really make the pencil useless - now I will need to carry two input devices - one for sketching ( Pencil) and one for underlining (some cheap 2$ stylus) - what a rip off. Usually I find the decisions to make sense, even if I don't agree. This one is just absurd.

Next up on Kickstarter, the Apple pencil magnetic stylus tip to replace the cap. Only $10 for early birds...

 

[macfacts]

You would be legally entitled to return the product for a full refund I take it?

If you accept an official upgrade that removes functionality you use and was there when the product was bought, then you are of course totally entitled to.

Yes?

Probably not. Sony did this before too with early ps3 consoles. Took away the ability to run Linux with an update. If you don't update, can't play newest games.

 

[jlc1978]

I bet they'll reverse course on this pretty quickly before the final release. While I don't have an iPad Pro or the Apple Pencil, if I did, I would be pretty miffed if Apple was adding software "enhancements" that removed some functionality from the $99 accessory I bought.

I guess Apple is considering bringing back its "Think Different" campaign and applying it to styli?

Touch Differently

 

[capathy21]

"YOU'RE NOT THE TARGET MARKET!" —Response every time someone has a complaint about an Apple product's shortcomings.

Of course I am. Is it too much to expect a "pro" tablet to be able to handle the most basic functions? The ipad is a huge headache when it comes to business type tasks. For social media, movie watching, basic note taking, Facetime, iMessage and other consumption tasks, the ipad is unbeatable. However, I have yet to see a huge difference between the Air 2 and the Pro aside from screen size and a pencil which apparently has limited functionality. It still runs a mobile OS that is completely app based, and still has to operate within the strict confines and limitations of ios. I like ios for what it is, but I'm just wondering what the pro does that lends itself to true business productivity.

 

[C DM]

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/17/apple-pencil-jony-ive/


I think the answer lies here...

And that there seems to be the answer to it all basically.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Firewire, vga ports, mouse, cd drive, usb ports... remember the gnashing of teeth, and rending of garments when Apple removed those from their products?

They did it because those "features" all sucked, and were outdated ways of working/interfacing. Just like using the Apple pencil like a stylus is ultimately not the future, it's the past.

iOS is touch based, and developers need to always have that in mind, and innovate ways of making fingers work optimally in the UI. I personally have come full circle on this. Microsoft just doesn't get it, and regardless of sales figures, the "Surface" is an outdated dinosaur in many ways.

This is a very intelligent way of thinking. Initially I was thinking about how asinine it is to remove the function to navigate with the pencil. You brought this up and I like it. If you remove the ability to rely on precision pointing with the pencil then developers won't rely on it and thus create apps that nearly require it. Pin point the ability to use a finger, as always, and leave the pencil to do what it is intended to do, draw/write.

Very good.

 

[capathy21]

It's becoming fatiguing and infuriating to remain an Apple customer these days... why do they do this crap??

Couldn't agree more. One product at a time, I'm replacing my Apple products with much more capable alternatives, most of which give you a much better bang for your buck.