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Inability to Use Apple Pencil for Navigation in iOS 9.3 Appears to be Intentional
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Probably was and perhaps some apps in the app store is optimising their UI with Pencil as the primary input which apple doesn't want.
Sounds like they kind of want a "cake and eat it too" scenario; they defied Jobs' testament that there would never be a stylus. Now they have one, but it's "not really" a stylus (it's not supposed to be, at least). That would've gone down okay if it had never had these additional functions, but by taking them away, they're just going to anger customers who had already gotten used to the full capabilities of a stylus-and-iPad. They really screwed it up, in my opinion. If they wanted this sort of "drawing tool only", they could've easily done that and made it only have drawing/writing capabilities.
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Because Apple never says anything on why they do or don't do things, we are all left to speculation only. But what wheelhot said is quite possibly why.
Perhaps they had a slew of apps get submitted to the App Store for approval that required the use of the Pencil in ways they didn't intent. Thus having to react and change things in 9.3 to avoid that in the future.
Absolutely ridiculous. If your holding the iPad with your left hand. It means you've got put the pencil down every time you need to adjust something. Its about time Jonny Ive started listening to what users need instead of continually thinking he knows best.
I'd disagree. As someone who has the iPad Pro, there is currently little reason to purchase one if you do not use the Pencil. The Pencil is the Pro's defining feature (and a fantastic one). Without the Pencil, it's just an oversized iPad, and though the size has its own benefits (videos, games, multitasking), for most people I'd bet those are not convincing enough features for the purchase price. Perhaps when iOS better supports more professional workflows, this might change.
I might agree with you that Apple never considered the Pencil to be the Pro's defining feature, given the absurd supply shortages at launch, and the lack of any place to store the Pencil either in the hardware or the case.
Yeah, that's what I was getting at in my earlier message; that there might be technical issues (I've encountered many of the same problems as you mention) that Apple has taken another look at and said, "It's better for quality and software dependability if we narrow the focus of the Pencil". I think it's the fact that they're taking this feature away that has some bad optics, as there's obviously people that are enjoying using the Pencil as navigation tool. For me, navigational input is a net positive despite the occasional glitches, and so I won't be too happy if they take it away.
Well, as mentioned before, it seems like they wanted it to be like that from the beginning: https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/17/apple-pencil-jony-ive/
Have you tried using the 3D Touch "cursor control," though (where you press down on the keyboard to move cursor in text entry field)? It almost always leaves the cursor one notch over from where it was when I picked up my finger!
That is a valid point. Though as you say, if apple can allow so many damn copies of flappy birds, I choose to ignore them, I'd like to ignore apps that force me to use the stylus to navigate.
With the amount of utter garbage apps in the App Store, I'm not seeing Apple being too worried about quality of apps at times.
1. This is a stupid decision.
2. Removing this feature which pretty much every Apple Pencil user uses and then failing completely to mention the removal is even stupider.
2. Removing this feature which pretty much every Apple Pencil user uses and then failing completely to mention the removal is even stupider.
It's a pencil not a stylus. A few weeks ago there was an article here on MR were Jon Ivy explained it that the pencil was just for drwawning. I guess the most of you read only what they want to read. And your replies says enough. Who do you think you are? You do not have anything to say about what does or does not.
They're getting greedy. It's time for all of you to understand that.
And they laught and laught.
They're getting greedy. It's time for all of you to understand that.
And they laught and laught.
Someone in lectures today was using an iPad Air with a stylus and typing on the keyboard with it, it was ridiculously slow and irritating to watch.
3D touch for this purpose has always been flaky on my phone, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Your user name makes sense now.
"The Apple Pencil is no longer able to be used for selecting and manipulating text or doing things like scrolling -- it's only available for selecting buttons and drawing, sketching, and writing within apps."
Great solution for the "out of stock"-problem. Now there will be plenty
Great solution for the "out of stock"-problem. Now there will be plenty
But it is a stylus and I think its really stupid of Apple to remove that functionality. I've been contemplating a IPP, but in all honesty I start questioning that when apple does something like this.
Did you know that it is impossible to open the Control Center or the Notification Center using the Apple Pencil? That's how it's been since the beginning and nobody seems to complain about that.
Perhaps but then people are talking about a loss of functionality, which can be more frustrating.
Really? Jobs said there would never be a stylus? Like he said there wouldn't be a smaller iPad or a larger iPhone. Like he said that no one reads books anymore (why there wasn't an iBookstore for quite a while).
Again - Jobs spoke about no need for a stylus because he was differentiating his product from the others. No keyboard. All touch interface. If the iPhone was pink and every other phone was blue - he would have said that pink was the only color that made sense for a cell phone.
1. Agreed.
2. Not for nothing but its a beta so when its released to the public then that argument has validity (though I don't expect them to make any mention then). I may be splitting hairs and I don't expect apple to communicate anything but I think we need to wait and see first.