The video and quotes of Steve often get rolled out whenever the Apple Pencil is discussed. However, in defence of Tim Cook, I think people are too quick to jump to those quotes/video.
At the time Steve made those comments in the keynote, pretty much all 'touch screen' devices were shockingly bad and pretty much unusable with just a finger - at least in the way we use them now. Most devices resorted to needing a stylus as the only reasonable way of interacting with the device. The iPhone changed all that, and Steve's comments were indicative of that shift in technology. Here'a device with a touch screen so good, so accurate, so responsive that you can use it entirely without a stylus, unlike 98% of devices on the market at that time. It was a game changer.
The Apple Pencil is an optional stylus. You don't need it. You can use the iPad Pro without the Pencil. But with it, you can write naturally or be more precise.
In that sense, I don't think Steve's comments are completely out of sync with the existence of the Pencil?
