iPad Is pen input important?

[Jessica Lares]

ApfelKuchen, you're over thinking this a bit.

This is how a computer screen looks like to a Wacom:



For the displays that use an N-Trig driver, it takes up the entire space of that screen.

And the tips on the pens are much smaller than the ones on the current Evernote/Jot pens. You can scribble and do whatever very precisely.

My particular Intuos has a 5,080 DPI resolution, which is why it can do that. The active area itself is only 6x3.7 inches (in the small version).

And you buy these things based on how big your screen area is for the very fact that you DON'T want that sweeping effect. It's an efficiency tool, not something that replaces the whole idea of drawing on paper entirely. You want to get from point A to B without huge hand movements that will tire you out.

 

[Night Spring]

Yes there are apps for entering equations, and yes its conceivable you might use your finger to write equations with these apps. The issue is whether this is a meaningful workflow. Its not

Before we get to the question of whether writing equations out with your fingers is a viable way to input them on a tablet, there is the question of how many people have a need to write equations in the first place. The answer is obviously "not everybody." In fact, I'd say that people who need to write equations are a limited subset of the general population. Students, scientists, engineers, maybe some doctors, architects... It's not an insignificant number of people, but surely not the majority.

 

[kaylerrific]

Before we get to the question of whether writing equations out with your fingers is a viable way to input them on a tablet, there is the question of how many people have a need to write equations in the first place. The answer is obviously "not everybody." In fact, I'd say that people who need to write equations are a limited subset of the general population. Students, scientists, engineers, maybe some doctors, architects... It's not an insignificant number of people, but surely not the majority.

There are definitely times when I could use a pen with my iPad. I take notes at meetings sometimes and I have a cute stylus I work with, but it's not as sensitive as some other pens I've used with other tablets.

 

[ozaz]

There is a very good reason...one UI per device. On iOS, we have a finger based UI. For a pen you would design a different UI. Putting two different UIs on a single device is trouble--look at Surface sales and Windows 8 hate to see how bad it is.

It's nothing to do with UI. An active digitiser would just be another input option to add to finger, Bluetooth keyboard, and voice. Absolutely nothing would need to change in the UI.

It would just offer a far better experience (than finger or capacitive stylus) when doing certain things within apps like sketching, writing, signing, annotating, etc (just like use of a Bluetooth keyboard offers a better typing experience than the onscreen touch keyboard, but is not essential to the use of the tablet)

I for one wish it had been present on the iPad since the beginning as an optional upgrade.

 

[GoingDark]

Look at it from a business perspective. Apple sold about 71 million iPads in 2013. How many of those people have ever even tried to use a stylus on their iPad, let alone actually gone out and bought one?

I'm not discounting the importance of a stylus for some people, I'm just saying the market likely isn't big enough to justify adding native pen input at an increased cost and likely with an added performance penalty (worse battery life, thicker dimensions, etc).

Personally I think pen input is very useful - I've been using devices with a stylus since the Palm Pilot days so I'm quite comfortable with them - but I recognize that I'm an edge case as far as users go, and most iPad users are less like me and more like my mother, for whom a stylus would just add a layer of confusion.

 

[ron7624]

Simple answer.
No.
It's an iPad.

 

[mrex]

What? The ipad was designed for FINGER INPUT! It was never intended to be a pen based system.

Shortly, watch movies, surf in net, play games or simply use it to replace fingerpaint colours in a kindergarden.

To support a pen doesnt remove the ability to use your fingers on the screen, but lacking the support definitely narrows the beneficial use of the device. Unless youre working in a kindergarden...

 

[ozaz]

I'm not discounting the importance of a stylus for some people, I'm just saying the market likely isn't big enough to justify adding native pen input at an increased cost and likely with an added performance penalty (worse battery life, thicker dimensions, etc).

Personally I think pen input is very useful - I've been using devices with a stylus since the Palm Pilot days so I'm quite comfortable with them - but I recognize that I'm an edge case as far as users go, and most iPad users are less like me and more like my mother, for whom a stylus would just add a layer of confusion.

My understanding of how wacom tech works is the active elements are in the display rather than the pen, which is passive. As you say, this necessarily has an impact on battery life and thickness of the tablet, and you wouldn't want all iPads to have this. But does it necessarily have to be this way round? Couldn't all the active tech be built into the pen with the iPad display having passive elements that are sensed by the pen? Then they could sell the pen as an optional accessory with Apple-appropriate profit margins. As it is an optional accessory, it would confuse no one.

Simple answer.
No.
It's an iPad.

Not sure what that means. According to Apple commercials, an iPad is an instrument that helps people be productive, creative, and learn. Superior pen input would be beneficial in all these use cases.

 

[flameproof]

Pen input is useful. On the iPad I used a input pen. However the tip is very thick and you can therefore not do really detailed drawings. Samsungs S-Pen has a pointed tip like a ballpen it gives you a much better input experience.

 

[mrex]

Pen input is useful. On the iPad I used a input pen. However the tip is very thick and you can therefore not do really detailed drawings. Samsungs S-Pen has a pointed tip like a ballpen it gives you a much better input experience.

dont know which pen you have, but you could try e.g. adonit jot pro. But the problem is still the lack of a digitizer. Samsung uses Wacom digitizer in their Note line and that is the reason why the pen is superior and optimized, accurate and feels like a real pen.

 

[Ledgem]

My understanding of how wacom tech works is the active elements are in the display rather than the pen, which is passive. As you say, this necessarily has an impact on battery life and thickness of the tablet, and you wouldn't want all iPads to have this. But does it necessarily have to be this way round? Couldn't all the active tech be built into the pen with the iPad display having passive elements that are sensed by the pen? Then they could sell the pen as an optional accessory with Apple-appropriate profit margins. As it is an optional accessory, it would confuse no one.

I have a Wacom Bamboo tablet, and before that I was using a cheap tablet from a manufacturer I've forgotten the name of. That first tablet required a battery in the pen, whereas the Bamboo does not. My guess is that the pen was the active portion with that first tablet. But it's a pain to have to worry about the pen's battery status, and to carry around AAA spares. It was a relief to not have to worry about a battery when I upgraded to the Bamboo.

Regarding the impact that an active digitizer has on battery life and thickness, how big a deal can it really be? Samsung and Microsoft make tablets with them, and their devices aren't far behind the iPads when it comes to weight and battery life. Only Apple can know how much of an effect it would have on their products, but I can't imagine that it would be substantial.

 

[Saturn1217]

It's nothing to do with UI. An active digitiser would just be another input option to add to finger, Bluetooth keyboard, and voice. Absolutely nothing would need to change in the UI.

It would just offer a far better experience (than finger or capacitive stylus) when doing certain things within apps like sketching, writing, signing, annotating, etc (just like use of a Bluetooth keyboard offers a better typing experience than the onscreen touch keyboard, but is not essential to the use of the tablet)

I for one wish it had been present on the iPad since the beginning as an optional upgrade.

This.

An active digitizer would greatly improve the product for people who do have a need for handwritten notes (artists, students, professionals etc.) while not changing anything at all for everyone else. I'm sure Apple could make some good money off a $50 iPen accessory and honestly if they would just include this functionality and make it work well I would be happy to pay.

 

[Badrottie]

Stylus/Pen would be nice. I bought a Wacom Stylus because I like to keep my sticky fingers off the iPad screen. Anyway, I haven't use it much since I bought it. I went to Apple store few weeks ago for rMBP display replacement and the guy with iPad asked me to sign on the iPad I couldn't sign with my finger so I signed it with Wacom Stylus beautifully.

 

[mrex]

Regarding the impact that an active digitizer has on battery life and thickness, how big a deal can it really be? Samsung and Microsoft make tablets with them, and their devices aren't far behind the iPads when it comes to weight and battery life.

What is the problem of the size (thickness) and battery life with Note?

E.g. Note 10.1 (closest to the size, ipad 4/air)

2012 model
8.9mm thick (ipad4 9.4mm)
600 grams (662 grams)


2014 model
7.9mm thick (ipad air 7.5mm)
535 grams (469 grams)


Batterylife is quite similar to each other. Surface is bigger for sure, but it is also a fully operating computer, but what is the problem with Samsung? Only difference you will notice is the pen and the logo.

 

[canesalato]

it is important for me.

 

[Ledgem]

What is the problem of the size (thickness) and battery life with Note?

E.g. Note 10.1 (closest to the size, ipad 4/air)

2012 model
8.9mm thick (ipad4 9.4mm)
600 grams (662 grams)


2014 model
7.9mm thick (ipad air 7.5mm)
535 grams (469 grams)


Batterylife is quite similar to each other. Surface is bigger for sure, but it is also a fully operating computer, but what is the problem with Samsung? Only difference you will notice is the pen and the logo.

Yes, that's my point. The poster that I was replying to was stating that having the active digitizer would likely cause a hit to the size/weight and battery life, and thus that if Apple introduced it then it should create iPad lines with and without it. It's true that Apple's devices are the thinnest and lightest in their class, but as you've shown with the actual numbers, the differences aren't that great - and I'd be surprised if those differences can purely be attributed to the active digitizer. Battery life and efficiency get a bit dodgy to compare due to differences in battery capacity and software efficiency between the devices, but again the Note lineup compares favorably with the iPads for battery life in the tests that I've seen, so I'd again be surprised to find that the active digitizer represents some major drain.

In other words, while it would cost Apple a bit more to include it, an active digitizer doesn't represent some major sacrifice to design or battery performance.

 

[mrex]

Yes, that's my point. The poster that I was replying to was stating that having the active digitizer would likely cause a hit to the size/weight and battery life, and thus that if Apple introduced it then it should create iPad lines with and without it. It's true that Apple's devices are the thinnest and lightest in their class, but as you've shown with the actual numbers, the differences aren't that great - and I'd be surprised if those differences can purely be attributed to the active digitizer. Battery life and efficiency get a bit dodgy to compare due to differences in battery capacity and software efficiency between the devices, but again the Note lineup compares favorably with the iPads for battery life in the tests that I've seen, so I'd again be surprised to find that the active digitizer represents some major drain.

In other words, while it would cost Apple a bit more to include it, an active digitizer doesn't represent some major sacrifice to design or battery performance.

Oh yeah, sorry.. I read it wrong... as ... and their devices ARE far behind the iPads... didnt see the "not" word.

 

[flameproof]

dont know which pen you have, but you could try e.g. adonit jot pro. But the problem is still the lack of a digitizer. Samsung uses Wacom digitizer in their Note line and that is the reason why the pen is superior and optimized, accurate and feels like a real pen.

I used the normal 'soft tip' type pen first and later the adonit jot pro. The later one is certainly better, but no match to the S-Pen, which I tried on a Note 8.0 for a while.

 

[charlituna]

I disagree the current pens are horrible for taking notes quickly.

Then you disagree with something I didn't say. I never said the current state is horrible, but merely that it could be better

 

[chupachup]

Pen input is useful. On the iPad I used a input pen. However the tip is very thick and you can therefore not do really detailed drawings. Samsungs S-Pen has a pointed tip like a ballpen it gives you a much better input experience.

The pen tip depends on the pen you buy. There are pens you can buy for iPad that are just like the S-Pen

 

[mrex]

"just look like SPen" - not being like SPen because of lacking a digitizer technology that makes SPen superior over bt pens.

 

[Carlanga]

Then you disagree with something I didn't say. I never said the current state is horrible, but merely that it could be better

nope, I'm disagreeing that the current sensitive is more than enough for people that go and buy a pen type input device for their iOS devices. If you are buying a pen is not to scroll trough websites… so yes, I'm disagreeing w/ your point of current ones being sufficient for mot people that buy them.

 

[rowspaxe]

nope, I'm disagreeing that the current sensitive is more than enough for people that go and buy a pen type input device for their iOS devices. If you are buying a pen is not to scroll trough websites… so yes, I'm disagreeing w/ your point of current ones being sufficient for mot people that buy them.

No--they are horrible. Some are better than others--adonit makes a high end pen that gets some things right but creates a very loud clicking on the ipad surface. The high end wacom and adobe products are not good. Each of these pens cost well over $100.

I have a surface 2 and the pen works great. The ipad is a greate product and it took a while to switch--but it was the right move

 

[Traverse]

The pen technology doesn't need to be improved, it just needs to be intergrated.

Obviously if you don't need it, you don't want it, and that's perfectly okay. What isn't okay is to question it, because people are basically telling us at this point to throw out the iPad, with the hundreds of dollars invested in both hardware and apps, and reinvest into new hardware and software.

Without really understanding that we all love the iPad, we love Paper, we love Procreate, we love Sketchbook Pro/Ink, and all the other stuff that we get on the iPad. We've invested into all those choices, we're using them in our workflows, and no matter how much better it might be on Windows 8 or Android, we don't want to start over again.

Adding pen support doesn't hurt anybody, and telling us to switch to Windows is a major insult to those of us who are Mac users for the very reason that Windows doesn't work for us. OS X has handwriting recognition enabled when you hook up a Wacom to it, or stick a touchscreen on it, why can't the iPad?

Man, you really covered everything. This is an excellent post. I've used all of those apps mentioned and many more. Current pen/stylus integration with the iPad isn't stellar. Apps like Procreate try to compensate with really good software, but it isn't ideal. iOS just renders on flat input, no pressure sensitive or ability to use anything except fat, awkward styli.

I love the iPad and have come to work around it's quirks (I use OS X for what it simply can't do). Adding stylus support doesn't hurt anyone. Not adding it's a user base, granted a small one, but an important one.

Taking notes, drawing, sketching. They'd all be so much better with proper support.

 

[Carlanga]

No--they are horrible. Some are better than others--adonit makes a high end pen that gets some things right but creates a very loud clicking on the ipad surface. The high end wacom and adobe products are not good. Each of these pens cost well over $100.

I have a surface 2 and the pen works great. The ipad is a greate product and it took a while to switch--but it was the right move

thanks for the support