Pointless Product Alert: $25 Stylus for iPhone
8:53 am, December 4th, 2007, Leander Kahney
In the rush to create high-markup accessories for the iPhone, one company is hawking the Pogo Stylus: a pointing device for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch — two products expressly designed to be used without a stylus.
Is there really a market for this? I imagine the pudgy fingered might take a look, as might people who have become accustomed to poking around their smartphone with a little pen. But the whole point of Apple’s multitouch is doing away with pointing devices. But the market for iPod accessories is worth more than $1 billion annually, so companies are taking a throw-it-out-and-fingers-crossed approach.
Available now from the company’s website for $25.
Posted by Leander Kahney in Hardware, iPhone, iPod | Comment on this article
Well, for those of us who don’t live in sunny San Francisco, it would be handy to not have to take our gloves off to work the phone during the winter months. That’s one problem with “Designed in California” stuff.
Jason Smith, on December 4th, 2007 at 10:56 am
This might not be such a bad idea when it’s 0 degrees outside and you don’t want to take your gloves off to operate your iPhone/iPod touch.
winter, on December 4th, 2007 at 11:28 am
This is great… I know everyone thinks Jobs and the Apple crew thought of everything, but they didn’t think of us Northerners in NYC and other respectable northern cities that have freezing weather and have to wear gloves. Gloves render the amazing iPhone useless from making calls, sending texts or even sliding the “open” bar to do anything in the phone.
Great idea just in the nick-of-time for the iPhone’s first winter season.
Erick Bauman, on December 4th, 2007 at 11:45 am
The problem with the iphone is that it has to be used with a BARE finger, which even in the era of global warming is a pain in the winter in Chicago! I do hate having to take a glove off every time I use the phone. So although seemingly useless, I’d love one of these in my stocking!
Patty, on December 4th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Wait a second… I thought the iPhone/iPod touchscreen ONLY registers finger touches. Do you think the stylus even works???
Xander, on December 4th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
What’s so cool is you get to give them your money and then you get something that could be worth $25!
Thunk Different., on December 4th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I’m in Colorado, and so we enjoy 300+ days of sunshine every year (!), but I would think you Northerners would rather simply have GLOVES made with this stylus’s “secret sauce”, so you could just still use your fingers and not need a stylus at all…
YodaMac, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Marmot made (makes?) some gloves that are supposed to be iPod compatible, but I don’t know if that means iPhone/iPod Touch compatible.
I tried using my nose to unlock my phone this morning, but my aim was off.
Jason Smith, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Bah – just try using a Newton stylus. When I do get my iPhone, I’m going to give it a try.
iDave, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
I’d opt for iPhone compatible gloves over a stylus anyday. But, living in California, I guess I’ll never worry about that.
Designed in California, with me in mind
Cheers
Thomas, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
A stylus a ripoff, and especially for that price!! Jobs said the iPhone was designed precisely to avoid this (i.e., a stylus) and some company decides to ripoff the public for exactly what the iPhone was designed to avoid. LOL!!
Eliakim, on December 4th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
wet the end of a “Q” tip,
with the end of your finger
JUST touching the base of the
wet Q tip, the tip will
activate iPhone functions.
Gives BIG fingers help.
John Wood, on December 4th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Just don’t put your lips on it.
Roberto, on December 4th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Has anyone been able to use ANY cell phone with gloves/mittens on? I live in Ontario, Canada and I can’t remember ever being able to dial a phone with mits on. So to blame Apple for not making a device so you can use it in the cold weather without taking off your gloves seems a little unfair.
That being said… I still don’t think I’ll use a stylus.
Mike, on December 4th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
iDave, that will not work – the screen is not pressure sensitive but touch sensitive – it requires certain galvanic skin response, not the simple pressure of a stylus.
response to iDave, on December 4th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Reminded me of one of my favorite Simpsons moments:
“The fingers you have used to dial are too fat. To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm now.”
DJ Rizzo, on December 4th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Actually, there is a market, albeit small. I was at a conference and met someone who had hands that were damaged and she could not get my iPhone to recognize her hands. A stylus would be perfect for her, as she could hold it and use the product.
rh, on December 6th, 2007 at 7:34 am
Too bad none of you has heard of Dial-It ( patent pending). I’ve developed a glove stylus that actually works. I haven’t gone into production yet, but I expect to bring it to market by this winter so that people can dial their cell phones, Blackberries, etc. without taking off their gloves. All I need is some forward looking investor to license my product and we’ll all be dialing without frostbite. Check out Dial-It on the net.
Larry Cromwell, on June 17th, 2008 at 8:11 am