The case has clearly been made that a stylus should never be a device’s main method of input. Fingers prevail for everyday uses, especially revolving around content consumption. But isn’t it possible that in some cases an iPad stylus might enhance the experience?
If you’ve been keeping up with Apple news over the years, you know it’s difficult to read recent rumors about an Apple stylus for the iPad without thinking back to the strong negative feelings Steve Jobs expressed about the input devices.
At the 2007 introduction of the iPhone, Jobs joked about including a stylus as the input method for the new device. “Who wants a stylus?” he said. “You have to get them and put them away and you lose them. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus, so let’s not use a stylus.”
The iPhone killed the competition by putting touch at the center of the user experience. Yet some years later, we arrive at numerous reports that a stylus could accompany a larger iPad Pro when it debuts (possibly at tomorrow’s big iPhone 6s event). Patents also indicate Apple is interested in handwriting recognition, extensive sensor arrays and even texture-sensitive technology that could put a whole new spin on the stylus.
Jobs didn’t just say that a device should never need a stylus, he very bluntly said it’s over if you even see one. And yet it looks like we’re about to see one. The latest whispers suggest the stylus might be totally optional, but either way it represents a change in Apple’s philosophy.
What’s hampering content creation?
Over the years, Apple has tried to push content creation on the iPad as well, releasing apps like GarageBand and iMovie to open up creative possibilities. Content creation never really caught on the way Apple wanted it to.
Most people attribute this failure to one of three reasons:
- The iPad is too small.
- The iPad doesn’t have an ideal input method.
- The iPad’s software isn’t good enough for creative purposes.
If the rumors about a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an optional stylus are true, Apple would be able to tackle all of those issues.
Photo: Apple
Too small
A 12.9-inch iPad, as bulky as it sounds, would increase screen real estate that is crucial for creative purposes. While movies and TV shows would look bigger, the entertainment perks seem more theoretical than practical.
But for content creation, the bigger size would be a game-changer. There’d be more room to write, draw and multitask.
Touch is not ideal for content creation
Another problem is the input method. When Jobs went on and on about how touchscreen devices shouldn’t need styluses, he was neglecting content creation. It turns out humans are better at creating things when we have tools.
We use pens to write, paintbrushes to paint and physical tools to build things. Our hands and fingers generally don’t do much in the way of creation (aside from finger-painting), and that seems to carry over to the iPad. There are styli available now, but they don’t benefit from Apple’s marketing power or signature design.
Weak software
The matter of the iPad not having good enough software could actually get resolved once the larger iPad and stylus fall into place. Since a stylus would get a marketing push with creativity at its core, developers would be more willing to develop apps that enable users to create a wealth of content for both work and play.
Currently, very few apps are designed specifically for stylus use. Some people have been able to create fantastic things, but a glaring imbalance between creation and consumption apps remains.
The iPad’s creative conundrum
Here’s the problem I have with my iPad right now. It’s terrific for content consumption — better than my MacBook in a number of areas — but I don’t feel like I can create much of anything on it. I own several styli for my iPad. They work well for specific creative purposes, but not many apps take advantage of stylus use at the moment.
So I use my MacBook to type things out and then end up staying there for consumption, too: videos, music, photos and sometimes even games. It’s not as good for media consumption as the iPad, but it’s perfectly adequate — or at least enough so that I don’t need to switch devices all the time. One fits the bill and it’s my Mac.
Changing this is key to driving the iPad’s future success. The iPad’s great for content consumption but it needs to become just as good for content creation. Even further, it has to be as good for creation as a laptop.
Some argue this isn’t possible, but with a larger display and a handy tool supposedly in the works, I say it’s already on the horizon.
George Tinari has covered Apple and technology for over six years. On the rare occasion that he’s not sitting in front of his laptop, you can find him eating, awkwardly socializing, listening to music or singing along loudly to said music. You can also follow George on Twitter if you need more complaints and sarcasm in your timeline.
11 responses to “Why the iPad desperately needs a stylus”
Tech bloggers desperately need to work on expanding their vocabulary. If I see one more goddamned headline with “desperately” in the headline, I’m de-whitelisting this site on Adblock. Shame on you, George, for this shit excuse for journalism.
Try a mouse/trackpad cursor first.
Walk before you try to run Apple. Face it, you are light years behind Windows.
A thousand bucks for this heap of excrement? Sounds about right to an Apple sheep I guess. Dumbasses.
Who talks about Windows comparison here, idiot? If you’re incapable to follow the topic here, I suggest you to go somewhere else and troll in there.
Touch is not precise enough for serius work over a long period of time. Typing lines of code or writing extensive lenghts of text for a paper or a short-story, without a physical keyboard – is not a good experience. You need to hold the device when you use it or buy some flimsy/bulky accesory to make it stand on a flat surface by itself. The screen is to small and hardware to weak for 3d-modeling and video editing.
The iPad is just not made for creating.
I disagree.
First off, “creating” is such a broad, general term – you can’t pick five tasks and weight the iPad’s ability to create on those alone. What about sketching, writing poetry, taking notes, photo taking/editing?
Second, consider the scale. Should the iPad be used to film and edit a feature-length film? Absolutely not. Could you use it to film and edit a short film or training video? Sure! Should write a novel on the iPad using the on-screen keyboard? Probably not. How about a one-two page report or essay? Sure!
Third, there are some tasks that the iPad is not ideal for and never will be – like coding. If coding is your way of life and your primary means of content creation, then the iPad isn’t the device for you. That doesn’t mean “it’s not made for creating.”
The iPad is a versatile device that travels with us. We create content all the time and the iPad allows us to capture that whenever and where ever. Content creation is much more than just high-end tasks, it’s about expression.
We really need to think about how we portray creation. There are very few categories where I would say the iPad can’t get “serious” work done.
BTw, who gives the f about stylus anyway beside some people with very specific use? 99% iPad owners don’t need stylus…
‘If you see a stylus, they BLEW it’ – Steve Jobs
If Apple brings out a precision stylus with ballpoint-pen accuracy I’ll be all over that thing in a heartbeat. The styli available nowadays are blobs of rubber on the end of sticks that couldn’t draw better than a stick of chalk.
iPad is too small? Really?
For graphics work, delicate detail, fine, use a stylus. For the other 99% of users, a finger works quite well. If Apple wants to add stylus functionality to the iPad, fine, I could care less as I don’t need that level of detail for my iPad use case, but I do not begrudge others who do. To each his own, the machine should have the capability for nothing else than to increase the market and usability quotient.
Buy a stylus. There’s hundreds to chose from.