Steve Jobs was wrong about big phones. Was he wrong about stylus, too?

[samiznaetekto]

"No one is going to buy a big phone." - Steve Jobs

He was wrong. Tens, hundreds of millions of people are going to buy big iPhones.

"Nobody wants a stylus."
"If you see a stylus, they blew it."
"As soon as you have a stylus, you're dead."

Well, a few days ago I tried Note 4 in Best Buy. It just blew me away. Using a true fountain pen-like stylus, with digital ink instantly flowing and with thousands of pressure levels, on a big, bright, ultra-res screen felt like the future, NOW. I instantly felt that I'm holding not just a consumption device, but real PRODUCTIVITY device, a mini computer that can inspire to create. I don't have this feeling when I'm using my iPhone or iPad. They feel dead, merely viewports into the world of premade content.

I almost always carry my trusted Moleskine with me because of this, I feel that only it gives me the opportunity to pour my thoughts and ideas, be creative. Typing on a touch keyboard or drawing with a finger does not give me that feeling. And using Note 4 I had this feeling of fresh air. I think it can replace my Moleskine.

So, Steve/Apple... I used a stylus, and I'm not dead. I feel way more alive with a stylus than with you dumb finger devices. You're dead wrong. At least somebody does want a stylus out there. I proved you wrong, Steve!

Can't wait to get my Note 4... My iDevices are going to serve as occasional consumption-only dumb terminals.

I lost all of my faith in .

 

[accountforit]

Nope.

Never in my life have I wanted to write on the screen of my phone. If I need to take a note, I use the Notes app. For everything else, your finger works just fine.

 

[MaloCS]

For the average user, Steve was correct about the stylus. For students and dedicated note takers, Steve was wrong. For artists and professionals, Steve was wrong.

The question isn't, "Should Apple's iDevices incorporate a stylus?". The question should be, "Is Apple's focus on the average user or the professional/student?". The issue of a stylus depends on the answer to the above question.

 

[Kendo]

"No one is going to buy a big phone." - Steve Jobs

Times have changed. Just like how at the time of the original iPhone release, AT&T offered unlimited data plans and now you have the CEO regretting every day of his life that he shouldn't have offered them in the first place.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/04/att-randall-stephenson/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

The fact is, you can't point the finger at Steve for an opinion he had many, many years ago. Times have changed, the market has changed. For what it's worth, Apple had the biggest display when they first released the iPhone.

 

[Bahroo]

Sorry but other things are far more important to me like performance and camera and others, and the new iPhones have the Note 4 beat here in basically every catorgory besides screen resolution, Note 4 has pretty bad GPU performance at quad HD when compared to the Plus and 6

 

[tommysm]

I've had every note minus the note 4, and I can say, at least for me, I've never used the stylus. The only time it came out was when people asked what it looked like haha

 

[PaythePiper]

I can see the benefit of a stylus, but how often would I ever need to use one? Uh, never. It's one more freakin thing I have to worry about- no thanks

 

[aevelasquez]

"No one is going to buy a big phone." - Steve Jobs

He was wrong. Tens, hundreds of millions of people are going to buy big iPhones.

"Nobody wants a stylus."
"If you see a stylus, they blew it."
"As soon as you have a stylus, you're dead."

Well, a few days ago I tried Note 4 in Best Buy. It just blew me away. Using a true fountain pen-like stylus, with digital ink instantly flowing and with thousands of pressure levels, on a big, bright, ultra-res screen felt like the future, NOW. I instantly felt that I'm holding not just a consumption device, but real PRODUCTIVITY device, a mini computer that can inspire to create. I don't have this feeling when I'm using my iPhone or iPad. They feel dead, merely viewports into the world of premade content.

I almost always carry my trusted Moleskine with me because of this, I feel that only it gives me the opportunity to pour my thoughts and ideas, be creative. Typing on a touch keyboard or drawing with a finger does not give me that feeling. And using Note 4 I had this feeling of fresh air. I think it can replace my Moleskine.

So, Steve/Apple... I used a stylus, and I'm not dead. I feel way more alive with a stylus than with you dumb finger devices. You're dead wrong. At least somebody does want a stylus out there. I proved you wrong, Steve!

Can't wait to get my Note 4... My iDevices are going to serve as occasional consumption-only dumb terminals.

I lost of all my faith in .

 

[davidgnomo]

False ... the iPhone is not really that big (at least not like the cellular phones when they came out some years ago) : I mean it's a very light and thin piece of engineering that probably Mr. Job would have accepted ...

About the stylus ... the more screen estate I get, the less I would ever need one of those sticks (plus I would lose my stylus the minute I buy it ...)

 

[appleii.c]

Am I missing something? Whats the big deal about the Stylus? Aren't there many aftermarket ones out there(wacom, adonit etc)? I have a cheap one I use with my iPad. Is there something else to the other styli?

 

[saving107]

I lost of all my faith in .

No one is bound to one product or products from one company, i don't understand why so many people rant about "walled garden" or "iPhones is too small" or this or that, thats why their are so many companies creating different products for different lifestyles and usabilities.

Should I get mad that my coffee machine doesn't also make espresso?

Ok, so Apple doesn't make the product that you want the way you want it, but someone else does, ok, go buy that product and use it the way you want to use it.

It really irks me that Starbucks doesn't make fruit smoothies, I really enjoy smoothies and I really like Starbucks and I don't like going to Jamba juice, so I am going to complain on a message board until Starbucks decides to start selling smoothies. That'll show 'em.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

If you need a stylus you can buy one from Wacom that has like a bazillion pressure levels. It's a non issue really. I really wouldn't buy a Note just because it comes with a stylus.

 

[EdMan]

As far as a stylus goes, I tried to use one with my iPad when I first got it a couple of years ago and it lasted about a week. I hated it. No way I would ever consider one for daily use on a phone.

 

[Surf Monkey]

The only reason I need a tool to enter things on my device is if I'm sketching. If I'm entering text a stylus is useless. Jobs had it right.

 

[MaloCS]

Steve Jobs was wrong about big phones. Was he wrong about stylus, too?

Bahroo and tommysm,

You guys sound like the average iDevice user that doesn't have a need for a stylus. However, I'm an artist and I absolutely need a stylus to do the things I do. I understand that I'm not the average user so my opinions and needs won't be shared by the masses that do not require a stylus.

I get the impression that most people are arguing different perspectives concerning the stylus. When Steve Jobs made the statement about styli I believe he was referring to using a stylus to navigate the operating system. From this perspective I absolutely agree with Steve Jobs that a stylus should not be required for basic operating system usage. However, for a creative professional a stylus is a requirement and a valuable asset for all aspects of my work.

Again, the question that needs to be asked is, "What is Apple's focus? Are they focusing on the average user that has no need for a stylus or are they focusing on the professional that does need a stylus?". The answer to this question will dictate if they ever design a stylus into the operating system and hardware.

This is not an stylus vs no-stylus argument. This subject is aN Apple business philosophy and should be discussed as such.

 

[terraphantm]

Jobs was right in that a stylus should not be the primary input device. That just ruins the experience. A stylus is great as a secondary input for things like sketching however.

 

[bmac4]

Now I am not completely agreeing with the OP, but I do feel like My iPhone 6+ is missing a stylus. I really think that was the one miss the 6+ had. It's something I can live without, and am not made or makes me wish I had a Note 4. I could never a gain use Touchwiz.

While I think a stylus would have been a great addition. It's not required and I don't think the 6+ missed much.

 

[eyoungren]

IDK. I came over two years ago to my iPhone 5 from an HTC Touch Pro.

The TP registered touch mainly if you used your fingernail or the stylus.

I can honestly say I don't miss the stylus because the touch screen on an iPhone properly registers my finger and not just the nail.

I won't get in to how much pressure you had to use with a stylus when you had a screen protector on the phone and how scratched to hell the damn thing was after 3.5 years of using a stylus. No, I won't even mention the one nasty little groove that stylus carved out like the Marianas Trench across my TP's screen.

 

[machtv]

so many close minded members on this thread, most likely the same peeps who said the iphone doesn't need a bigger screen back in the iphone5 days. but look at them now they all praise samsung for introducing apple to the phablet world. and now like crackheads they can't live a day without there new bigger iphone 6's. lol you guys crack me up

 

[Tgrey]

I had note2 for 1 year never used stylus, but I do want it on iPad

 

[xmichaelp]

No. Styluses are stupid. I hate saying this but Steve would truly roll in his grave if the iPhone got an ugly ass slot for a stupid stylus.

 

[Maetzle]

I had a phone with a stylus for about a year because my old phone broke and I was still mid-contract and got it from my uncle. I lost this goddamn stylus 3 times. And without it the phone was practically useless because pretty much everything on this phone was dependent on the stylus...

So if they wanna make a phone with a stylus - alright, but please one version without one.

 

[mcmul]

The stylus needs to die a horrible, painful death.

 

[myscrnnm]

Nope. Pretty much the only advantage you gain with a stylus over finger-based touchscreens is the ability to write quickly and accurately. Capacitive touchscreens have reached a level of precision when it comes to software that you can accurately press any virtual button.

A stylus is just another thing you have to carry and have the possibility of losing. I can only see it being useful for doing handwritten notes, for which you would use something larger, like a 9.7" iPad.

 

[rwilliams]

While I would probably never use a stylus, my girlfriend uses it all the time on her Note 3. She loves being able to jot notes or sketches, and then having the OS take what she's written and put it into a usable format. But I think the people that really need a stylus would rather spend money on one that is of their choosing than going with an Apple-supplied stylus.