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

[ecrispy]

Apple has copied nearly every Android feature over the last few years, and now they've copied big phones too after swearing for years that 3.5 (and then 4) was the perfect size.

So yeah, I wouldn't be too surprised if they did add a stylus and call it iNote or something silly like that.

 

[rrl]

How many thought when the pencil was being scraped down that they were going to introduce a stylus?

 

[Oohara]

How many thought when the pencil was being scraped down that they were going to introduce a stylus?

I thought they were going to add a pencil sharpener.

 

[myscrnnm]

How many thought when the pencil was being scraped down that they were going to introduce a stylus?

I thought they were going to introduce a thinner iPad.

 

[appleii.c]

I thought they were going to add a pencil sharpener.

Thats an idea. I would welcome the built in stylus f they could make the stylus hole double as a pencil sharpener. Then i'd have a use for it!

 

[McCool71]

Personally I will probably never buy a phone without a stylus again. It adds so much usefulness for me.

Having had the Note 2 and 3 (and considering the 4....) it has really changed the way I use my cell phone. I use the stylus almost every single day - especially at work.

I am just appalled at the ignorance when it comes to stylus use in this thread, it is quite clear that a lot of people do not get the way it works at all on phones like the Note-series from Samsung.

* It is not a dumb stick that is meant to do the exact same thing that your finger can.

* It is pressure-sensitive and also has a button on the side that activates a stylus-specific menu.

* You do not need to use it to navigate around your phone, that would be stupid. It is entirely optional.

* You do not lose it because 1) it has a slot to be stored in and 2) the phone warns you if you move a certain number of steps (without using the stylus) and the stylus is not in the slot

* It does come in incredibly handy when doing things that your fat fingers cannot. Like writing, drawing, making notes and so on.

 

[McCool71]

So you'll spend hundreds for a device just for the stylus, when you can simply spend $2.93 at Amazon (*including shipping*) for a stylus that will work with your iDevice that, according to you, is "dead" and "dumb" without a stylus.

Oh, the ignorance is hurting my brain. That stylus has nothing to do with modern styluses.

For styluses to work properly they need to be matched to the device - they are simply not a replacement for a tiny tiny finger like you seem to think.

To paraphrase Steve J: If the stylus does not have a logical place to be stored (in the device it self) when not in use...

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Why do you want a stylus on a touch screen?!?!?!?!?!

Good point.

Why would you use a pen for writing when dipping your finger in ink does exactly the same? Or does it....

 

[Moto G]

Who cares what Steve Jobs was or wasn't right or wrong about? He's not here any more, God rest his soul, but he's not the only person who ever lived who influenced people. Apple project their opinions as outright fact - often - even when that means, next year, they U-turn and contradict themselves.

Stop living your tech life from the pre-supposition that everything must - somehow - relate to Apple products or opinions, or bust. There's a HUGE GIGANTIC universe surrounding us, and Apple doesn't influence ANY OF IT.

 

[I7guy]

Personally I will probably never buy a phone without a stylus again. It adds so much usefulness for me.

Having had the Note 2 and 3 (and considering the 4....) it has really changed the way I use my cell phone. I use the stylus almost every single day - especially at work.

I am just appalled at the ignorance when it comes to stylus use in this thread, it is quite clear that a lot of people do not get the way it works at all on phones like the Note-series from Samsung.

* It is not a dumb stick that is meant to do the exact same thing that your finger can.

* It is pressure-sensitive and also has a button on the side that activates a stylus-specific menu.

* You do not need to use it to navigate around your phone, that would be stupid. It is entirely optional.

* You do not lose it because 1) it has a slot to be stored in and 2) the phone warns you if you move a certain number of steps (without using the stylus) and the stylus is not in the slot

* It does come in incredibly handy when doing things that your fat fingers cannot. Like writing, drawing, making notes and so on.

I don't need a stylus. I take notes on my iPhone during meetings http://www.cellulon.com and is much faster than writing. If I were an artist, would be a different story.

 

[orestes1984]

Personally I will probably never buy a phone without a stylus again. It adds so much usefulness for me.

Having had the Note 2 and 3 (and considering the 4....) it has really changed the way I use my cell phone. I use the stylus almost every single day - especially at work.

I am just appalled at the ignorance when it comes to stylus use in this thread, it is quite clear that a lot of people do not get the way it works at all on phones like the Note-series from Samsung.

* It is not a dumb stick that is meant to do the exact same thing that your finger can.

* It is pressure-sensitive and also has a button on the side that activates a stylus-specific menu.

* You do not need to use it to navigate around your phone, that would be stupid. It is entirely optional.

* You do not lose it because 1) it has a slot to be stored in and 2) the phone warns you if you move a certain number of steps (without using the stylus) and the stylus is not in the slot

* It does come in incredibly handy when doing things that your fat fingers cannot. Like writing, drawing, making notes and so on.

lol stylus notes... You're cute

Hey, 2002 called buddy and I think they're telling me they want their smart phones back. Don't worry I hear they've got another great invention, they thought you might like instead called Windows CE. It runs on 200mhz processors and only requires 8mb of RAM.

I never thought I'd see the day again where someone said a Stylus was a good thing, reminds me of being a dumb teenager again when one of my friends actually had an O2 XDA.

 

[McCool71]

I never thought I'd see the day again where someone said a Stylus was a good thing, reminds me of being a dumb teenager again when one of my friends actually had an O2 XDA.

You obviously do not do much in the way of drawing, adding notes to photos/sketches or simple handwriting on a level that can not be done by using a keyboard like I do then

And that is all right. Not everyone needs their phone to do more than texting and calling, and fingerpainting with no need for precision still works well among low level employees with menial jobs.

 

[orestes1984]

Added this in my bookmarks. It'll be a hoot when Apple introduces stylus to their tablets next year (coming as standard with the tablet, that is, and not like today where tons of people buy them as optional extras).

Sure thing buddy

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You obviously do not do much in the way of drawing, adding notes to photos/sketches or simple handwriting on a level that can not be done by using a keyboard like I do then

And that is all right. Not everyone needs their phone to do more than texting and calling, and fingerpainting is still works well among low level employees with menial jobs.

Show me a stylus that actually does handwriting in a legible fashion and you might actually win a tender with a package delivery company.

Here's one for you, I can type quicker than you can write if I want to add a note grandpa

 

[Markyboy81]

lol stylus notes... You're cute

Hey, 2002 called buddy and I think they're telling me they want their smart phones back. Don't worry I hear they've got another great invention, they thought you might like instead called Windows CE. It runs on 200mhz processors and only requires 8mb of RAM.

I never thought I'd see the day again where someone said a Stylus was a good thing, reminds me of being a dumb teenager again when one of my friends actually had an O2 XDA.

You sure you're still not a dumb teenager?

 

[orestes1984]

You sure you're still not a dumb teenager?

Those days are gone fortunately, I could have never dreamed of what we we are doing with smart phones now when back then the coolest thing with phones was the Nokia 8110 and the whole notion of a PDA phone was for nerds.

 

[McCool71]

Sure thing buddy

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Now that's what I call art

 

[Atomic Walrus]

This argument is hilarious. Instead of fighting like children how about we just look at the facts and understand that, as usual, it's a matter of perspective?

If you want a Wacom digitizer you already know it and you're in the minority. For me it's a big deal, but that's because I draw, I wrestle with differential equations (and lose), draw out concept diagrams for ideas... I think and function visually and find it extremely useful to be able to carry an infinite sketchbook with me at all times (I always have my phone no matter what I'm doing).

For everyone else (most people) none of this is helpful. In business note-taking is mainly writing, and the state of even the highest end digitizers today (Wacom's Cintiq line) is that they're still not sufficiently paper-like to allow them to be an efficient way to write. If you're very experienced with these digitizers you can do it (quite legibly), but it is still slower and requires more focus than actually writing on paper (or typing obviously).

There is one general user benefit, and that's the ability to use the stylus for precise manipulation (text selection primarily). In practice I don't think this is sufficient to sway anyone on the issue.

But we can't just see each other's sides of the story and agree that we have different needs, can we? Everyone needs to tell everyone else that their side is the only true side.

 

[orestes1984]

Sure thing buddy

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Now that's what I call art

Image

Did a 5 year old draw that?

 

[McCool71]

Did a 5 year old draw that?

No, my 4 year old did I added the 'f' though.

 

[jamezr]

No, my 4 year old did I added the 'f' though.

Priceless!

 

[orestes1984]

they're still not sufficiently paper-like to allow them to be an efficient way to write. If you're very experienced with these digitizers you can do it (quite legibly).

Both Apple and Palm tried for years to get that right, in the end both companies never got it. Palm even had their special way of writing that would fix your handwriting for you.

Now tell me where Palm is?

Steve Jobs was right, for the majority of people the stylus is a cumbersome piece of junk. Trust me, I lived this... Been there, done that got the shirt, don't even ever want to remotely ever think of going back, not even if you paid me.

I lived through high schools with Newton laptops, and many iterations of Palm PDAs. All of them are junk as is the Stylus.

I lived through the Stylus to know why it is wrong and if you didn't you just don't get it.

 

[I7guy]

This argument is hilarious. Instead of fighting like children how about we just look at the facts and understand that, as usual, it's a matter of perspective?

If you want a Wacom digitizer you already know it and you're in the minority. For me it's a big deal, but that's because I draw, I wrestle with differential equations (and lose), draw out concept diagrams for ideas... I think and function visually and find it extremely useful to be able to carry an infinite sketchbook with me at all times (I always have my phone no matter what I'm doing).

For everyone else (most people) none of this is helpful. In business note-taking is mainly writing, and the state of even the highest end digitizers today (Wacom's Cintiq line) is that they're still not sufficiently paper-like to allow them to be an efficient way to write. If you're very experienced with these digitizers you can do it (quite legibly), but it is still slower and requires more focus than actually writing on paper (or typing obviously).

There is one general user benefit, and that's the ability to use the stylus for precise manipulation (text selection primarily). In practice I don't think this is sufficient to sway anyone on the issue.

But we can't just see each other's sides of the story and agree that we have different needs, can we? Everyone needs to tell everyone else that their side is the only true side.

Or you can use a Bluetooth keyboard. I can type about 100wpm.

 

[McCool71]

I lived through high schools with Newton laptops, and many iterations of Palm PDAs. All of them are junk as is the Stylus.

Which clearly shows that you do not have the faintest idea of how a stylus these days work.

Comparing what we have today - where of course the senisitivity of the screen is a key factor - to 15-20 year old tech where the screen had minimal, if any, levels of pressure sensitivity and the stylus was just piece of plastic with no built in functionality itself is just laughable.

 

[orestes1984]

Which clearly shows that you do not have the faintest idea of how a stylus these days work. Comparing what we have today - where of course the senisitivity of the screen is a key factor - to 15-20 year old tech is just laughable.

I'm aware of multiple points of sensitivity in stylus devices and fully aware of tablet devices also. The technology as an interface for smart phones is still garbage. You're trying to get me to accept something that I've been there and done that with over many, many years to tell me that it's actually a usable interface device... Not gonna happen.

Evena a user above suggested exactly why it isn't, and if I want a tablet I'm going to go out and buy myself a Wacom with 2000+ points of sensitivity and leave the toys to the kids section.

 

[Markyboy81]

Or you can use a Bluetooth keyboard. I can type about 100wpm.

Does the Bluetooth keyboard slot into your phone?

 

[Atomic Walrus]

Or you can use a Bluetooth keyboard. I can type about 100wpm.

Impressive! Maybe someday you'll learn to read too, since my entire point was that a digitizer is specifically useful for people whose work is NOT based on actual writing. I even pointed that we're in the minority by a large margin.

I see how this works: You guys don't actually care about understanding things, you just like to fight. This is a social activity, like arguing about sports at the bar. As would be the case in that analogy I'm sorry I even walked in the door, please resume your regularly scheduled nonsense.