There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
This device might be more practical for Apple's upcoming solutions for hotels and cruise ships. Government agencies were asking for such a device since the beginning of this century but Jobs insisted that the technology was not available yet, especially the screen resolution.
There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
That I understand but I don't believe it would be included with the device as sold by Apple since these applications aren't Apple's and would also conflict with its advertising.
There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
I would guess that no stylus would be provided. For common applications, fingers with zooming would take care of things. For detailed cad work for example - a virtual touchpad would take care of the precision, just like the real touch pad on a macbook. Of course sometimes when you have lots to do, a mouse helps, but is never required
Other people's needs aren't necessarily congruent with your own. Using this forum as an example I'd say that is true considerably more often that not. If you try to think outside your ow limited scope of the world you might be able to consider a few commercial uses where a stylus for a capacitance touchscreen might be useful.
One problem with touch screen keyboards is the inability to go to the rest position easily without false positives.
Lack of tactile feedback and that a lot of folks naturally "touch" the keyboard without actual key activation in physical keyboards either to maintain postion, rest fingers or whatever. I know when I pause typing my hands naturally go to the rest position with every finger touching a key and I can do so without looking.
Who needs a pen for signatures for a computer no less a phone? That's a secondary need if ever there was one.
Try looking beyond your own needs. Designers, photographers, artists... a lot of people would be all over this thing as a graphics tablet, hence the need for an (optional) stylus. The ability to draw directly on the screen would be one of it's biggest attractions. Finger-painting doesn't cut it.
Now that I think of it, it would be amazing to be able to use this as a peripheral to the desktop; a wireless second monitor for input.
Added:
Having said that, I agree that Apple would play down the use of a stylus in favour of their beloved multi-touch. It wouldn't be something that popped out of the tablet, Palm-style.
I'd probably only use it though if it was like a regular macbook(the screen opened up to reveal trackpad and keyboard), but then on the back of the screen(for if you closed it) would become the tablet writing portion, that way it gets the tablet, note-taking style of the touch-interface, without sacrificing the functionality and quickness of a real keyboard. Because, honestly, no matter how good the 'simulated' keyboard is, I just don't think that there is any substitute for the real thing
... Did the article say anything about something we are all interested in - cut and paste gestures? We have seen some proposals a while back but is there anything found here?...
Did anyone ever think that the main reason we don't have cut and paste for the iphone is that it's a document *reader* at best, and we are waiting for the larger format device to be able to readily *edit* documents? If this is true, then isn't it likely that cut and paste will be introduced with the new tablet (iBook?) and isn't it likely that it will operate exactly the same way as it did previously on the Newton, i.e. - with a stylus?
Anyone who thinks about it for more than a second or two, should also realise that without a stylus, a tablet device (even with multi-touch) is not of much use. The market for tablets is exactly that part of the current market that still needs to use a pen. Think doctors, shippers, writers, artists, etc.
Add that information to other patents Apple has put out that indicate a method of recognising a persons hand and when they are "making the pen gesture" with their fingers and you have some big hints as to the form factor and utility of a new tablet device if it ever arrives.
Think of a bigger iPhone where you move sheets of "paper" with your fingers, but write on them with a stylus, or simply by pretending that you are holding a stylus. It's possible that this arrangement will also require a particular type of touch screen with a higher input detection resolution thus making the current iphone incapable of being used in the same way at least initially.
It might help if when AppleInsider puts up one of these articles about a patent, that they take the time to at least do what I did here and link it to other patents and trends and make some kind of prediction as to what it all means. The information about the other patents that I quoted was obtained from this very site! How hard would it be for one of the bloggers to do this?
Since there are no keys to feel, this keyboard may not be suited for 10 finger typing, two to four fingers may be more suitable.
What is this clinging to keyboards???
Typing on a keyboard was always a pain and only a crutch! A stylus with a good handwriting recognition will have humanity forget about the terrible torturous instrument called keyboard in a second!
This patent filing is interesting and proves that Apple is actively working (a quite far along) on porting the Cocoa Touch framework of iPhone OS to Mac OS X. We should see a tablet within a year (hopefully!). Maybe as early as MacWorld.
Comments
Then are you probably the only one on these forums that has never used an electronic stylus scribe your signature.
NO I just don't use it every day. WTF?
??Do you need a stylus for the iPhone?
There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
Then are you probably the only one on these forums that has never used an electronic stylus scribe your signature.
Maybe you use one every day for signatures when you check people out on your "elitist" handheld device at the Apple store.
That person has Nosferatu hands, the thumbs were fricking long!!!!!
There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
That I understand but I don't believe it would be included with the device as sold by Apple since these applications aren't Apple's and would also conflict with its advertising.
SOunds cool - who makes it?
There's currently a whole group of applications that need a stylus that the iPhone doesn't run that are even more prevalent on a larger screened tablet computer.
On my current phone I use a stylus to sketch directions and MMS/Email it to others. It's not possible currently to do that on an iPhone. It's also a kind of digital fag packet for ideas and I end up with pages and pages of scribbles on my phone's notes app.
I would guess that no stylus would be provided. For common applications, fingers with zooming would take care of things. For detailed cad work for example - a virtual touchpad would take care of the precision, just like the real touch pad on a macbook. Of course sometimes when you have lots to do, a mouse helps, but is never required
NO I just don't use it every day. WTF?
Other people's needs aren't necessarily congruent with your own. Using this forum as an example I'd say that is true considerably more often that not. If you try to think outside your ow limited scope of the world you might be able to consider a few commercial uses where a stylus for a capacitance touchscreen might be useful.
What's up with those ghastly claws? Is that what happens to you after a few years using multi-touch interfaces? I'll stick to my keyboard, thanks..
Nice gadget, I think I'd.....ZOMG what the hell is wrong with my hands!!!
Lack of tactile feedback and that a lot of folks naturally "touch" the keyboard without actual key activation in physical keyboards either to maintain postion, rest fingers or whatever. I know when I pause typing my hands naturally go to the rest position with every finger touching a key and I can do so without looking.
Who needs a pen for signatures for a computer no less a phone? That's a secondary need if ever there was one.
Try looking beyond your own needs. Designers, photographers, artists... a lot of people would be all over this thing as a graphics tablet, hence the need for an (optional) stylus. The ability to draw directly on the screen would be one of it's biggest attractions. Finger-painting doesn't cut it.
Now that I think of it, it would be amazing to be able to use this as a peripheral to the desktop; a wireless second monitor for input.
Added:
Having said that, I agree that Apple would play down the use of a stylus in favour of their beloved multi-touch. It wouldn't be something that popped out of the tablet, Palm-style.
... I know when I pause typing my hands naturally go to the rest position with every finger touching a key and I can do so without looking.
Since there are no keys to feel, this keyboard may not be suited for 10 finger typing, two to four fingers may be more suitable.
... Did the article say anything about something we are all interested in - cut and paste gestures? We have seen some proposals a while back but is there anything found here?...
Did anyone ever think that the main reason we don't have cut and paste for the iphone is that it's a document *reader* at best, and we are waiting for the larger format device to be able to readily *edit* documents? If this is true, then isn't it likely that cut and paste will be introduced with the new tablet (iBook?) and isn't it likely that it will operate exactly the same way as it did previously on the Newton, i.e. - with a stylus?
Anyone who thinks about it for more than a second or two, should also realise that without a stylus, a tablet device (even with multi-touch) is not of much use. The market for tablets is exactly that part of the current market that still needs to use a pen. Think doctors, shippers, writers, artists, etc.
Add that information to other patents Apple has put out that indicate a method of recognising a persons hand and when they are "making the pen gesture" with their fingers and you have some big hints as to the form factor and utility of a new tablet device if it ever arrives.
Think of a bigger iPhone where you move sheets of "paper" with your fingers, but write on them with a stylus, or simply by pretending that you are holding a stylus. It's possible that this arrangement will also require a particular type of touch screen with a higher input detection resolution thus making the current iphone incapable of being used in the same way at least initially.
It might help if when AppleInsider puts up one of these articles about a patent, that they take the time to at least do what I did here and link it to other patents and trends and make some kind of prediction as to what it all means. The information about the other patents that I quoted was obtained from this very site! How hard would it be for one of the bloggers to do this?
Since there are no keys to feel, this keyboard may not be suited for 10 finger typing, two to four fingers may be more suitable.
What is this clinging to keyboards???
Typing on a keyboard was always a pain and only a crutch! A stylus with a good handwriting recognition will have humanity forget about the terrible torturous instrument called keyboard in a second!
Looks exciting.
SJ's obituary was mistakingly published by Bloomber!!!
http://gawker.com/5042795/bloomberg-...jobss-obituary