Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has added to the chatter around a stylus for the rumoured iPad Pro. He believes that Apple will launch 'a simple stylus' alongside the oversized tablet which is widely expected to debut in Q2 this year (reports Apple Insider and others).
While iOS is optimised to use fingers and thumbs in the user interface, the addition of a stylus will add to the functionality of the iPad Pro for a specific set of users. It shouldn't take away from the normal usage pattern, but in terms of note-taking, handwriting, and sketching, a stylus will be a vital point of differentiation for Cupertino's new 12.9 inch tablet.
I should know, because I've recently been using a third-party stylus with my iPad, and while it might not have made any fundamental changes to my use of the iPad, it has made some areas far more accessible and easy to use.
I've been reviewing Adonit's Jot Script stylus for iOS devices this month on my iPad mini. Unlike the plastic injection moulded sticks of the early PDA organisers, the Jot Script is an ergonomic and tactile stylus. It has the heft and feel of a solid fountain pen, although the diameter is more like a marker pen to accommodate the battery and electronics inside. The big takeaway is that it feels natural.
Powered by a single AAA battery, the stylus has two modes of operation. The first is the basic capacitive mode. A short tap on the power button (so the LED glows green) lets you know the electronics have activated, and the stylus tip will now act as a fingertip. This duplicates your finger's galvanic response so the stylus can work with every element on the screen. From buttons and dialogs, to tapping on the keypad or using drawing tools in any number of applications.
No compatibility, no extra drivers, no third-party software needs to be loaded on your iPad (or iPhone). It just works. Because the Jot Script is relying on the capacitive properties, it will work on any number of touch screens. This stylus works happily with other devices, including my Android tablets and smartphones.
But it's the second mode of the Jot Script that makes this stylus a good choice for the digital scribe, and also shows the potential power of an Apple Stylus.
This mode connects the pen to my iPad using bluetooth. This allows the Jot Script to provide more detailed information to applications that are specifically coded to interface with the stylus. It offers a more precise location of the tip of the stylus, and allows information on the pressure being applied to be sent to the application.
Adonit has worked with Evernote to add support for the Jot range of stylii (including the Jot Script), to its Penultimate drawing and note-taking application. You can use your finger in this app, but a quick tap on the bluetooth pen icon and you can connect and calibrate the Jot Script by holding the nib on a target spot on the screen and the electronics do the rest.
As well as interfacing with the accuracy and pressure, Penultimate's code also screens out my palm resting on the screen. This allows for a more natural experience when taking notes quickly or sketching out illustrations or diagrams.
The Jot Script just works. With no extra code it can drive the iOS environment (or Android!) but when the opportunity arises, the extra hardware in the stylus can be used to enhance the experience. Otherwise my iPad mini was still my iPad mini.
It's unlikely that Tim Cook would change the fundamental nature of iOS for the rumored iPad Pro. It has to retain compatibility with the wide range of applications and services that already give the iPad family a significant advantage over other tablets.
But the extra size of the iPad Pro screen is going to open up a lot more opportunities for artists and creatives. If you are trying to sell a larger tablet, then a stylus is going to be one area you can focus on. Cartoonists, sketchers, architects, surveyors... there are a lot of professions that will find a large-screened, stylus enabled tablet to be a good idea. Apple will be able to work the extra information into all of its first-party applications, and because of the low-level access will no doubt be able to provide an API for app developers to add enhanced stylus support to developers looking to exploit the iPad Pro.
And in the process, Apple will legitimize peripherals such as the Jot Script. I'm sure Adonit will work with Apple's new API so that its styli can all work with the new stylus enabled applications that are sure to appear during 2015, bringing pen computing back into vogue alongside tablet computing.
Disclaimer: Adonit provided a Jot Script Stylus for this editorial.
