Why can't Apple develop a stylus that functional for precision drawing.

Meg, why should it matter that you disagree? How would having an optional mean of input which would greatly appeal to those users in more specialized fields effect you negatively?

I'm not suggesting that Apple should make an iPad with an optional precision pointing system an FORCE Meg and Deggie to use it. I'm not crazy about every single feature the iPad has. I just don't use the ones that aren't useful to me. I also don't like every single app made for the iPad. I just don't buy or use them. But I'm not opposed to them being made, I don't disagree with them being developed and being sold, being made available to those who who would like them and would find them useful.

I believe that the more useful the iPad can become to more people, the better the device will be.

With attitudes like that I'd rather you kept your patronage & appreciation to yourself!

pluviose wrote:

The demographic you keep referring to as "artsy crowd" is:

1. Typically lightyears above your average businessman in terms of education & intellect.

You may be confusing people like me who patronize and/or appreciate art, and the artists themselves. I was referring to the artists themselves. Not being judgmental, but those artists that I've known are not that bright. They are very good artists, but that's about all.

pluviose wrote:

Is a pencil accessory for the paper? Nope

Agreed, a pencil is not an accessory for paper. Rather, the pencil is essential if one wants to write or draw on the paper. The stylus, however, is NOT essential for the iPad because one can use (actually, is supposed to!) use their fingers instead of a stylus.

I disagree that it is relevant or necessary. Like deggie, if Apple did develop what you want, I wouldn't object but I can think of other things I would personally rather they spend their R&D time and money on.

There are plenty of third party styluses available for the iPad. Apple doesn't need to produce one.

Give the Wacom Bamboo stylus a try.

Because Apple is a computer company, not a stylus company. They leave those accessories to third parties.

Note that Apple used to make printers (remember the LaserWriter?). They don't anymore. Why do you suppose that is?

You might have a look at this: http://adonit.net/

First off, the Adonit styluses "look" and "feel" good but don't work well for very long. They have a huge flaw in the design of their tips. You will start to see skipping lines and poor responsiveness starting somewhere between 1 day / 1 month of use.

Best stylus I've four so far is the Go Smart Stylus. Not too dissimilar from the Adonit Jot line up, but a far more workable design. They simply work and they work very well.

I strongly feel that Apple should make a stylus for their own products. Clearly, the product they've made has turned out to be a platform ripe with uses that would be optimized with a proper stylus. 3rd party products have come a long way but something official would make a world of difference. The area of the screen required to register a touch could be reduced in size allowing more precise input devices to be used with their products.

Comparing a stylus to a printer is ridiculous. They don't make cars or coffee makers either. They do however make tablet computing devices which have a slew of art, writing an notes applications, all of which would benefit greatly from an optional, precision input device.

Samsung has done this. And in that their tablet has a stylus is probably the biggest reason and selling point I've heard in why to choose theirs over the iPad. Apple could squash that easily.

Goosekeeper wrote:

First off, the Adonit styluses "look" and "feel" good but don't work well for very long. They have a huge flaw in the design of their tips. You will start to see skipping lines and poor responsiveness starting somewhere between 1 day / 1 month of use.

I've had mine for about 6 months. It's still great.

Lucky you. I've gone thru 5 Jot Pros and 1 Jot Touch. The result is an identical drop in responsiveness and consistency. Not a single one has kept very long. I've tried popular tricks, like using tin foil, and replacement discs. They're all temporary, ultimately ending with the same result.

I'm mot alone. You can see discussions with other frustrated users, experiencing the same exact problems over at Adonit's support site. Here are a few threads:

https://getsatisfaction.com/adonit/topics/worked_great_at_first_now_lots_of_skip ping_already_tried_cleaning_disk_and_screen

https://getsatisfaction.com/adonit/topics/jot_sensitivity

https://getsatisfaction.com/adonit/topics/a0i9nicairkiu

Well, of course support sites have complaints from people with problems. That's what they're for. I've never been anywhere near the Adonit site. I'd be willing to bet that most of the other people without problems haven't been there, either. So, it's hardly a representative sample.

I do think the cap comes unscrewed a bit to easily, though. I've almost lost it a couple of times.

Of course it's a representative example. Real people, real Adonit customers having real problems with Adonit's products. Pretty cut and dry. And like you indicated, these are of the few who have visited that site. You will also find blogs and other forums with all kinds of fixes (all temporary) to this same issue, ranging from using different oils or lubricants, using some sort of metallic brake dust and aluminum foil—all in attempt to revive failing Adonit styluses. A product that works well wouldn't require a bunch of insane workarounds.

Glad yours works. Hang onto it.

By definition a representative sample is a random sample of all users. Looking at an Adonit forum will give a skewed sample. Users without problems have no motivation to visit the forum and probably don't even know it exists. Users with problems will search for help and find the forum.

There might be a problem with the longevity of the Adonit stylus but citing Internet finds doesn't really demonstrate that.

I visit that site regularly it maily to discuss another product by another company—their forum. Sure, they have people with problems here and there but I'd say the far, far majority of chatter there consists of either folks discussing ideas to further better the product (new feature ideas) or to give praise.

There is some praise and whatnot on Adonit's forum too, naturally. But there is a considerable number of people, just on that site alone, from all over, who are experiencing the same problem. You can say whatever you want to invalidate that, but it remains the truth.

I said nothing to invalidate that. I simply gave you the definition of a representative sample. Please read posts more carefully.