iPad with Apple Pencil (iBook/Kindle/etc)

I am totally surprised and shocked that what I would consider a very basic feature that is of high value for a range of people would be omitted. I am really disappointed, that a company with a trillion dollars in value would simply thumb its nose at this. I really think that it shows the total disconnect with what its customer want. Every single student wants this feature, as well as professionals, People love to draw on things and books is no exception. I don’t want to use a different clunky app that’s not my main reader, so third party apps take away form the whole reader experience. Quite frankly, its not good enough, and I am going to buy a Surface pro instead. Really baffles the mind, I am not sure what happens at apple on a day to day basis but it’s clearly nothing good sadly.

I really think that it shows the total disconnect with what its customer want.

Freudian slip? You seem to be speaking for your self here.

Every single student wants this feature, as well as professionals,

And you know this because? I'm a professional, whatever you mean by that, and could care less about a pencil.

I am going to buy a Surface pro instead.

It seems you have this figured out then.

Best of luck.

Thank you! That is the correct explanation and it is a technical one. I understand that some people may be technically-challenged or couldn’t care less about the reason why it can’t work but technology is not magic. Some may suggest that Apple, being a billion dollar company, could introduce their own format of ebook format supporting free-form graphics but, to be viable, the entire ebooks industry would need to switch and support that new format. That can’t happen overnight. Besides, the tablet+pen market is still relatively small, so the business incentive is not large enough to undertake this major ebooks overhaul.

As for built-in medical dictionary, that is a silly expectation. There are numerous domain-specific jargons and nomenclatures. Where to stop? Is your TV set supposed to come with lyrics and closed-captions for all content built-in? Is a kitchen supposed to come with all commonly-used and less commonly-used kitchenware? Of course not.

For both of these, the Surface Pro won’t have a fix built-in either.

Not sure where you saw anyone expecting a ‘built-in’ medical dictionary, simply the capacity to download variety of new dictionaries (e.g. medical dictionary). This not a ‘silly’ expectation, since Mac allows for this.

Thank you for contributing.

pepinme01 wrote:

Not sure where you saw anyone expecting a ‘built-in’ medical dictionary,

From Lockjaw's posts on page 1:

Lockjaw wrote:

The device is attached to the internet it is completely reasonable to expect it to have a complete dictionary. Also most doctors and lawyers I know hate the fact that many seemingly simple features are ommitted from this device.

And your own:

pepinme01 wrote:

(2) Lack of medical dictionary (or ability to add other professional terminology) - this is a major deficiency, since students are often exposed to a long list of new terms in each subject area. This concern extends beyond the medical profession.

pepinme01 wrote:

simply the capacity to download variety of new dictionaries (e.g. medical dictionary). This not a ‘silly’ expectation, since Mac allows for this.

Thank you for contributing.

It's not a silly expectation, but its something you can already do. So don't understand then the complaint.

You can already download a ton of different dictionaries, for different fields from the iBooks Store onto the device. And even the App Store has Medical, legal and other specific field Terminology Apps as well.

Having a built-in dictionary for all specific fields is unreasonable.

I see the disconnect in this discussion now. The concern of my colleagues and me is that there does not exist the ability to add terms to the “Dictionary” search that comes up with a hard press in iBooks (defines terms that may be unfamiliar). Also, the auto-correct features on the apple-based software is extremely frustrating when writing medical notes, etc...

I have always been aware that self-contained medical dictionaries exist, but the usefulness of these resources is extremely limited. My motivation for writing this post was to determine whether I could modify the built-in dictionary as I can with my MacBook Pro.

I think we have to open a different thread, because the original question has been answered, afaik. Complaining about medical dictionaries is a different subject.

To answer the last question: the built in dictionary can not be modified as it relies on est dictionaries like the Oxford dictionary. But you may want to extend it by adding a medical dictionary, which is possible: https://www.imore.com/how-to-add-remove-dictionaries-iphone-ipad

or here

http://appcrawlr.com/ios-apps/best-apps-medical-dictionary

Have u ever found out a solution with writing on ibooks? I have no choice but to buy an ipad for my course as the school designed the course i enrolled in specifically for ipads. Only to find out i can't write on ibooks itself. Yeah u can higlight and type a note but i want to be able to physically write on it just like a real books because that's how i study.

Sorry, I think you misunderstood my meaning, and to a degree other people's complaint. In the kindle app for example you can seamlessly download many dictionaries easily ( which is a neither the problem, nor the complaint) the problem is that if a new term comes up in that same book (and it is a legal or medical term) the software reacts by saying the definition is unavailable. Obviously, having every word in every language defined on the system hard disk would be a waste a space. However, to say it is unreasonable for these people to expect that grabbing a definition for commonly used medical terminology would be easy is insane, currently this segment has to go out and buy a separate dictionary app? Really!? My point is that since the device is basically always connected it should be easy to incorporate a simple line of code to go get these definitions, furthermore since the downloadable dictionaries in these apps contain all major translation dictionaries and many different publishers mainstream collegiate dictionaries, it doesn't seem like it should be so difficult to incorporate the ability to incorporate a basic med or law dictionary as an available download. The offense wasn't taken to the suggestion of having to hit the download button so much as the suggestion that expecting these things to be available makes this group "completely unreasonable"

I see. So instead of editing an available dictionary or buying a new one you prefer to fill in a personal one that gathers the terms needed from the internet wherever they are available? Sounds like some sort of “wiktionary“, which is a very good idea.

Since people could contribute to that, some sort of Wikipedia connector might be a start.

No, I am saying that since the system facilitates attaining an INTEGRATED oxford and Merriam Webster dictionaries it should be really simple to make a Merck med term or blacks law dictionary available. The fact that I have to keep restating this in different ways makes it clear that you have never studied either field, so you should probably ease off the condescension. It is reasonable to expect that a product marketed as valuable to a field to students in that field contain features that make life easier for those in that field.

Is this your attempt to illustrate irony?

The fact that I have to keep restating this in different ways makes it clear that you have never studied either field,

so you should probably ease off the condescension.

If so, brilliantly done.

Ok good point! You both have convinced me that anybody studying medicine or law is clearly STUPID to think that a medical dictionary or legal dictionary should be available without going out and buying yet another app. The shear idea that someone would think that these dictionaries could come as a standard feature is just ridiculous. Totally unreasonable to think that the app developers preparing software, FOR TEXTBOOKS, could cram such a large library of data (approx. 10MB) into one of these devices or make such things available. Such terms as "scienter" and "erythema" should require a student to go out and buy another app and constantly switch back and forth.

The original term I took issue with was one person insulting an entire group of students for suggesting that these concerns be addressed. I don't like when people Attack others without justification (just a quirk of mine) especially when there insulting tone is so rooted in misunderstanding. I honestly could care less at this point about the feature or this absurd argument about how stupid I am to think a the previous poster was justified in suggesting that medical and legal dictionaries could be included. Color me trolled and let's just move on.

Again with the irony.

I don't like when people Attack others without justification

when there insulting tone is so rooted in misunderstanding.

The original post was Is there an app or any software that will allow me to use an iPad or iPad Pro as my ebook and write freehand using the Apple Pencil?.

It was a question about the pencil!

Along the way it got hijacked into a discussion(?) about reasonableness.

Simply because a product may have abilities beyond what is possible upon purchase, does not mean each and every one of those abilities should be provided by the vendor at purchase time.

The sentiment has been you are "unreasonable" to expect an advanced feature, likely addressed by the 3rd party space, to be provided at purchase by the vendor.

It's not unreasonable to want something in general.

In fact you made this statement earlier alluding to the concept of "a complete dictionary" Perhaps if you had defined complete. I would not suggest "complete" for a broadly sold consumer product like an iPad should include a legal or medical dictionary.

Now if there was an "iPad Medical" or iPad Legal" model for sale, lacking these dictionaries upon purchase, I would heartily agree with you.

You go on to bemoan other "seemingly simple features" that are missing.

Is there a Android Tablet out there preconfigured for every need of the medical or legal field? For accountants? Real Estate professionals?

And since it appears you are a lawyer, what with your line of work's penchant for accuracy... nobody called anybody STUPID.

There are many Apps that will let you use the Pencil to write notes and draw and do other things.

This would all be separate to whatever you do on iBooks.

In iBooks you can use the Apple Pencil to highlight passages in different colors, but i do not believe there is an option for drawing on an iBook.

http://www.imore.com/how-highlight-apple-pencil-ibooks

Beyond that, you can have iBooks and a secondary App open in Split View(as long as the App supports it) to read from the iBook and write or draw on the secondary App.

At its most basic the default Notes app that is pre-installed on an iPad will let you do this.

About Multitasking on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support