Apple By Russell Holly Mar. 21, 2014 4:55 pm
Despite several very public statements against the concept, it looks like Apple has explored the idea of using a special kind of stylus with the iPad.
The evolution of capacitive touchscreens has done a lot to reduce our reliance on a physical input device in exchange for fingers. Unfortunately, we’ve reached a point with pixel density and screen size in tablets where a new kind of stylus may be necessary for new features.
A patent has arrived that describes an interactive physical device with replaceable nibs that allow for everything from painting to precision input and handwriting.
There have been several tablets in the last few years to attempt stylus input, and all of them have missed the mark in one way or another. Microsoft’s pen input for the Surface comes the closest to a complete thought, save for an abysmal software keyboard that could also be used for handwriting recognition. While the handwriting recognition was fantastic, the rest of the experience was incredibly poor.
Samsung has included a passive stylus in the Galaxy Note line that allows for handwriting recognition and OS input as well, but it’s a small plastic stick that is uncomfortable to use for any real length of time. Based on the information available, it looks like Apple is trying to find a solution in order to address some of these and other issues.
The patent describes an input device with accelerometers and other sensors to interact directly with the tablet, as well as replaceable nibs that serve multiple functions. Some of these nibs will be simple interaction points, while others will resemble the top of a paintbrush and give off light as they interact with the tablet. This means the stylus could be used for everything from games to painting and, with any luck, handwriting recognition.
More...
The evolution of capacitive touchscreens has done a lot to reduce our reliance on a physical input device in exchange for fingers. Unfortunately, we’ve reached a point with pixel density and screen size in tablets where a new kind of stylus may be necessary for new features.
A patent has arrived that describes an interactive physical device with replaceable nibs that allow for everything from painting to precision input and handwriting.
There have been several tablets in the last few years to attempt stylus input, and all of them have missed the mark in one way or another. Microsoft’s pen input for the Surface comes the closest to a complete thought, save for an abysmal software keyboard that could also be used for handwriting recognition. While the handwriting recognition was fantastic, the rest of the experience was incredibly poor.
Samsung has included a passive stylus in the Galaxy Note line that allows for handwriting recognition and OS input as well, but it’s a small plastic stick that is uncomfortable to use for any real length of time. Based on the information available, it looks like Apple is trying to find a solution in order to address some of these and other issues.
The patent describes an input device with accelerometers and other sensors to interact directly with the tablet, as well as replaceable nibs that serve multiple functions. Some of these nibs will be simple interaction points, while others will resemble the top of a paintbrush and give off light as they interact with the tablet. This means the stylus could be used for everything from games to painting and, with any luck, handwriting recognition.
More...
