Many years ago, Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs bashed the idea of a stylus, claiming that our finger was more than enough to get the job done. So far for the most part he was right and save for a few smartphone models, the majority of tablets and smartphones today operate just fine without the need for a stylus.
So with the iPad Pro, many were questioning why would Apple U-turn and create a stylus? Does it mean that they never really agreed with Jobs’ opinion on the stylus to begin with? For those wondering about how the Apple Pencil came about, Apple’s designer Jony Ive revealed why during an interview with Wallpaper Magazine.
According to Ive, “What we found is that there’s clearly a group of people that would value an instrument that would enable them to paint or draw in ways that you just can’t with your finger. And I suspect that this isn’t a small group of people.” Ive also went on to explain that the Apple Pencil is not meant to replace your finger in terms of operating with the iPad Pro.
He added, “It was fundamentally important originally not to develop a user interface that required another instrument. It was important that we develop the UI based upon multi-touch, based on our fingers.” That being said, the Apple Pencil is probably one of the most expensive styli around with a price tag of $99, but so far initial reviews of the tablet and the Apple Pencil have been pretty positive, so perhaps Apple could be onto something here.
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