Uh, um, ok... remember how Steve Jobs called the finger, the "best pointing device in the world" while chiding the stylus? Well, guess he wasn't lumping handwriting capabilities in with his lambasting if there's anything to this patent application for recognizing and processing "ink information" from a pen-based computer system that went public today (filed in July 2009). Naturally, the patent app makes liberal mention of tablets as the most recognizable pen-based computing systems; something that will certainly fuel speculation about the much rumored (it is still a rumor right?)
Apple tablet possibly sporting a, gulp, stylus. Now go ahead and check the video after the break and listen to Steve Jobs describe the insanely great "pointing device we're all born with" (1:54) in addition to how Apple "invented a new technology called multi-touch" (2:03) with the patents to prove it (2:27 and 6:19). Oh MacWorld 2007, isn't there anything you can't do?
posted Nov 12th 2009 6:42AM
Can't wait to see this device...
Agreed, so much hype... I hope it lives up to it. Even if they'll each have very different demographics I still can't wait to see the Courier and iTab side by side. Possibly alongside even the one the NVIDIA CEO was showing off.
No thanks Apple, I'll take the Microsoft Courier.
This is coming from someone who owns a Macbook Pro and a iPhone 3G[S].
I just think Microsoft has the upper hand in this. The Courier looks perfect for designers, and students. This Apple tablet is just going to be a large iPhone.
Microsoft doesn't have a history of making anything usable, let alone 'perfect' for designers.
I know right! Windows 2, 3, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7. They've all been unusable right? Yeah I totally remember every time you install them they make your computer explode!
That damn Zune too, I heard it kills babies!
Microsoft doesn't have a history of making anything usable, let alone 'perfect' for designers.
---
This made me lol. I know a little birdie who hasn't used C# before, or Visual Studio. Then again, I suppose DOS, Win3.1 wasn't revolutionary at all. Or windows 95. Or DirectX. Or XNA.... Should I keep going?
What people don't know is...the secret of the iTab is that it's not a tablet...
But in fact it's a screen with a dock in back. You just hook up your iPod/Iphone and it displays everything on a large touch screen.
It will sell for $1999
"No thanks Apple, I'll take the Microsoft Courier.
This is coming from someone who owns a Macbook Pro and a iPhone 3G[S].
I just think Microsoft has the upper hand in this. The Courier looks perfect for designers, and students. This Apple tablet is just going to be a large iPhone."
Stephen, you took the words right out of my mouth. As a devoted Apple fan, I had a huge nerdgasm over the Courier, and can't imagine getting anything else in terms of portable computing.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
@acidhax
C#? Really? Blech. Just a Java knock-off, with the basic elements arbitrarily renamed.
Not that Objective-C is better, but, let's just discount any language that's proprietary, yeah? I still can't believe the government's handing out patents for *language*.
Would be nice to have a pen for writing but still being able to use your fingers as the main way to interact with the device
Resistive is your friend :P
It isn't going to be resistive. They make a capacitive stylus.
What are you talking about?
Resistive is the perfect method of achieving what this needs. People don't write/scribble lightly. While you write, you almost always use pressure. This would compliment this system well.
Resistive is your friend.
@7egend:
It isn't going to be capacitive, they make a multitouch-capable resistive screen.
Somehow I can't see it being any better than the Wacom pen + touch combo...
Anyone who REALLY wants/needs both would be best of getting something like the latest generation Lenovo X tablet if they want that pressure sensitivity, or something else that has that "use a real paintbrush" functionality like the Stantum multitouch resistive technology (has anyone licensed that yet, because the demos of it were impressive).
http://www.rgbfilter.com/?p=304
After reading the patent, I really can't see what's patentable here that would stand up to 'prior art', unless it's purely to do with recognizing 'ink phrases' when it comes to handwriting recognition, but even in that case, other methodologies have been around for years that work just as well.
@Alan
Agreed. The whole thing just looks like how my old Windows Mobile 2003 device did handwriting recognition. You could set it to "auto recognize", and when you wrote for a bit then paused, it would process the "ink" (even called it that) and try to convert to words.
How or why this is patentable is beyond me. Then again, it's only an application, so who knows.
Very unlikely.
More likely is a capacitive multitouch screen with some kind of RF pen. That's what current multitouch/pen tablets use.
Write on Stevie!
@ acidhax
Nope, on phones maybe, not here. You need to be able to 'hover' the pen above the screen and move it around the screen without touching it just like you would do with a mouse.
AFAIK, Wacom pen technology is the only one that will do that, plus it allows you to hold the screen in your hands without worrying about touching it and messing up what ur writing. Plus it gives pressure sensitivity and perhaps even tilt sensitivity and tip eraser too. IMO theres no pen technology that comes close.
Of course, if apple use this technology we'll no doubt see a lovely new world of people who assume apple have invented it
It is "Right ON" not "Write ON" fanboy!
Infinity,
It was a PUN... you know, intentional. Write - Right. Right?
PS... all you freaking hypocrites that were dissing stylii just a couple of hours ago are still not friends of mine... I require more consistency. You can't berate me for months / years, then all of a sudden jumb ship and praise the same damn thing you bereated me for.
Say it with me... "I am a Hypocrite and I know I should think more before I speak, and the urge to be smart is too strong, but the road to stupidity is so damn wide open."
OK, back to your pen fantasies. Sheesh.
Hm. Stupid article. Fingers are OF COURSE the best pointing device for MOBILE PHONES. Anyone denying?
A tablet has totally different purposes than a mobile phone. Sounds like an e-reader with media capabilities. color e-ink? hybrid?
I would love to write on such a thing.... with a stylus.
You could argue that a stylus would be a better pointing device for a mobile phone as it would invariably be more accurate than a finger on a small screen. Obviously it would be less hassle to use a finger, but a stylus would be more accurate.
Of course, if Apple uses a stylus, it's the best thing ever; but if Windows Mobile uses it, the stylus is criticized by the entire world.
Well, yes. Look, this concept isn't difficult - if I want to write by hand then a stylus is kinda necessary but if I don't then a stylus is both unnecessary, annoying and easy to lose. I have sincere doubts that I want to try handwriting electronically because after years of using a keyboard I can both type faster than I can write and my handwriting has become illegible. Given the problems that Windows Mobile had with my handwriting years ago, I don't think I want to go through all that again.
This isn't so much "a stylus is bad" but rather a stylus is only necessary in certain scenarios and should be avoided like the plague when possible.
It would all be in the implementation, so you are probably right.
Windows Mobile has always been designed for a 'pen-based computer'
Worse yet, Apple will be credited for inventing the stylus!
@Kelmon: You are not expected to write your complete thesis and 1000 page citation with a pen, pen-computing is meant for jotting short information and taking notes. Go ask those student who can't imagine life without a pen-tablet at the moment. Keyboard will always be our primary input method for large documents etc. But when it comes to recording daily information there is nothing compared to a pen belief me. Those of use that are hooked unto tablets with Microsoft One-Note will tell you for sure.
Today Steve Jobs revealed a brand new revolutionary Pointing device.
It's called The iStylus.
st-iLus?
oooh I wonder who they'll license this patent from when their own patent submission is denied...
I'm sure Palm will refuse and so will m$
What is M$ ?
₳₱₱₤€ oh shi-
Yep, just Like Microsoft refused to license ActiveSync for the iPhone and GMail. Microsoft has always been perfectly willing to license out their patents and protocols to their competition, it is just more $ for them. It would be like them refusing to support Windows on a Mac, what do they care, they make money either way.
In fact in trying to think of any companies that might refuse to license a patent to a competitor, it sounds far more like something Apple might do, not saying they have, just that it would fit into the Apple MO.
Anyone tried writing on paper with their finger?
Come on..logically using a stylus to write is a more natural extention to using a pen on paper. Fingers are good for buttons but not writing with, unless you stick to a keyboard only.
Yeah, people don't seem to get that when Jobs is talking about the finger, he's talking about the iPhone and similarly-sized devices where you won't be using your finger to write your signature, or letters to the editor - or mom.
People love to read into things others say that simply isn't there. And this article is obviously one of those times.
What if you have really bony fingers?
I'll have to say that Apple's iTab or whatever its gonna be called won't be for Professional's, artists, etc. Cause Apple mostly aims the product to have mainstream appeal, in this case a Netbook-ish, media/web Tablet. But the Courier is aimed at professionals who need the product to be specifically aimed at them, and from what I could gather about the Courier, It has great collaboration tools (Google Wave-ish), intelligent pen support, Multitouch capabilities and what not. But it'll only be appealing to professionals that actually would have those needs.
Whereas the Apple product just might be a "Big ass iPod Touch/iPhone", which would synchronize with iTunes/iCal, etc
That is a horrible assumption. Some of the best artwork around these days is coming from a couple of iPhone users and the art programs available for it such as SketchBook. To say this device isn't for artists or professionals is pure ignorance on your part.
Besides a professional / artist can create something no matter the medium he/she is working with.
Haha I love how you know which markets the two 'devices' will aim for. The iTablet isn't out and we know nothing about it. Courier is concept, a very awesome concept though.
@Jakob: I thought the Courier was pre-production?
@7egend
really? some of the best artwork today? you're joking right?
@ 7egend
"best artwork"??
man oh man RDF has taken over your brain... You're incredibly vain and absolutely Mac-crazed if you seriously believe what you just wrote. No-one is criticizing your precious iPhone - no need to go up in arms to defend the "superior artistic interface" of a.... wait for it... 3.5 INCH display. Get over yourself man - oh and pull your head out of apple's a$$ - that isn't a tan on your nose...
It's unbelievable what some people will actually write in defense of a tiny little phone.
hrm... so when does Apple achieve legitimate cult status? I'm sure you're on the shortlist for membership...
@phenoum
I applaud your criticizm, far be it for you to actually talk about the device at hand, but try and take cheap shots at my personal character. As for Mac-crazed, hardly. I own several PCs , MacBook Pro, and an iPhone, although I am waiting for the Xperia X10 to replace it. So again, talk about the topic not me. I know I am vain and all, and I love myself, but you don't have to encourage it.
@tofug
Yes, some of the best art around, as far as mobile devices and handheld tablets go. The topic is Tablet computing, not art in general. I was defending the fact that these devices can be used for art, and they ARE being used for art, and their medium is producing some of the best art around.
Try not to generalize every discussion into a large group. If we were talking about a Movie here, and said it was a great work of art, by no means would it be great when setting next to a MC Escher.
See: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/news/2009/02/submissions_iphone_art
I never said Professionals aren't gonna bother with the iTablet, cause there are much better choices out there ( Wacom !!! ) If they are stuck up Apple fans like this artist that we all know of, they'd use it. No ones gonna stop them from using it. But on the other hand, other professionals, not necessarily artists, designers and folks to whom collaboration is important will go with the Courier ( Believe me, we use the Wave for our project, and a ton of possibilities have opened up, it is way more time efficient ! )
All I can say here is that this time around Apple's gonna have to catch up with MS.
Also, you need to know that Apple's devices always tend to be mainstream !
iPod never supports FLAC, iPhone/iPod Touch do not support the many awesome video codecs, etc.
Sounds like Apple wants to compete with 'the Courier' > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USbkrk8-pjw
you cant compete with the courier!
its made from ground up wizards teeth.