# Stylus for the iPad



## iheartmac (Jan 5, 2006)

If this works well with Brushes and future "art apps" then I can see a lot more people getting behind the iPad.


"As with the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad's screen requires capacitive input, which is why a traditional plastic stylus (or a gloved fingertip) won't work. The Pogo pens have special tips that mimic the touch of a finger, but with considerably less surface area."

Want to take notes on an iPad? Here's your stylus | iPhone Atlas - CNET Reviews


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

iheartmac said:


> If this works well with Brushes and future "art apps" then I can see a lot more people getting behind the iPad.
> 
> 
> "As with the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad's screen requires capacitive input, which is why a traditional plastic stylus (or a gloved fingertip) won't work. The Pogo pens have special tips that mimic the touch of a finger, but with considerably less surface area."
> ...


Bookmarked the Pogo Sketch for future purchase

Thanks

Dave


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## hayesk (Mar 5, 2000)

Remember though, that a developer will have to assume that the user is using a finger, not a stylus. Most apps will be designed for finger use unless its specific purpose is to require a stylus. So far, have we seen anything on the iPhone/iPod Touch that makes good use of a stylus?


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

^^ drawing/painting apps benefit from a stylus. There's already plenty for the iphone, and as the keynote demoed they will be ported over to the ipad.

But i still don't consider these apps as REAL replacements for OS X drawing/painting apps with a wacom.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

i-rui said:


> ^^ drawing/painting apps benefit from a stylus. There's already plenty for the iphone, and as the keynote demoed they will be ported over to the ipad.
> 
> But i still don't consider these apps as REAL replacements for OS X drawing/painting apps with a wacom.


I think there's a lot of potential there.

I have to point out that the guy who demonstrated "Brushes" took pains to mention that his users' work has been featured on the cover of THE NEW YORKER, and THAT composition was done on the *iPhone.* Here's a copy of it:










And here's a link to a whole pool of them on Flickr, again ALL done on the iPhone:
Flickr: The Brushes Gallery ? iPhone Art Pool

The developer was excited by what could now be done on the much larger AND MORE PRECISE iPad screen.

I think we can safely put the whole "can't do art on an iPad" thing to rest now.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

i-rui said:


> ^^ drawing/painting apps benefit from a stylus. There's already plenty for the iphone, and as the keynote demoed they will be ported over to the ipad.
> 
> But i still don't consider these apps as REAL replacements for OS X drawing/painting apps with a wacom.


Of course not. Not at least until the iPad has pressure sensitivity. I think Wacom has been unchallenged for far too long and have become complacent.


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## yeeeha (Feb 16, 2007)

Great idea.

But what is it like writing with a stylus on a glass surface? I have hard enough time signing on the tiny glass surface of the FedEx gadget whenever I receive a delivery.


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

chas_m said:


> I think there's a lot of potential there.
> 
> I have to point out that the guy who demonstrated "Brushes" took pains to mention that his users' work has been featured on the cover of THE NEW YORKER, and THAT composition was done on the *iPhone.* Here's a copy of it:
> 
> ...


The iphone art is interesting, and it certainly becomes another tool an artist can use (and virtually anything can be used to create art) but in no way do i see it replacing a computer and wacom tablet anymore than the iphones built in camera will be replacing a pro DSLR and it's thousand dollar lenses.

My biggest criticism about iphone art is the resolution. it's very low. So while it's fine for things labeled as "iphone art" that have a novelty tag, it becomes a real problem trying to produce high quality work (for printing). The ram on the iphone is the biggest obstacle to this (256mb can't deal with any high res image). Has apple announced the ram on the ipad yet?

But as it's another tool I'm all for it. I have Brushes on my iphone (along with a dozen other painting/drawing apps) and while i'd never consider it my FIRST choice, i'm happy to HAVE that choice.



MannyP Design said:


> Of course not. Not at least until the iPad has pressure sensitivity. I think Wacom has been unchallenged for far too long and have become complacent.


I'm a big fan of wacom and don't have any complaints about them as a company. I suppose one could say they're too expensive, and that probably comes from a lack of competition, but my hope would be apple and wacom could team up for pressure sensitive technology rather than compete against each other.

But besides pressure sensitivity I don't see the ipad replacing a wacom & computer until it has processing power, lots of ram (which is VERY important) and storage.

So i'm guessing a few years away (at least).

But don't get me wrong. I'm hoping for the same thing. My wish for the apple tablet was basically that type of product so that i could get rid of my windows tablet PC (which i hate)



yeeeha said:


> Great idea.
> 
> But what is it like writing with a stylus on a glass surface? I have hard enough time signing on the tiny glass surface of the FedEx gadget whenever I receive a delivery.


I have a wacom cintiq and a tablet pc i use to draw/paint on. The cintiq has a bit of a tooth on it's surface so it's the best. The tablet PC has a slick surface which i dislike. I'm been able to remedy this by using a felt tip that wacom sells for it's pens and it gives it a closer "pencil on paper" feel.

I imagine the glass surface on the ipad wouldn't be the most pleasant surface to draw on, but i'm sure i could get use to it. The form factor would be much better than my toshiba tablet pc (which is thick & heavy). I've never tried the pogo stylus so i'm not sure how the tip reacts to the iphone glass surface.


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## fellfromtree (May 18, 2005)

I think the combo of something like the Pogo/iPad will be exactly what I want. 
The Touch is too small, my Wacom/iBook is portable, but not really portable. I'm still hampered by screen position, cord length etc. It isn't quite the miracle I thought it would be.

For the future, I'm less interested in something that replaces or replicates most existing drawing/painting apps, I'm more interested in seeing stylus development.
The iPad could be a perfect sketch/draw/paint device. I'd like to have a handful of implements with different tips, rather than one stylus that I have to change properties for every time I want a different tip- just like I have a bunch of brushes and pencils etc that are all different sizes/grades. 
I don't get much satisfaction using a wacom pen as a #6 filbert, or as a stick of soft pastel, and I don't like having to change preferences in the middle of drawing. The Pogo is a $15 device, about the cost of a medium quality paintbrush. Having 3-5 on hand that all have different properties built in or preset for preference, or interchangeable tips- perfect.
Interesting tweet from TenOneDesign site regarding pressure sensitivity-" We can make a pressure sensitive drawing app for the iPad, but Apple will need to loosen API restrictions first."

As it is out of the gate, the iPad still looks like a very useful capable device for paint/draw. The future applications are going to be fantastic.
I agree with MannyP. The Wacom is a great device, but development this area seems to be a bit stagnant.

David Hockney uses iPhone/Brushes. His style comes through very clearly, even though the medium is somewhat signature.

Slide Show: David Hockney's iPhone Passion - The New York Review of Books


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## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

You can make art with wet feces and a stick. I doubt that the iPad will provide greater resistance.


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## mark40 (Mar 25, 2010)

i have purhased it and its really help me in my mcse training


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## imnothng (Sep 12, 2009)

Yep, I bought one each for the wife and I (me iPhone, her iPod Touch). I will say that her's is MUCH more responsive and I believe that is due to the fact that I have a screen cover thingy on my phone. Also, don't go thinking that it's nice and small LIKE a stylus because it's not. The head, if you can imagine, is more like a Q-Tip.

Now don't get me wrong, it is really cool and nice to have one, just wasn't exactly like I expected, that's all.

I thought to the wife while we were in the store the other day buying a new iMac, why the hell wouldn't Apple include one for each iPad. That would be a wicked selling point, imo anyways.


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## satchmo (May 26, 2005)

Rumours have it that AutoDesk is working on an iPad version of their Sketchbook iPhone app.

From the YouTube clip, finger drawing is okay, but this Pogo stylus would be a natural for sketching on an iPad.

YouTube - SketchBook Mobile iPhone App from Autodesk


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

Sketchbook Pro is a fantastic app. If only the iPad had pressure sensitivity...


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