Rhiannon Williams, interviewing Sir Jony Ive for The Telegraph:
“We hoped if you are used to spending a lot of time using paintbrushes, pencils and pens, this will feel like a more natural extension of that experience – that it will feel familiar,” he says, carefully. “To achieve that degree of very simple, natural behaviour, was a significant technological challenge.”
And:
Ive joined Apple full time in 1992, and despite being based in San Francisco ever since, retains his British accent. There he worked closely with late chief executive Steve Jobs to hone the pared-back, sleek aesthetic now synonymous with Apple products.
The Pencil is no exception – a delicate white plastic device with a removable rubber sensor-filled tip for detecting the amount of pressure you’re applying to the screen and varying the weight of the line it draws accordingly, including a bold, hard mark when pressing hard on the direct tip, and a faint, fanned effect when brushed on its side, just as a physical pencil would.
Ive hopes those using the Pencil for the first time are surprised by this, as “every other stylus you’ve used is a pretty poor representation of the analogue world”.
And:
“I always like when you start to use something with a little less reverence. You start to use it a little carelessly, and with a little less thought, because then, I think, you’re using it very naturally. What I’ve enjoyed is when I’m just thinking, holding the Pencil as I would my pen with a sketchpad and I just start drawing,” he enthuses.
“When you start to realise you’re doing that without great intent and you’re just using it for the tool that it is, you realise that you’ve crossed over from demoing it and you’re actually starting to use it. As you cross that line, that’s when it actually feels the most powerful.”
This makes me want one.
If you’re looking for a “laptop replacement” then you’re looking at the wrong thing. If you’re looking for the best notebook on the market then this is probably it.
The Apple Pencil + Screen is the leapfrog technology. The reviewers are (rightly so) pointing at problems with rudimentary keyboard and multi-tasking on this release. I think those will improve rapidly. You have to put something in the market so you can get feedback from users and developers and then iterate quickly. I have little doubt about Apple’s capabilities as a lean enterprise.
Right now I think it’s “mostly better” than the Surface Pro. In a year it will be the clear leader. In two years it will be a generation ahead.
I could play with the Pencil and the keyboard today. The Pencil is far more than just good, it is exceptional. It is even more responsive than my Wacom Intuos tablet, and the wrist detection is virtually impossible to fool. Perfect job, beats everything else on the market by miles.
Unfortunately I could not buy one with the iPad Pro, as our store will not receive any before late next week.
(The keyboard is abysmal though, no idea why they even bothered.)
odd, exclude an exception pen, include an “abysmal” keyboard … or is that an add on Apple BT KB?
I’m a little tired of Sir Jony pontificating on how I choose to use technology, or what is important in a design for me.