Who needs a pencil? This is the question that Steve Jobs asked in 2007 to an audience surprised by the presentation of a device that marked a clear turning point, the iPhone. Now, eight years later, Apple has assumed that there is a positive answer to that question: Certain professionals need a pencil and for them the company has created the Apple Pencil.
Apple Pencil, a before and after
Sometimes, as much as you want something in this life, it does not come true. This is exactly what happens in the case of Apple Pencil.
Steve Jobs He wanted to unite man and machine, as he already demonstrated to be capable of uniting the beauty of art with computing and technology, but in this case, he did not achieve it absolutely. His idea that nothing mediates between the user and the device, that the user interacts with the device absolutely directly, that it becomes a kind of extension of the user himself, is wonderful, but also impossible, at least for the moment. Apple's efforts in this regard have been enormous, as have its accomplishments. Today, the iPad and iPhone are touched with the fingers and it almost does so by bringing the meat closer to the screen. But therein lies the problem, in the word "almost." The iPad must be capable of everything, of eliminating the word "almost", and for this the Apple Pencil.
In January 2007, one of the essential features of the iPhone was its lack of stylus
The Steve Jobs era ended with his death, it is a reality that many have been determined to deny, but it is there. And although its shadow is long, very long, the company that since then has helmed Tim Cook has had to do the logical thing: look at reality and attend to the user. This is how it appeared on the iPad Mini (although the 9,7 ″ was the perfect size according to Jobs); this was how the iPhone grew until 4 ″ first and until 4,7 and 5,5 ″ later (although 3,5 ″ was the perfect size according to Jobs); this is how we now have a gigantic 12,9 ″ iPad Pro or how we have gone from the most absolute of secrecy in the days before a Keynote that made you literally get up from your seat filled with emotion, to a keynote where weeks before You practically know everything and they have become a kind of eclectic events with an abundance of products and in which nothing stands out excessively above the rest. This is how we have gone from "a computer in each home" to watches for 18.000 euros; And this is how Apple seems to be moving from exclusivity to elitism, in certain respects.
But if all this was not enough to show that the Steve Jobs era has gone down in history, now comes the Apple Pencil, necessary, but brutally breaking with one of the beliefs that led Jobs to create the iPhone and iPad: the direct man-machine relationship.
But we must not cry out to heaven as some are doing, and many of whom we will see, sooner rather than later, with a Apple Pencil in the hands. The company, again, has responded to a need, and this is one of the objectives of technology, to solve needs.
El iPad ProAs its name suggests, it is focused on a professional sector, within which are artists, designers, cartoonists, and so on. And no matter how hard we try, the finger does not provide the precision that they need for their work. Times change, needs change, and Apple has done nothing more than say to these people: "Hey, we remember you", even at a scandalous price.
El Apple Pencil it is a stylus, a tablet pen, but a very apple-style device. The first thing that strikes us, apart from its $ 99 price, is its clean, clear and minimalist design.
It has arrived as a complement to the iPad Prois designed to "enhance" the capabilities of the tablet, says Jony Ive in the presentation video, and for these professionals who need precision, it is not a product for all audiences in the sense that not all of us would take advantage of its advantages. I, for example, who have no talent for drawing, will not improve with Apple Pencil.
When using iPad Pro, there are times when you need absolute precision. That's why we designed the Apple Pencil, which takes the capabilities of Multi-Touch further than ever. (Apple)
One of the advantages of Apple Pencil is that graphic tablets have been loaded with a stroke of the pen. Now, there is one less element that stands between man and machine.
El Apple Pencil take advantage of the characteristics of 3dTouch and it is capable of differentiating different degrees of pressure on the screen. If you tilt the stylus when drawing a stroke, it will also reflect a shadow, just like the classic graphite pencil on paper. And the more pressure you put on the screen, the thicker the line.
The precision of the Apple Pencil It seems, and I say it seems because I have not had it in my hands, almost absolutely. Latency time has been reduced to the unnoticeable.
Regarding its autonomy, it has a 12-hour battery and a lightning connector on its back that you can charge on the same iPad Pro. But the most outstanding thing is that if it runs out and you are in the middle, just connect it for 15 seconds to get another 30 minutes of autonomy.
Ultimately, The Apple Pencil responds to a need by breaking with a previous philosophy that, at least in its maximum degree of achievement, is still utopian, but no less desired.
