Steve Jobs had reiterated in the past that Apple will never consider shipping an iOS device with a stylus. At the WWDC event however, there's a growing hint that the company will add the stylus capability to an upcoming bigger and work-focused iPad.
Apple wants to expand the iPad market into the professional level. In terms of software, the company is collaborating with IBM in order to come up with apps needed for the business enterprise. As for the hardware part, more and more evidence, including a leak in China, show that a bigger iPad built with a 12.9-inch screen is set to hit the market. If rumors are true, pairing the huge iPad with a stylus is best for achieving precision-heavy work which could be essential to a number of creative professions such as graphics and 3D.
"A lot of the software that drives styluses is predicting where the touch point is based on the movement of the stylus, its angle and other factors," said Tim Ritchey, an expert in iPad styluses.
Recently, Tech Times had reported on the several new features brought by the upcoming iOS 9 with some of them being unique to the iPad. The most compelling feature is perhaps the way users would be able to multitask using the trio of special features that include the Slide Over, the Split View, and the Picture in Picture. Business-geared users, particularly those coming from the designing industry, may find these features even more relevant if there's a dedicated stylus that they can use on hand.
As stated by Cult of Mac, "Touchscreens and drawing tablets generally aren't accurate enough for precision work unless they have predictive touch technology. Predictive touch dramatically improves the speed and accuracy of a pen."
It further added that the so-called predictive touch technology is "the key technology behind all styluses - both computer and iPad."
Jason Beaver, a senior engineering manager in Apple's iOS group, said that the new iOS 9 includes "touch prediction" and describes it as "a very sophisticated algorithm that looks at a touch's velocity, acceleration and curvature to see where the touch is headed."
The new iOS 9 is slated to launch in the fall which therefore suggest that the rumored iPad Pro will be unveiled in the same period. When the new iPhones were revealed in September back in 2014, a slew of new iPads consequently launched in October.
Apart from the stylus support, other features of the new iPad include a USB-C port, Force Touch and a hint of NFC functionality.
