The iPad Pro certainly isn't the first oversized tablet, but given Apple's dominance when it comes to tablets, it is arguably the first one that matters.
The new device was unveiled on Sept. 9 and boasts a 12.9-inch display, Apple's A9X processor, and is aimed at the business and media professional. But apart from all of that, there's one thing that peaked the interest of tech heads around the world – the Apple Pencil.
The Apple Pencil is essentially a stylus, and its release would have been absolutely unthinkable only a few short years ago, with the late Steve Jobs having been famously anti-stylus. Like other digital styluses, it's pressure sensitive, and is, at least according to Apple, so sensitive that you can touch a single pixel on the screen using it. Apart from the fact that the device can also sense force, the stylus also is able to sense tilt, offering thicker or thinner lines based on that tilt.
While rumors of the Apple Pencil certainly did come as a surprise when they first emerged, the release of the device makes some sense. After all, it's not targeted at the average user. Steve Jobs certainly spoke about his dislike for a stylus in a general way, although it would not be a big leap to assume that he was mostly talking about using a stylus as a primary interface tool rather than as an artistic tool.
While it would be a stretch to say that the release of the Apple Pencil is an act of disrespect against Steve Jobs, it certainly does highlight one thing: Tim Cook is comfortable enough as CEO of Apple to ignore the company's founding genius. This is bittersweet. Steve Jobs, as mentioned, was a genius. But with him gone, the company needs to find ways to stay with the times as they change, and sometimes that might mean going against the wishes of someone who had his finger on the pulse of tech in the past. The finger-touch revolution was largely the doing of Steve Jobs, and that isn't going to change.
The Apple Pencil is a surprising move from the company, but a necessary one if it wants to make waves in the design business, which it clearly does. The hardware is really only one part of the equation, however, and Apple, as well as third-party companies, will have to incorporate the Pencil into their software. Of course only time will tell how the Apple Pencil stacks up against other styli, but it seems to be making great first impressions.
Via: Gizmodo
