The iPad is not enough. I need an iPen.

You may be shocked to learn that Apple released the iPad to the public on Saturday.

This bit of news was easy to miss, between coverage of health care reform, the NCAA Final Four and the release of Clash of the Titans in 3D. Fortunately, a small number of technology-related sites exist on the Interwebs, providing sparse coverage of the event.

As a card-carrying geek, part of me lusts for the iPad. I have spent many nights in front of my laptop, clutching my credit card while resisting the overwhelming temptation to preorder the device. I have found myself unable to justify spending $500 or more an iPad, as it lacks a key functionality that has topped my technology wish list for over a decade: I want a device that will replace a pen and a paper forever.

When Apple unveiled the device in January, critical reaction was predictably polarized. Apple zealots proclaimed that the iPad is the most significant tablet since Moses received the rocks that the Ten Commandments were carved on. Skeptical bloggers, "haters," if you will, bemoaned the shortcomings of the device, predicting that the lack of a webcam and USB ports would make the iPad a spectacular flop.

Of course, this commentary was all speculative. At the time, few had actually used the iPad, spare Steve Jobs, Apple engineers and a few high-ranking Freemasons.

Now that the iPad has hit the streets, the commentary has become far more insightful. Most reviewers agree that the iPad is not a mystical device handed down by God himself, nor is it an overpriced, underpowered computer destined for commerical failure. The truth lies somewhere in between, though most reviews have been incredibly positive.

The success of any new computing platform is, in large part, dependent upon the quality and selection of software. Anyone who purchased a Sega CD and a copy of Night Trap would undoubtedly agree.

While the iPad hardware offers Apple’s signature blend of understated styling and legendary usability, software must leverage the hardware to deliver an experience beyond simply using an overgrown iPhone.

Early indications are that many iPad developers have succeeded in this task. Many applications are downright snazzy, effectively making use of the device’s generous screen. Apple has done their part as well, introducing new conventions for displaying information and user interaction that were not possible in the constraints of the iPhone’s small screen. The platform even has a "killer app" at its launch, which enables Netflix users to stream high-definition movies to their iPads.

My dream of using the iPad to replace a pen and a pad may sound like a fanciful wish. It would take an ambitious device from an ambitious company to meet my needs. While the iPad is both, I would still be stuck with my godforsaken pads of paper if I bought an iPad.

I am fortunate to have a job that is highly portable, thanks to technology. For me, the tools of the trade are a laptop with a connection to the Interwebs, a cell phone and a pad of paper. Regardless of whether I am working at my office, from home, in a coffee shop or a Swedish bath house, the ubiquitous pad of paper is always at arm’s reach for jotting down ideas or notes.

While there are few ways to truly improve on a pen and a pad, my reliance on such ancient technology can quickly become inefficient and difficult to manage. Using the final page of a notepad is always gratifying experience, as starting a fresh notepad brings me a mundane sensation of delight. However, I cannot dispose of the old notepad, as it contains valuable information. As a result, my laptop bag typically contains three or more old notepads, the oldest of which are well-worn and ragged.

Whenever I need to refer to a note that is several weeks old, I must flip through dozens of pages in multiple pads, in hopes of stumbling across the note that I am searching for. Every few weeks I am saddled with the arduous task of sorting through my old notes, discarding pages that are no longer needed.

If I am inspiration strikes while I am on the go, I will jot a quick note one whatever surface is available. I have tried to carry a Moleskine notepad with me wherever I go, but the small book is easy to forget. As a result, I jot notes on napkins, business cards or a cardboard panel from my pack of cigarettes. These mobile notes get shoved into one of my notepads, adding to the jumbled pile of papers that I lug around every day.

In introducing the iPad, Jobs championed it as a mythical “third device,” filling a gap between the smartphone and a full-sized computer. While my notepads are decidedly lo-tech, they currently bridge the gap between my BlackBerry and my laptop.

My BlackBerry is invaluable when ideas are in their formative stages. I routinely bounce ideas off of boqueen using text messages, or perform quick Google searches to find facts to corroborate the points I make in my rants. Mobile Twitter client ÜberTwitter allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of the Interwebs, monitoring trending topics so that I can procrastinate for several weeks, then write about them when they are marginally relevant.

As ideas come to fruition, they inevitably graduate to a notepad, then to my laptop. A pen and pad are ideal for sketching up ideas or jotting down a short joke. Eventually, I must turn to my laptop to flesh out the finished product, whether it is a blog post or a proposal for work.

Each of these tools is perfectly suited for their designated task, though ill-equipped to fill the role of another. The full-sized keyboard on my laptop is perfect for writing long-form blog posts, but the computer is far too bulky and cumbersome for quick note-taking. Paper serves as a canvas for free-form sketches or notes, but I refrain from doing actual composition on paper, as I eventually have to transcribe my work onto my computer. Also, my notepads lack Interweb connectivity.

My BlackBerry is ideal for exchanging messages or quick Interweb browsing sessions, but little more. Occasionally, I might type quick notes into my phone, but using the tiny keyboard for long-form writing is not practical. In fact, I typed the first 600 words of this post on my BlackBerry while riding the subway over the weekend. My right hand is still throbbing in pain, ravaged by carpal tunnel syndrome.

In the perfect world, the iPad would completely replace paper, potentially making me more productive. Certainly, I could use the iPad’s Notes application for note-taking, but this would require me to use the device’s on-screen keyboard. I find typing to be a highly inefficient means of taking notes, as scrawling notes or sketches with a pen with a pen feels more natural. In fact, I often have a second laptop on my desk while working, yet I still prefer my notepads for note-taking.

Furthermore, my dainty Irish digits are simply incompatible with touch screen keyboards. I have attempted to type on a variety, ranging from the iPhone and BlackBerry Storm to tablet PCs and touch-sensitive computer monitors. Despite the fact that I have dainty Irish fingers, the results are always a chaotic jumble of characters. I attribute this to personal preference, though it is more likely due to a lack of dexterity.

I would love to be able to write letters on an iPad using a stylus. Opportunistic accessory makers will surely release pen-like input devices for the iPad, but using these will be completely impractical. The iPad is unable to distinguish between a stylus and the touch of one’s palm. A user would be unable to rest their hand on the device while writing, forcing their hand into an awkward writing position.

For the best possible user experience, stylus input would have to be supported on the hardware level rather than through the use of cheap third-party accessories. Ideally, the iPad would allow the user to toggle between touch and stylus input, to prevent errant input while using the stylus. Of course, the stylus would have to tuck away neatly into the case of the device to prevent it from being lost.

Apple understandably shied away from stylus input for the iPad platform. The rampant success of the iPhone proved that consumers enjoy the touch screen experience. The market has spoken, and users love fingering their electronics.

In an era of electronics with touch screen, devices with stylus input also carry a certain stigma. Flimsy plastic pens evoke images of geeks pecking away at their Palm Pilot during the tail end of the grunge era. Even in more recent years, the stylus became emblematic of a cumbersome method of user input. I remember chuckling as a coworker pecked away at a Treo smartphone with a stylus to dial a phone number. At the time, I felt superior with my Motorola RAZR and its physical buttons.

The inclusion of a stylus is at odds with the hip, minimalistic, latte-sipping, Prius-driving inspirational image that Apple strives for. Yet the stylus is a perfect alternative input method for the iPad. Unlike the iPhone, the device’s screen ample real estate for writing or drawing. Moreover, the device is called the “iPad,” and would seem to be destined to have a corresponding “iPen.”

Surely, Apple could make the iPen a hip accessory. Apple’s industrial designers could perform extensive research in order to craft a stylus that offers the proper combination of size and weight to simulate the experience of using a pen. The iPen could tuck neatly into the frame of the iPad without interfering with the device’s sleek lines. It could be available in a variety of colors in order to maximize aftermarket accessory sales. Perhaps Apple could incorporate unique and innovative technology into the iPen, such as a Bluetooth radio that prevented the alerted the user when the iPen and iPad fell out of range, preventing the stylus from being left behind.

In my utopian vision of the iPad, stylus input would have to be supported by handwriting recognition. I would be able to use the pen as an alternative to the on-screen keyboard across the platform, whether I was using Safari for web browsing, TweetDeck for updating my Twitter status, or the Facebook application for stalking acquaintances. Most importantly, I would be able to use the stylus in the Notes application or a word processor for jotting down notes.

Apple has already posseses the technology for handwriting recognition, which was originally developed for the ill-fated Newton, the precursor to modern PDAs. Today, the technology has been folded into the OS X operating system as Inkwell, which allows handwriting recognition for external graphics tablet. Inkwell performs absolutely incredibly, discerning individual characters even in my chaotic handwriting.  

The ability to use the iPad in this fashion would enable me to write in virtually any environment. The iPad could function as a convenient alternative to my bulky laptop. I could write in situations where I am normally unwilling to break out my laptop, such as on the train or while sitting on the bowl. I might even be able to write a few hundred words in bed before my mid-afternoon nap. This would certainly be a boon for my productivity.

Let’s face it: as a reader of this website, the prospect of me writing more words on a weekly basis is utterly titillating.

From all that I can gather without actually purchasing the device or wading in the mosh pit of Apple fanboys at the local Apple Store, the iPad has the potential to be a revolutionary device. The reviews that I have read have ranged from positive to glowing and early sales figures are impressive. Apple successfully defined a new category of device that consumers did not realize they wanted at the start of the year. Today, those same consumers are frothing at the mouth and willing to stab your grandmother with a rusty shank for their chance to touch an iPad.

The iPad in an incredibly capable device that allows users to browse the web, send and receive emails, rent and watch movies, find driving directions, play games, chop julienne fries, and much more. It is also an extraordinary reading device. If I owned an Amazon Kindle, I would feel buyer’s remorse. Comparing the iPad to a Kindle is akin to comparing a Playstation 3 to the original Game Boy. The highly touted Kindle now seems like a shitty, antiquated relic of a bygone era.

Magazine and newspaper publishers have been quick to realize this, placing their bets on the iPad as the savior of the printed word. Many had applications readied for the iPad’s launch on Saturday, and additional applications that replace print media will surely emerge in the coming months.

Hippies can rejoice that the iPad is a device that is positioned to save trees. If Steve Jobs has his way, each day, millions of Americans will trot to the bathroom with an iPad tucked under their arm rather than a magazine or newspaper. Granted, such behavior does not promote a sanitary workplace and may contribute to the spread of disease, but it will help to save the rainforests or something.

I find it somewhat curious that the iPad is designed primarily with content consumption in mind, yet offers few tools for content creators. After all, the company spent years catering to creative professionals, only recently switching focus to electronics with mass-market appeal. Scores of graphic designers will fondly recall their first experiences with a Mac, or when they finally saved up enough money for a grossly overpriced machine.

While a variety of applications enable content creation, such as basic word processing or drawing, these tools are best suited for basic tasked. The iPad’s touch-based input is quite appealing, but I cannot envision myself writing a 2,000 word blog post with my finger. I like to pretend that I am an actual adult, and finger-painting is for children.

If the iPod allowed me to write naturally, replacing my pens and notepads, I would consider it a must-have device.

Until then, I refuse to plunk down $500 or more for the joy of fingering a sexy portable computer.

3 responses to 'The iPad is not enough. I need an iPen.'

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1. I completely agree with you! I love fimdimg people who feel the same way I do. You have a funny way of putting things too- good read.

   I wrote out my frustrations about the iPad’s lack of a good and actually workable stylus as an optional means of input. I’m a artist and what I wanted/want is a true digital sketchbook. The iPad is sooo close, it’s just a stylus away! Also, as you mention, when it comes to note taking- I often find myself holding it like a clipboard- poking at the keyboard with my free hand just isn’t working. It kills the whole aim of the thing being a quick note taking solution. Now again, enter in a good stylus and you’ve got something!

   I actually do have faith that Apple is working on a stylus- keep your fingers crossed.

   See my blog here:
   http://doodl.es/blog

   See my work here:
   http://www.doodl.es

   Thanks for the good post! I

   Jonathan

   04.07.10 04:34 AM

    

2. Jonathan, it looks like our shared dream of an iPad with pen input is dead on arrival. Today, Steve Jobs brought up the issue as a non-sequitur during the Q&A session after the unveiling of iPhone OS 4.0.

   Q: How do you close applications when multitasking?
   A: (Steve Jobs) It’s like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it. In multitasking, if you see a task manager… they blew it.

   Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/jobs-if-you-see-a-stylus-or-a-task-manager-they-blew-it/

   The fact that Jobs brought the stylus issue up without being prompted illustrates his contempt for the concept.

   This is disappointing news, to say the least.

   bokeen

   04.08.10 09:41 PM

    

3. that’s really unfortunate that jobs has this stance on styluses. the name iPad is quite a misnomer if one thinks about it. it in no way replaces the traditional pad of paper. the reason people use pens and pencils is because of their precision compared to that of a finger.

   this should be a lesson for other tablet manufacturers. if they want to distinguish themselves from the iPad. it would be a wise decision to take advantage of what i think is a major design flaw of the iPad.

   kyunghoon

   01.15.11 10:10 AM

    

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