Is the Stylus Making a Comeback at Apple?

Remember when Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs confidently declared, “Nobody wants a stylus?”

That was in 2007 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, when Jobs unveiled the first iPhone. Instead of a silly little pointing device that people could lose, he said consumers would navigate the smartphone using a familiar “pointing device” that we’re all born with — our fingers.

Times have changed, maybe.

Apple has filed several patent applications relating to a stylus and touch-sensitive displays capable of receiving signals from such a device — some as recently as last September.

The latest speculation comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities. According to a report by Kuo, obtained by AppleInsider, the patent filings suggests Apple plans to introduce a stylus with the anticipated launch of a 12.9-inch iPad that some have dubbed the “iPad Pro.”

Kuo did not respond to an email, seeking confirmation. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you join us?

Our biggest supporters are our readers — and we’re so grateful to everyone who has made a contribution during our September campaign. We’re less than 1,000 contributions away from reaching our goal for the month, which in turn will allow us to say yes more often when our incredible journalists come to us with questions they want to answer and projects they want to pursue. Will you make a contribution before the month ends and support our policy coverage through 2024 and beyond?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via