Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

arstechnica.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 164 posts

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#21

Post by anyfactor »

Tangential rant.

Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013?

Seriously, I was in the market for an affordable tablet, and quite bizarrely the tablet computers today have significantly underwhelming spec compared to a phone of the same price point.

There is no budget tab from known manufacturers. Even at IPad level prices, the android counterpart is quite underwhelming. I don't how it happened by it seems like IPad is the only tablet computer to get. For people on a budget there is no other viable option then to get a used IPad and news like this makes me kinda mad.

What the heck is even going on? Like in 2012-15 era there was bunch of variations of tablet computer of different price points. These days everyone from toddlers with their padded covers and graphics designers with an apple pencil is using an IPad.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#22

Post by gandalfgreybeer »

voyagerfan5761 wrote: post #3

Avoidant as I am of Apple's ecosystem, I can only imagine the "security" justification for serializing a display panel. Covert exfiltration of sensitive information from password managers and such? At any rate, I continue to be unamused by how difficult it is for normal people to service their own Apple devices.

> At any rate, I continue to be unamused by how difficult it is for normal people to service their own Apple devices.

I am also a proponent of being able to self-repair (but can sort of see what risks Apple are minimizing by how they're doing it now). However, I would say most "normal" people are fine or would prefer to just go to Apple service centers. It is only with the more technologically-oriented communities where I see that preference. Of course this varies across communities across countries.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#23

Post by freitzkriesler2 »

anyfactor wrote: post #21

Tangential rant. Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? Seriously, I was in the market for an affordable tablet, and quite bizarrely the tablet computers today have significantly underwhelming spec compared to a phone of the same price point. There is no budget tab from known manufacturers. Even at IPad level prices, the android counterpart is quite under…

It's because Google dropped the ball on Android smartphone app sizing for phones vs tablets.

This IS changing now that Google has a pixel foldable smartphone.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#24

Post by KennyBlanken »

dataflow wrote: post #2

Note: I slightly edited the title for accuracy. In particular, it appears "third-party replacement screens" doesn't refer to third-party-manufactured screens, but merely replacements performed by third parties using genuine Apple screens. And we simply know that they don't draw straight lines, not that they "can't". More reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/15cxwaa/apple_penc...

My god, the narrative. "Apple is doing this just to fuck with users, fuck apple" etc over and over despite zero evidence as to their intention here.

One sane person comes up with the more likely explanation:

> That implies to me the calibration is unique to each screen and a proper repair has a calibration setup step?

And someone just dismisses that perfectly logical explanation completely out of hand, declaring 'all the hardware is identical'

> No that is not the case. Its not a calibration that really happens here because the screens and the hardware are identical.

Tell me you don't know anything about mass production without telling me you don't know anything about mass production...

Their reply is further sense:

> If Apple wanted to prevent unauthorised replacements they would have no reason to cause erratic behaviour, they could just disable it.

I am so tired of people who interpret Apple's actions purely as anti-consumer fuckery. Even to this day, people still claim that "apple made people's phones slow down as they got older, so they would have to buy new ones" despite it being widely covered that Apple, like other phone manufacturers, slows down the CPU when they detect the battery's internal resistance rising to prevent brownouts so that the phone is usable for a longer period of time and all you have to do to restore original performance is replace the battery, apple or no.

You point that out and without admitting they were wrong, they shriek "well apple should have TOLD people that's what they were doing." No other manufacturer was telling people, either. Plenty of Android handsets just randomly start crashing as the battery's internal resistance goes up. I had one. A Google Nexus 6. It took me months and multiple re-installs of the OS to figure out what was going on before I read others saying that new batteries fixed their crashing.

You just can't win.

Don't get me started on how superior the lightning connector is for daily use - predominantly charging - compared to USB-C, but apparently Apple are "dicks" for not going to a more fragile connector literally designed to break just like every USB connector before it. People even have the nerve to complain about Apple "taxing" cable manufacturers and their burdensome certification, ignoring the whole "random USB-C cables will fry your laptop and phone" problem and the fact that the USB alliance charges a license fee on every single product that bears the USB logo.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#25

Post by dotnet00 »

anyfactor wrote: post #21

Tangential rant. Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? Seriously, I was in the market for an affordable tablet, and quite bizarrely the tablet computers today have significantly underwhelming spec compared to a phone of the same price point. There is no budget tab from known manufacturers. Even at IPad level prices, the android counterpart is quite under…

Not exactly a budget tab, but I've found the S8 Ultra (and the S7 FE before that) to be pretty great. The S8U managing to make having a laptop entirely unnecessary (since I'd only need a laptop away from home and I mainly WFH).

With Android there has been a long period of stagnation with only Samsung doing custom stuff like DeX, multi-tasking stuff and striking deals with various productivity apps for Android ports to make Android viable for tablets, otherwise they're only very recently starting to come out of it with Google working on a Pixel Tab.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#26

Post by neftaly »

anyfactor wrote: post #21

Tangential rant. Has tablet computer really improved since the last Google Nexus 7 tablet, which was released in 2013? Seriously, I was in the market for an affordable tablet, and quite bizarrely the tablet computers today have significantly underwhelming spec compared to a phone of the same price point. There is no budget tab from known manufacturers. Even at IPad level prices, the android counterpart is quite under…

Chromebooks seem to have replaced Android tablets, eg the Lenovo Duet.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#27

Post by xw4002 »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #24
dataflow wrote: post #2

Note: I slightly edited the title for accuracy. In particular, it appears "third-party replacement screens" doesn't refer to third-party-manufactured screens, but merely replacements performed by third parties using genuine Apple screens. And we simply know that they don't draw straight lines, not that they "can't". More reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/15cxwaa/apple_penc...

My god, the narrative. "Apple is doing this just to fuck with users, fuck apple" etc over and over despite zero evidence as to their intention here. One sane person comes up with the more likely explanation: > That implies to me the calibration is unique to each screen and a proper repair has a calibration setup step? And someone just dismisses that perfectly logical explanation completely out of hand, declaring 'all…

> you just can’t win

This is correct. On the internet you really can’t win because it’s not a debate, or even a conversation with another individual. You’re talking to an anonymous mob of unknown size and composition.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#28

Post by HumblyTossed »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #24
dataflow wrote: post #2

Note: I slightly edited the title for accuracy. In particular, it appears "third-party replacement screens" doesn't refer to third-party-manufactured screens, but merely replacements performed by third parties using genuine Apple screens. And we simply know that they don't draw straight lines, not that they "can't". More reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/15cxwaa/apple_penc...

My god, the narrative. "Apple is doing this just to fuck with users, fuck apple" etc over and over despite zero evidence as to their intention here. One sane person comes up with the more likely explanation: > That implies to me the calibration is unique to each screen and a proper repair has a calibration setup step? And someone just dismisses that perfectly logical explanation completely out of hand, declaring 'all…

> I am so tired of people who interpret Apple's actions purely as anti-consumer fuckery. Even to this day, people still claim that "apple made people's phones slow down as they got older, so they would have to buy new ones" despite it being widely covered that Apple, like other phone manufacturers, slows down the CPU when they detect the battery's internal resistance rising to prevent brownouts so that the phone is usable for a longer period of time and all you have to do to restore original performance is replace the battery, apple or no.

What they did was chase thinness and so they didn't include an adequate power source for the processor they were using.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#29

Post by rgoulter »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #24
dataflow wrote: post #2

Note: I slightly edited the title for accuracy. In particular, it appears "third-party replacement screens" doesn't refer to third-party-manufactured screens, but merely replacements performed by third parties using genuine Apple screens. And we simply know that they don't draw straight lines, not that they "can't". More reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/15cxwaa/apple_penc...

My god, the narrative. "Apple is doing this just to fuck with users, fuck apple" etc over and over despite zero evidence as to their intention here. One sane person comes up with the more likely explanation: > That implies to me the calibration is unique to each screen and a proper repair has a calibration setup step? And someone just dismisses that perfectly logical explanation completely out of hand, declaring 'all…

> [USB-C is a connector] literally designed to break just like every USB connector before it.

Do you have any evidence USB-C is literally designed to break? That seems like an extraordinary claim to me.

Re: Apple Pencils don’t draw straight on replaced iPad screens

#30

Post by KennyBlanken »

dataflow wrote: post #6
spdustin wrote: post #4

Seems to me like it might be a calibration issue, and third parties aren’t able to perform the calibration.

I have no way to verify this, but this Redditor claims it's due to the serial number being different, not calibration (also see the grandparent comment that they posted): https://www.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/15cxwaa/apple_penc... That said, I see a generous explanation that I can't rule out based on what they're describing. It seems like the only test this Redditor mentioned was that you can modify the serial nu…

That redditor says it's just serial number matching, complains at length about how this issue is destroying their business while in the same breath saying that reprogramming the screen's serial number on a working unit will bring up the same problem.

So, if it's just a matching serial numbers problem, why aren't they programming the new screens with the serial number of the old screen, and thus the problem goes away?

Post reply on HN