How about a $75 unnecessary stylus pen for your unnecessary iPad

[RapmasterD]

I don't own an iPad. Actually, in our household we have THREE iPads. Face punch me now. Whatever....

But here's what I don't have...a fucking $75 stylus pen. LINK: https://www.fiftythree.com/pencil

Someone I know sent this around earlier today as an awesome example of a beautiful website with an incredible marketing message that connects with buyers. Who ARE these buyers? Look...I LIVE in the SF Bay Area. I think these buyers would have to be the funniest form of satirical character that would appear on HBO'S Silicon Valley. No, I don't watch the show. I'm a cord cutter.

[sheepstache]

I really like that one of the design features mentioned in an amazon review is "Compact design allows for easy mode of travel."  A writing implement that's compact and easy to carry!  Imagine!

But what I really like is that the website has a straight-faced parody of the recent jokes naming things by their descriptions, e.g., watches are time bracelets.  "Think with your hands."
Writing.  It's called writing.

[4alpacas]

Great news!  You can buy the graphite version for $60!  Such a bargain.

[Daley]

Great news!  You can buy the graphite version for $60!  Such a bargain.

Quick, we should all buy two before the price goes up!

[BlueHouse]

Has anyone tried writing anything of any length with a pencil or pen lately?  I had to write 3 pages with a pen recently and my hands started cramping up.  I'm so out of practice, my pencil-holding muscles have atrophied!  I'm thinking kids these days may not even know how to properly hold a pencil, nor would they have the strength to hold one of these for extended periods. 

[eyesonthehorizon]

Devil's advocate, right here. Paint me a target.

Don't know that I could defend anyone for owning one of these just to annotate/ write words down when a stylus is $5 on Monoprice, but as a digital artist who's been deferring gratification with quiet glee for years, watching the pricing of magical drawable screens drift slowly down from the $3000 Cintiq from Wacom a decade ago to the cost of a middle-of-the-line tablet and a pressure sensitive stylus...

I can actually see myself indulging on this one, in a year or so, assuming the reviews bear out and this pressure-sensitive iPane they're suggesting isn't exceptionally fragile. The marketing language makes me a little ill, but back when I was getting paid for graphics, digital artist meant Mac user, so I long ago learned when to pinch my nose, open my wallet, and enjoy the splendor.

Sure, watercolors are cheaper, but clay is cheaper than marble. It depends on whether you love painting with light over pigment and what you mean to do with the result - I like the ability to give it away and keep it at the same time.

[RapmasterD]

Has anyone tried writing anything of any length with a pencil or pen lately?  I had to write 3 pages with a pen recently and my hands started cramping up.  I'm so out of practice, my pencil-holding muscles have atrophied!  I'm thinking kids these days may not even know how to properly hold a pencil, nor would they have the strength to hold one of these for extended periods.

It's a good point. As a remedy, I keep a "hand grip" in my car. In traffic jams, these keep me from freaking out....but not really. My goal is to look like Popeye, ultimately driving around with a can of me spinach in hand.

[Dr. A]

I can actually see myself indulging on this one, in a year or so, assuming the reviews bear out and this pressure-sensitive iPane they're suggesting isn't exceptionally fragile. The marketing language makes me a little ill, but back when I was getting paid for graphics, digital artist meant Mac user, so I long ago learned when to pinch my nose, open my wallet, and enjoy the splendor.

This was my first thought too. If I were an artist (I am not!) this could be a tool worth considering. I could also see the Landscape Architects in my office using one of these for renderings... if it's actually any good at all.

As a toy to have just to have a toy? No, it's an absurd and stupid waste of money. However, there are a handful of specific uses where it might be totally reasonable.

[WildJager]

I watched most of the marketing video to see their pitch.  I liked how you could draw and erase with the device like a pencil.  For my job, I totally embrace the E culture.  While an electronic pencil is pointless for me, the paper savings alone is amazing! 

I could totally see someone who had to make sketches for a living appreciate this device.  The first project that comes to mind... blueprints for a building.  You draw lines, and the software automatically publishes dimensions and limitations.  Instant Autocad.

The point is... this looks like a tool.  Don't reject everything just because *you* don't find it useful.  Would I use this at home?  No.  Could I profit from this device... yes. 

Airplanes were once considered pointless...

[rencelas]

I have one of these. I use it extensively for work to do screencasting, teaching topics, and taking notes in meetings. It works far better than any $10 stylus I've used. Orders of magnitude better.

Most certainly worth a minor investment of $75.

[eyesonthehorizon]

I have one of these. I use it extensively for work to do screencasting, teaching topics, and taking notes in meetings. It works far better than any $10 stylus I've used. Orders of magnitude better. ...

The thing that gets me about paying for one of these compared to the $10 one is I'm from an era when styli didn't need a power source for pressure or tilt sensitivity. Even most of Wacom's stuff now needs charging. Are they as energy-efficient as claimed, running a month or so per charge? I wonder about durability, too - I've had the same Intuos since 2002 and it's working fine, it's just massive for small working area and requires a laptop to plug into.

Being able to work in full color on anything, including a photo, at a moment's notice with no particular preparation and almost no space to set up is just so very tempting...

[show me the money]

Stuff like this makes me truly wish that i had artistic ability

[4alpacas]

Most certainly worth a minor investment of $75.

rencelas, I'm not trying to pick on you. 

 I hate it when people refer to purchases as investments.  It's not an investment.  I can't give you grief for spending $75 on a pen when I spend more on frivolous bs, but I dislike the incorrect usage of investment. 

[eyesonthehorizon]

... I hate it when people refer to purchases as investments.  It's not an investment.  I can't give you grief for spending $75 on a pen when I spend more on frivolous bs, but I dislike the incorrect usage of investment. 

(On this semantic note, would you agree that it's an investment if you're using it for work purposes, to garner earnings you wouldn't otherwise? Granted it's a depreciating physical asset, but it may pay for itself in productivity.)

[4alpacas]

... I hate it when people refer to purchases as investments.  It's not an investment.  I can't give you grief for spending $75 on a pen when I spend more on frivolous bs, but I dislike the incorrect usage of investment. 

(On this semantic note, would you agree that it's an investment if you're using it for work purposes, to garner earnings you wouldn't otherwise? Granted it's a depreciating physical asset, but it may pay for itself in productivity.)

No.  I hear the same argument about designer shoes and luxury cars from my friends in sales.

[eyesonthehorizon]

No.  I hear the same argument about designer shoes and luxury cars from my friends in sales.

I agree - but I'd say they're true things for different reasons. Having art supplies in your medium is kind of required in order to sell art, whereas the accoutrements of "I'm rich so I'm probably legit" is just a boost (albeit an often-substantial one) in sales, as opposed to a requisite. Art supplies are also able to be depleted in most cases (the stylus will eventually break, paints and canvas run out/ BECOME your inventory), whereas if you make good choices in your language-of-stuff (vintage over fashion) and practice good maintenance you can often keep using the same tools forever.

Of course these are the two professions I've worked in. Hah! But I do look at these exchanges less as investments and more as, respectively, business expenses on the one hand, and the purchase of intangible illiquid capital with tangible liquid capital on the other.

[4alpacas]

No.  I hear the same argument about designer shoes and luxury cars from my friends in sales.

I agree - but I'd say they're true things for different reasons. Having art supplies in your medium is kind of required in order to sell art, whereas the accoutrements of "I'm rich so I'm probably legit" is just a boost (albeit an often-substantial one) in sales, as opposed to a requisite. Art supplies are also able to be depleted in most cases (the stylus will eventually break, paints and canvas run out/ BECOME your inventory), whereas if you make good choices in your language-of-stuff (vintage over fashion) and practice good maintenance you can often keep using the same tools forever.

Of course these are the two professions I've worked in. Hah! But I do look at these exchanges less as investments and more as, respectively, business expenses on the one hand, and the purchase of intangible illiquid capital with tangible liquid capital on the other.

I'm okay with the term business expense, but I still wouldn't refer to it as an investment.  I'm probably being pedantic, but the loose usage of "investment" bothers me.