And you don't see any problems with the fact that you now require a short stick to get anything done on your mobile device?
I hate to say this as I will either get downvoted to hell or start a fanboi war, but I really do think that if Apple had produced a stylus device for the iphone/ipad, those that are complaining would be saying quite the opposite.
It is not dissimilar at all to a mouse, or a pen, or a screwdriver, or any of those things. It's just that those are older tools compared to the touch interfaces we currently have and use to great effect, without styli. And that is awesome. That is a great thing, a beautiful simplification, and it works, and that's amazing.
You're of course welcome to use them if you prefer, but what Apple did (hey, you started it) was create a device which was simple enough and useful enough without a short stick to make that short stick as antiquated as a mouse or a pen.
They made the short stick obsolete, because it adds unneeded additional complexity. I resent your assertion that people believe this is a better method just because Apple made it that way; as though all logic and truth comes from the Great Jobs in the sky and is as He said it, amen. Quite simply, screw that. It's better because it's a simpler basic design, that's all.
The irony is that people are buying those little rubber iPhone/iPad styli like hotcakes these days. I really wish I were the person who came up with that, because the royalties must be rolling in. And damn they're good for Draw Something; you should see my girlfriend's mom's drawings, they're incredible. I admit that styli are excellent for those specialized purposes.
But for the basic use of a touch-sensitive device? As an integral part of the UI experience? No thanks. Keep it simple, stupid.
Doesn't the irony you highlight in your post regarding people buying "those little rubber iPhone/iPad styli like hotcakes these days", indicate that people find it easier to use a stylus for certain things? A stylus is certainly a part of the UX, but not an integral part.
Using your finger is not the best option for all scenarios, if that was the case we would have been dipping our finger in the ink pot instead of a quill.
Styluses are good when emulating a pen or pencil or paint brush is good. Painting and drawing apps on tablets are pretty awesome. I really wish Apple would integrate Wacom technology.
But I don't want to pull out a stylus to browse a website or play a game or make a call, or type a message.
?
I didn't say that.
Mobile device have been and continue to be a bit shit on the "get anything done" front for a bucketful of reasons anyway, so I tend not to care all that much if I carry around a stick in the same jacket pocket as my bluetooth mini-keyboard. Unless you count dicking around on twitter and facebook as getting things done, its a fight to do anything with a mobile interface, I'll take whatever advantage I can get.