Hey, Samsung, styli aren’t in style anymore

Time: Note to Samsung: The Pen Doesn’t Sell

Here are the problems with using the pen as a selling point for Samsung’s Galaxy Note:

• It conjures memories of the Palm Pilot, a product and a brand that became obsolete a long time ago.
• You can’t explain the subtleties of the stylus in a flashy television commercial. The important detail — that it’s used for specific applications and doesn’t just work in place of your fingers — is lost upon the average viewer.
• The stylus appeals to niche cases, like artists who want to sketch or journalists who want to take notes. Those are tricky ideas to convey to a large, mainstream audience, especially in the span of one TV commercial.
• Having a pen means having an extra accessory to worry about — something viewers may consider as the actors pass their gadgets around for everyone to try.
• Just a guess: nobody in the history of consumer electronics has ever squealed with amazement the words “IT’S GOT A PEN!?”