Pros & Cons
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- Beautiful color and texture replication.
- Free, intuitive, and well-designed apps.
- Slide digital ruler.
- Compatibility with Adobe ecosystem.
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- Pricey.
- Ink is not very accurate at times.
- Just like true art and design, it takes some practice.
Raise your hand if you've ever seen Adobe branding on a product you can physically touch. Trick question: All hands should be down. For its first piece of hardware, Adobe has created a smart stylus called Ink and a digital ruler called Slide, which cost $199.99 together and connect to an iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, or iPad mini with Retina Display. The intention is to help anyone draw or design without needing lots of experience with Adobe's Sketch and Line apps. Artists and professionals could find it a handy portable work platform, too. It receives our Editors' Choice award for being a well-designed and integrated hardware and software solution, all while connecting with Adobe's ecosystem and Creative Cloud.
Design and Features
So what does Adobe's first crack at hardware look like? The company partnered with Adonit to manufacture the Ink, which it claims is machined by sheer water pressure into a sleek, slightly warped triangular design that fits any pen-holding style. We've tested many iPad styli, including Adonit's own (and our Editors' Choice) Jot Touch, and the Ink compares well; it's light and comfortable to hold. The Ink has a smooth aluminum finish, with small, white plastic accents at the top and towards the tip of the pen. A lone button breaks the Ink's smooth surface on the bottom half of the pen, which turns it on or off and connects it to your iPad, and brings up a menu in the Adobe Sketch app for quick adjustments and cloud saving or sharing.
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