3 ms·

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 the

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_pencils_cant_draw_straight_on_thirdparty/jtztu2g/ 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 number and cause it to go from correct behavior to misbehavior. But I would think the reverse direction is the real test, since otherwise this could just imply that the device is looking up some embedded calibration information for that serial number and not finding it, and therefore falling back to some default behavior?

KennyBlanken 3y ago
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?
- dataflow 3y ago
  It's a reasonable question; I don't know the answer. It might require damaging the device too much to return it to the consumer at that point? Or maybe they can't due to contractual reasons? It might be worth asking them on Reddit.
- realusername 3y ago
  That's exactly what their "calibration" procedure on iPhone does, it just changes the serial number pairing, nothing else, you don't even have to touch on the screen.
turquoisevar 3y ago
They have no clue what they’re talking about. They were a genius grunt and their penchant for drawing conclusions on incomplete information is exactly why they aren’t trusted to perform manual calibration that hinges on their manual interaction with the screen. If you read their other comments then you see that they believe that all components used are identical and thus wouldn’t need calibration. Never mind the fact that different vendors are used to supply screens depending on the model in question, even between “identical” screens there’s plenty of subtle variation. The controller holds calibration information in the form of offsets for touch and color amongst other things. The controller is married via serial numbers and if there’s a mismatch it’ll default to no offset. This also serves as a clear indicator, with other indicators, that calibration is needed in an effort to prevent the calibration from being forgotten. Despite not every screen being identical, the accepted tolerance makes it so that offsets for one screen are often “good enough” for another screen to the point most people won’t notice it’s not perfect, provided they’re from the same vendor. There’s no other super secret mystery to it.

KennyBlanken 3y ago

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?

dataflow 3y ago
It's a reasonable question; I don't know the answer. It might require damaging the device too much to return it to the consumer at that point? Or maybe they can't due to contractual reasons? It might be worth asking them on Reddit.
realusername 3y ago
That's exactly what their "calibration" procedure on iPhone does, it just changes the serial number pairing, nothing else, you don't even have to touch on the screen.

turquoisevar 3y ago

They have no clue what they’re talking about. They were a genius grunt and their penchant for drawing conclusions on incomplete information is exactly why they aren’t trusted to perform manual calibration that hinges on their manual interaction with the screen. If you read their other comments then you see that they believe that all components used are identical and thus wouldn’t need calibration. Never mind the fact that different vendors are used to supply screens depending on the model in question, even between “identical” screens there’s plenty of subtle variation. The controller holds calibration information in the form of offsets for touch and color amongst other things. The controller is married via serial numbers and if there’s a mismatch it’ll default to no offset. This also serves as a clear indicator, with other indicators, that calibration is needed in an effort to prevent the calibration from being forgotten. Despite not every screen being identical, the accepted tolerance makes it so that offsets for one screen are often “good enough” for another screen to the point most people won’t notice it’s not perfect, provided they’re from the same vendor. There’s no other super secret mystery to it.