What does everyone think of the "reversed S Pen" debacle?

[lackster2]

While I'm not an Android user, I have followed this release cycle with interest. If I were a Note user, I would have no issue upgrading to the Note 5; it seems like a great device. Samsung seems to have brought this to a mature market with the features most people want on a modern device.

Having said that, and as one who's been a designer myself, I know the designer, or design team leader is KICKING themselves right now, thinking "Why didn't I foresee this?" All good designers try to anticipate every potential end-users actions and try to protect against the device destroying itself should some weird action be performed. As such, I wouldn't call the SPen design a flaw, rather it's a design 'oversight'. You can bet they won't make the same mistake again, due to the PR hit they are taking on this iteration.

 

[Janno Jacomille]

Completely overblown. No one is stupid enough to insert the S-Pen backwards unless you did it out of curiosity, well it's their risk. Common sense...

 

[josh3323]

You won't have any problems if you pay attention when placing the stylus back in the Note

 

[Katrina White1]

This whole thing has me so paranoid. This is my 3rd Note and inserting the pen backwards never crossed my mind. Now, every time the pen is out, putting it in the right way constantly runs in the "background" of my mind. It's just crazy!

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rushmore]

Re: What does everyone think of the "reversed S Pen" debacle?

We need a movie now that uses the ejecto pen as a weapon Super duper modified spring action!

That or as a grappling hook.....

They will need an app for that with settings to hook, stun or kill.

 

[OceanView]

What bothers me the most, though, is that people are doing something stupid, and then affecting a companies sales/bottom line by trying to turn it into some type of scandle. As if Samsung deserves to lose a ton of money because someone was "absent minded" or whatever the excuse is.

We are watching a generation evolve that can't take any personal responsibility and wants to blame someone/something else for everything they do. This is not how I was raised, and it all comes down to the issue with entitlement.
My two cents.

x 10000!

 

[rsohne]

I always wondered why we have to put " Do Not Drink " on a bleach bottle. Now I know.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

 

[anon(394005)]

Initially my thoughts were that it's primarily user error, but now I think it's more 50/50 user error and a design issue. User error for not paying attention to insert the S-Pen tip first, but design error in that the S-Pen goes in backwards with little effort. This wasn't the case with previous Note devices where it either wouldn't go in backwards at all or took an unnatural amount of force to even attempt it which would trigger an immediate indication something was amiss.

I strongly believe the design part is a consequence of Samsung focusing too much on form over function in getting the S-Pen to sit completely flush with the phone's edge. Subsequently they either completely missed designing it like previous Note's where it's difficult to insert backwards or the new design didn't lend itself very well to implementing such a mechanism. So they figured to run with it thinking people would be attentive enough to not put the S-Pen in backwards. Either way, I think this should be a lesson to them there was no need to re-invent the wheel here. There was NOTHING wrong with the previous S-Pen design. It already sat flush with the phone's edge and was easily pulled out with a finger nail along its back edge. No need for the complexity of a push button mechanism making it pop away from the edge enough to then use a finger nail to pull out. So many times it's best to just follow the K.I.S.S. principle!

 

[Kelly Kearns]

Re: What does everyone think of the "reversed S Pen" debacle?

It has to sit flush, just like all the other spens did. I can't stick out. It is more about the click top mechanism and people begged for a pop out spen.

I prefer the pop out, much easier to get out, especially with a case.

 

[johnmcd348]

Of course it's user error, Samsung isn't putting the pen into the slot on anyone's behalf, but that isn't the point.

I'm tired of reading how stupid someone must be in order to put the pen in incorrectly.
There are times when a person can be so sleepy, distraught over bad news, or so distracted due to some tragic event that they simply made a mistake.
I don't believe that makes a person stupid, nor do I believe that should cause their device to cease functioning properly. It wouldn't have taken much for Samsung to taper the s pen or the slot in order to ensure it only fits one way, just like previous models.

Just kidding. I agree 100%. This is a mistake made by the user. It's not a design flaw. It's not a Stupid Mistake.

I've been tired enough after a multi 20+ hour work day to believe I could do something like this. If I did, I would have no one to blame but myself. It isn't Samsung's fault I did it.

 

[mobilem1]

I do think this is mostly user error. However, I feel Samsung does bear some responsibility for this and it would be in their best interest to do something for those who have made this mistake and quickly do some kind of modification/recall for the s pen on all existing and future note 5s so that there will be no ill will. Remember Samsung has already ticked off a large majority of their faithful customers by eliminating features in their phones that have been there for years. They have had several straight quarters of declining profits and now not only have they alienated faithful customers with the new note and galaxy phones eliminating removable batteries and sd slots but now there is a major risk of permanently damaging your phone by placing the s pen in backwards. Something that apparently is very easy to do. Do you want to have to constantly monitor your phone to make sure you or no one else makes this error? Of course you might respond "I won't make this mistake". Ok well what if a friend, coworker, family member or a child grabs your phone for a second? What if you get a call for someone next to you and hand the phone to them? What if you need to show your boss something on your phone and he starts to use the pen? Do you want to be the jerk who is constantly refusing to let someone else use your phone for a second because you are obsessed with the pen being removed and stuck back in the wrong way? If you are worried about your phone being dropped you get a case but what do you do for this situation? I guess you guys will either refuse to let anyone use your phone or just not leave the s pen in the phone. In which case it could easily become lost or broken. And do you think this kind of negative publicity for Samsung especially considering their response to "read a manual" that doesn't even come with the phone going to help convince more customers to buy their phones? At first I defended Samsung when apple started suing them and I still think apple is going too far with their lawsuits but I think Samsung is definitely trying hard to follow the apple business model. A sealed battery that is too small to last more than a year before losing the ability to hold a charge is perfect motivation to upgrade when the next model comes around. Especially when the next model's battery is just a little bigger. And throw in more ram and better os optimization that doesn't come to the prior model to really push people to buy the newer phones. Samsung is even starting to sound like Steve Jobs did when antenna gate started. Blame the user because they must be pretty dumb.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Lots of great responses here from different sides of the argument.

Overall, I can say that even though the user bears the primary responsibility for damaging his/her $800+ device, Samsung also bears a small bit of that responsibility as previous Notes couldn't fit an S Pen backwards, even if you purposely tried. A tiny redesign could help.

Doesn't have to be an overhaul, but make it so that idiots can't damage their phones due to a backwards stylus.

 

[EvilHomer3k]

It's the users fault for doing it. Unfortunately, it's very easy to do and it isn't like you have to put the pen in all the way. Only about half-way. There isn't any indication that you are doing it either. It's easy to say pointy end goes first but when you put it in you don't have to touch the back until well after it's gone in too far. There is no indication that you are putting it in wrong until it's too late.

Where Samsung's design is bad is that the part they designed for the pen detection is very fragile. It's a tiny piece of plastic that's thinner than a paper clip. It wouldn't surprise me if it broke after normal use. It's overall a really poor design. The plastic should have been more solid or made of metal. You don't make moving parts that will be stressed thousands of times out of tiny bits of plastic. How many $800 watches have plastic gears? At some point the arm that sticks out is going to get caught on the indentation at the point of the pen and break or the repeated stress of putting the pen in and out is going to bend it. Overall, there are dozens of ways Samsung could have designed this and they chose the worst possible way to do it.

 

[AllPhones]

Wow, it's truly amazing how some people can't tell the difference between the clicky top and the smooth end point.. This is really silly, and such a waste if time. Simply roll the eyes down to look the at pen, then push in if correct. But I guess it's hard and highly stressful to move them. What a shame. Since this is such serious matter, perhaps Samsung should no longer make the device. Now that should solve the problem completely ....wow what a waste.