Jobs didn't like Modes -- something you see quite a bit in todays presentation.

He felt that Modes obscure the immediate discoverability of functions and they keep you from pushing your design to ensure you can use something without left clicking or pulling out a pen. It should just work.

The "no modes" approach is a good one. I do find with modern systems that the obscure hieroglyphics and no hints for buttons is just as bad though - who would have thought that a box with an arrow going into it was "share"? Or that I had to swipe left or right to show a delete option in a list? Or on Windows, that Win-U or hovering near the right showed charms?

IMHO these non-discoverable items are a barrier to use. Screens are big enough that buttons can be drawn on them, and even with text.

Because it adds complexity to the user experience. Most people don't need handwritten notes. How would a stylus help with their text messaging or photo taking? They're fine just pressing on the on-screen keyboard. Hell, they don't even teach cursive writing in school anymore. So, a stylus is STILL not a valid useful device for the average person.

You'll notice that they introduced this stylus for the iPad Pro, and not for the regular iPad. This stylus is for a specific pro user that actually needs a pen input.