Windows Ink to Battle iPad Pro With Improved Pen Support

Microsoft's Windows Ink is targeting the same consumer demographic as Apple with its iPad Pro.

The Windows Ink, which was demonstrated at last week's Build 2016 conference, is a set of products that boost the creative capabilities of the Surface Pro and other tablets equipped with a stylus, WinBeta wrote. Microsoft claimed that the stylus will be front and center after the arrival of the Ink Workspace, a group of apps that center on various functions of a stylus.

The new Ink Workspace is equipped with sticky notes, a screen sketch, and a sketchpad, The Verge listed. There's also a new ruler, which can be used to draw shapes and straight lines, and be manipulated on where it is located in sketches or screenshots.

How Windows Ink Compares With iPad Pro's

Windows Ink caters to people who frequently use a stylus -- not just artists and designers but also those who use the more traditional pen-and-paper approach. Writing notes on a Surface device will be easier, and can attract high-end stylus users to notice the significant changes and consider acquiring a Surface tablet.

Apple's iPad Pro, on the other hand, has a 12.9-inch screen and has an optional stylus accessory called the Apple Pencil, WinBeta noted. Much like the Surface Pen, the Pencil is capable of scribbling notes and drawing images.

Microsoft also said that Windows Ink can be built into other third-party apps (for example, Adobe Photoshop) using just two lines of code, the news outlet further reported.

The tech giant changed the way how the pen buttons work in Windows 10, The Verge wrote. Users normally use a separate app to control the pen buttons of the Surface, but Microsoft has now built it directly into the device's settings. Now, users can disable the cursor, turn off visual effects, disregard touch input when the pen is being used, and choose which app opens when you click or double-click the Surface Pen's top part.

Other Windows Updates

Aside from the Windows Ink, Microsoft's Build 2016 conference promised a new and improved Cortana and notification center, Gizmodo reported. Microsoft is also bringing the open source command line, Linux, to Windows 10.

According to The Verge, an upcoming Office Mobile update will enable users to leave comments with ink, and to better use the pen to delete and manipulate text in Word and other apps in Office. All of Windows Ink's new features will come to Windows 10 this summer.