For example, Syntax Highlight offers an X-ray on what you write, doing for natural language what coding tools do for code.īut providing focus doesn’t mean being minimal on features. Getting there, we learned a lot from code editors. How did you balance minimalism with the features demanded by writers?įrom the very beginning, we wanted three features: Syntax Highlight, Style Check, and Focus Mode. For focused writing, it’s still the best – and with a keyboard looks and feels like a contemporary typewriter.

We liked the iPad right away because it almost did what we’d thought up for the writing device. The early iPad had a much more focused interaction model: one app at a time and no windows. One issue of writing on a computer is constant distractions. Overnight, our plan had become much more manageable. In January 2010, as we were designing our ‘Writing Machine,’ the iPad came out. Years later, I felt it was time to see if something could be done about writing with computers.Īt first, we planned to create our own device – just for writing. Restrictions can be surprisingly helpful! And because your fingers soon start to hurt when typing, that pushes you to find a good twist to successfully end a poorly written sentence. There’s not much else you can do with a mechanical typewriter other than think about what words you want to form next. Yet just as when we speak, we write much better when we think before and while we express ourselves.Īs a student, I bought a typewriter to see if it could help me focus while writing – and it did.

The time spent thinking before and while writing was frighteningly low. Most started by adjusting fonts and margins, typed a bit, deleted a bit, moved text around, and got caught in a loop of fumbling. I noticed students wasted too much time on formatting and playing with non-writing-related functions – and that I was no different. Oliver: I used to teach Microsoft Office and academic writing. We speak to iA founder Oliver Reichenstein about what it takes to make a revolutionary writing app – and make sure its shine never fades. The latest iA Writer – still sleek and efficient! Q&A: A brief history of iA Writer

Ia writer ipad