If Steve Jobs were handed a pen and told, "sell me this pen", how would he go about it?

If Steve Jobs were handed a pen and told, "sell me this pen", how would he go about it?

The best products not only fulfill their utility but imbue a deeper, human experience. Not unlike great writing, the emotional narrative is explicitly designed, triggering a visceral response.

Let’s take a manifest of what psychological tools we have at our disposal:

1. Uniqueness - The pen is a creative implement. Every stroke is distinct, providing an expression of the user’s individuality. It touches upon the human condition that you’re not just another insignificant being living out an average, forgettable life.

2. Ego - The pen acts as a way make your ideas tangible for the rest of the world. When you make effort to store your idea in an enduring form, you inherently ascribe value.

3. Ergonomics - How it feels in your hand. It should physically feel great.

4. Vanity - Letting other people see you're a person of quality by using a quality pen.

With this criteria, we can create a new product that provides each of these emotional payoffs. Let’s aim to communicate gratification in an impactful way.

Without further ado, let's join Steve.

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Apple Special Event - Town Hall, 10 AM August 20, 2014

Cupertino, California

​(Ambient crowd noise. Applause when Steve appears on stage)

Steve Jobs: Hey, thanks for being here. It's great to see you today.

​Jobs: A few things first. We've sold our 500,000,000th iPhone last week. Half a billion iPhones. That's a lot of iPhones. (Laughs)

As of last week, Apple is the most valuable company in the world. We beat Google, Exxon-Mobil, and Wal-Mart.

When you think about it, these other companies have complicated ways of making money: selling advertising, drilling oil, distributing goods.

We do something really simple: We create delightful products that do something phenomenal.

It's remarkable to think about the power of making things people want and just selling them. (Applause)

Jobs: Boy, do we have something special for you today. It's one of the best products we've made.

With the iPod, we brought music into your pocket. With the iPhone, we brought the Internet into your pocket.

Today, we'll bring the world inside your head into your pocket.

So, how do we capture your thoughts?

Jobs: Some of our friends at Samsung think the answer is using a stylus on your phone. Yeeeeech, who wants that? (Laughter)

We don't use a stylus on our iPhone because it just feels plain wrong. Nobody wants to rub plastic against glass.

I like the feeling of paper in my hands. Here at Apple, we think there's something magical about putting pen to paper.

Today, Apple reinvents the pen. We're calling it: iPen. Here's what it looks like:

​
Jobs: Isn't that pretty? Just gorgeous. This is the best writing utensil that you've ever seen. It's probably the prettiest thing you'll have on your desk. It comes in just one color: white.

When you wrap your fingers around, it feels great. There's just the right amount of heft that Jony and his team nailed that makes it feel remarkable.

It writes incredibly smoothly. Boy, have we patented it. It’s like your hand glides across like you're soaring through air.

When your hand slides so easily, you notice thoughts come just a little quicker.

Jobs: It's embedded with a micro gyroscope, the same one we use on our iPhones, that lets us do some really cool stuff.

As you write, the pen automatically saves your strokes on your iPhone. It's incredible—now you have two copies: one in your notebook to carry around and one on your iPhone to keep digitally.

Whenever I need to record something, I just pull out my pen and write normally. It's the most natural feeling in the world—writing on a piece of paper.

Here's what your stored notes look like on your iPhone:

Jobs: I can flip through all my thoughts from yesterday, from last week, from last year. With my iCloud, I don't have to worry about losing my ideas.

A lot of creative people I know jot down ideas in their notebooks just to lose them or never look at them again. I think that's a waste.

Your original thoughts are what will change the world.

Jobs: So what's a computer and phone company doing making pens? Well, starting today, we see Apple as a personal mobile device company.

iPen will change the way you work. It takes your creative mind and adds some extra storage to it.

I use this pen everyday. It brings a smile to my face each time I pull it out to jot down a note.

Jobs: So how much does it cost?

The iPen is available for purchase starting today at $129. It is the best pen you've ever used. Your pages are stored on your iPhone, meaning you won't have to worry about storage space.

You can purchase the iPen at Apple stores and online for shipping immediately.

(Loud applause)

​
Jobs: Oh, and one more thing. (Loud cheering)

We've teamed up with a wonderful company called Moleskine to offer you a special white, Apple Edition notebook. They make the best notebooks in the world.

Jobs: It's the world's best paper for the world's best pen. The one-of-a-kind notebook is included with each iPen purchase.

Thank you. (Applause)

(Steve exits the stage and event is over)