Classic Moleskin forced to get digitally creative

Hemingway had one. So did Pablo Picasso. Leather-bound notepads by Moleskine are a staple in creative industries.

Yet young creatives today are just as likely to use an iPad.

Moleskine, of Milan, faces a mounting threat as electronic-tablet makers target artists, architects and writers. Apple has introduced two models of the iPad Pro, a more expensive version of its tablet. Users can attach a keyboard and pair it with the Apple Pencil stylus.

Moleskine has responded with the Smart Writing Set, which uses an infrared camera in the pen to track its movement on a pad covered in microscopic markings. The content can be uploaded to a smartphone or tablet. The pen-and-notebook set costs $199, the special notebook alone $29.95.

That’s cheaper than the $599 iPad Pro, but you need a device running iOS or Android to upload the content you create — and the pen is better for scribbling notes than for drawing masterpieces.

— Bloomberg

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