Stylus pens rewrite record books

The global stylus market is expected to reach $23.95-billion by 2027, according to research from IMARC Group. The biggest proportion, 27%, is made up of the non-proprietary active stylus category, represented by the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI).

Harpreet Singh, senior consultant at the IMARC Group says the USI is well-positioned for growth since the Google Chromebook uses the USI 2.0 active stylus specification. 

“In addition, USI members Lenovo, HP and Dell, account for over 60% of the global PC market. The availability of captivating features such as the ability to deliver a consistent stylus user experience across multiple platforms is a significant factor anticipated to boost USI market growth in the coming years.”

In 2021, tablets dominated the global stylus pen market accounting for 56.13% of the total global market. Tablets were followed by smartphones (25.58%) and interactive whiteboards (18.28%).

A non-proprietary stylus is an open, standard, active stylus solution allowing a single stylus to be used seamlessly on multiple touch-enabled devices. A proprietary stylus is “tethered” to a single specific device and can only work with that device.

“USI is the global non-proprietary active stylus leader and the data is showing that this category is growing fast,” said Peter Mueller, chairman, of USI. “The trend is for USI members to adopt and standardize on the open USI 2.0 specification rather than developing their own technology. The USI Certification Program is tracking this growth and provides a way for USI members to measure compliance and ensure interoperability with the USI 2.0 specification.”