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Jun 23, 2008
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Curious if anyone on here uses the Apple Pencil 2 for solely non drawing/illustration purposes. Does it really enhance navigation through iOS, and is handwritten notes more than just a novelty? Wondering if it’s wor5 it if you never draw anything.
 
When the  Pencil first came out, I did a little bit of leisurely drawing with it and it was fun. I am no artist and don’t draw well or often.

I mainly use the Pencil for notes and navigation and I think it works very well and enjoy using it for such.

I do still wish Apple would enable it to call-down Control Center, Notification Center, etc.
 
I never draw... I can't draw. I use my Apple Pencil 1 to take notes in college classes and free-think (which I used to do on paper). I don't use it for much else. If I end up doing something else with pencil in hand, it works pretty nice as an extension to my finger - I can use it to hit buttons, swipe pages, etc... I have never drawn with it - minus work notes where I draw boxes with lines, lol.
 
I cannot and don’t draw, but I use the pencil all the time as a pointing device on my iPad Pro 11”. I dropped the pencil and had to use my iPad for a day waiting for a replacement tip to be delivered and I felt like an oaf using my fingers on the device.
 
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Curious if anyone on here uses the Apple Pencil 2 for solely non drawing/illustration purposes. Does it really enhance navigation through iOS, and is handwritten notes more than just a novelty? Wondering if it’s wor5 it if you never draw anything.
I don't use my Apple Pencil 2 for navigating through iOS.
 
I cannot draw to save my life :lol: . I do however use Pencil 1 for taking notes at work and brainstorm. I also use it to colour some stuff in ProCreate. I would not say that I use the pencil as a navigation tool. To be honest I use it the most with apps like Apple Notes, GoodNotes and sometimes Microsoft apps (mostly Word and PowerPoint to highlight stuff in documents and write down additional notes).

I import PDF documents in GoodNotes and highlight with the pencil there.

Overall I bought the iPad because of the pencil support. I love to write down stuff and highlight when reading and instead of printing documents and have lots of paper piling up, I store my documents in OneDrive and use the iPad/Pencil combo to highlight and annotate.
 
I use a Logitech Crayon for iOS navigation, and for jotting down notes and reminders in Notability and for “red-lining” PDF roadway construction plan sets during their development also using Notability (l am an Engineer). I bought the Crayon with my Mini 5 this spring. I had no idea at the time how much I would come to depend on it when I bought it.
 
Unless you have a real use and use your pencil often, I would not be it. I bought two pencils that worked fine but had little use for. After months of non-use they would no longer charge or work again. Not buying another. Like BillMcGuire, I can’t draw either. Do not take a lot of notes, use the voice recorder function more.
 
My father uses it as his finger for all ipad interaction. Tap tap tap.....

He's old school, still has the Newton MessagePad in the draw.
 
Since getting a pencil-compatible iPad I use mine daily for Japanese writing practice and notetaking. I had been using an old Surface Pro 1 for that task up until then, but it was somewhat less accurate (and the old Surface being comparatively much bulkier).

I keep telling myself I’m going to try my hand at using the pencil for actual drawing, but I’ve yet to put any real time into that. For the meantime, I’ve been satisfied with it for non-drawing purposes.
 
Question for Apple Pencil 2 owners:
How much does it enhance text/MS word editing, particularly with text selection and copying and pasting? Does it make things easier and more precise than just using your fingers? This is probably what I’d use it for most.
 
I think for general navigation and writing it’s too expensive? It’s bad for writing notes imo i think conventional handwriting is more readable and tidy unless there is an app that emulates lined paper.. but it’s great for students who need taking notes fast so they don’t have to switch between ipad and notebook...

But i get the ‘must have all things apple’ psychological reasoning, if you have the cash... why not

Question for Apple Pencil 2 owners:
How much does it enhance text/MS word editing, particularly with text selection and copying and pasting? Does it make things easier and more precise than just using your fingers? This is probably what I’d use it for most.

Yes text selection is far more precise. In Numbers apps, it triggers annotation... not sure how to turn it off.
 
I cannot and don’t draw, but I use the pencil all the time as a pointing device on my iPad Pro 11”. I dropped the pencil and had to use my iPad for a day waiting for a replacement tip to be delivered and I felt like an oaf using my fingers on the device.

Quick update on this comment. I noticed yesterday that I have a number of very fine scratches on the screen of my iPad Pro, presumably from constantly using the pencil.
 
Quick update on this comment. I noticed yesterday that I have a number of very fine scratches on the screen of my iPad Pro, presumably from constantly using the pencil.
That is weird, I’ve been using the pencil since january and i only have one-two scratches probably from niblings throwing the pencil against the screen (yes i know )... and I draw as a part time job so I use it quite heavily. I figured they would have made the screen stronger since the pencil was marketed together... i use ASK folio though... if they are indeed scratches that really sucks
 
Question for Apple Pencil 2 owners:
How much does it enhance text/MS word editing, particularly with text selection and copying and pasting? Does it make things easier and more precise than just using your fingers? This is probably what I’d use it for most.

With mouse support presumably coming in iOS 13 I'd wait to see how that develops before trying to justify a pencil purchase if you have no need for it for drawing, writing or annotation.
 
I use it exclusively for notes, especially since the Mini 5 came out as that's the perfect size for on-the-go note-taking.
 
I think for general navigation and writing it’s too expensive? It’s bad for writing notes imo i think conventional handwriting is more readable and tidy unless there is an app that emulates lined paper.. but it’s great for students who need taking notes fast so they don’t have to switch between ipad and notebook...
I should try it for navigation. I only use my pencil 2 for writing. Expensive? Have you ever bought a fountain pen? You'll be hard pressed to find a serious one at €100. The feeling isn't comparable. I obviously prefer the tactile feel of a pen . But the results are really good. In GoodNotes, I always choose squared paper (my preference) and positioning on the 'page' is similar to a real page. The size of the 11" iPP is similar to a regular A5 notepad. And the notes are searchable, which isn't the case with paper notebooks.

All in all, very happy with the iPP + pencil2 combo for note taking.
 
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