Apple Pencil Offers High Precision and Low Latency, Gains 30 Minutes of Use From 15-Second Charge

[MacRumors]

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously dismissed the need for a stylus when introducing Multi-Touch on the original iPhone over eight years ago, touting the finger as the best pointing device in the world.

"Who wants a stylus? You have to get them, and put them away, and you lose them. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus. So let's not use a stylus."

Macworld 2007 was quite awhile ago, however, and Apple on Wednesday ultimately reversed course and introduced the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, which it refers to as a creative tool for scribbling, sketching, annotating and editing.

Apple Pencil features a pointed tip with highly responsive sensors that allow for precise input down to a single pixel. To achieve this, Apple engineered the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro display to work together to detect position, force and tilt.

For example, as seen in the video below, you can press lightly for a thinner stroke, or press harder for a darker, bolder stroke. Likewise, you can draw with the Apple Pencil on an angle to produce broad, shaded strokes.

The iPad Pro's subsystem scans the Apple Pencil's signal 240 times per second, providing the tablet with twice the data points it would normally collect for a finger. This results in the Apple Pencil being very responsive, with almost indistinguishable latency, as seen in TechCrunch's hands-on video below.

Apple Pencil has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge, but more interesting is its ability to gain 30 minutes of battery life from just 15 seconds of charging. A magnetic cap hides a male Lightning connector that allows the Apple Pencil to be plugged into the iPad Pro to charge.

Apple Pencil will be available in November for $99 alongside the new Smart Keyboard. While the Apple Pencil is officially compatible with the iPad Pro, it remains to be seen if the tool will work with older iPads as a traditional stylus.

Article Link: Apple Pencil Offers High Precision and Low Latency, Gains 30 Minutes of Use From 15-Second Charge

 

[H2SO4]

Gotta give them nothing but respect if you really can get 30 mins out of 15 seconds from flat. If it works on more than the Pro, I’m in!!

 

[gugy]

I love my Wacom tablets but if Apple jump into making a tablet for the Mac, I think I will jump on it in a second.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

What are the chances of this working with Air 2?

 

[kemal]

Drawing Vs. finger paint.

 

[J. Jizzle]

I don't understand why this stylus needs a battery at all. Plus, you are sacrificing the iPad Pro's battery in order to charge it

 

[Serban]

What are the chances of this working with Air 2?

Working, probably yes but the latency will be very bad

 

[Glassed Silver]

They never reversed course.
As much as I love to point out Apple's hypocrisies and slacking and whatever else they do wrong, they didn't reverse course.

2007 they presented the iPhone, not the iPad.
The Apple Pencil is for specific applications, not for the general use of the OS.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[antiprotest]

Why not call it Apple Pen? Sounds better to me.

Any ideas?

 

[realeric]

Emm... Where is my pencil cap???

 

[madsci954]

If it does work with older iPads, I bet it will behave like the other BT stylii on the market. And from personal experience, it was never that good.

 

[Gildarts]

Apple on Wednesday ultimately reversed course and introduced the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, which it refers to as a creative tool for scribbling, sketching, annotating and editing.

How is it reversing course when the stylus is not the main input mechanism by which you navigate the interface?
Which your finger still is? Speaking to that fact, the stylus is not even included, it's an accessory.

The Jobs reference is totally inaccurate seeing as for both the iPhone and iPad your finger is still the main way for navigating the device (that includes iPad Pro).

 

[cariacou]

I'm gonna need apple care +++ for my stylus.
I'm pretty sure I'll break it on a weekly basis with that connector. 10" sticking out of the ipad :/

 

[JPLC]

I love this! Can't wait to try it myself. But $100,- is a lot! I just hope I'll never lose it, like Jobs said. Or break it when it's charging on the iPad.

 

[melendezest]

That is an often misrepresented Steve Jobs quote. He was larger than life, after all.

Now Apple did not reverse course here. The issue is that back then you required the stylus for many devices.

With the Pencil, Apple is introducing an additional form of input primarily suited for specific tasks, like drawing.

But the stylus is NOT required for the operation of the device.

Finally, a lot of folks here are getting what they asked for.

I know my daughter will want the (iPad Pro + Pencil) set, for sure.

Is there anything equivalent in the market for other platforms,like the Surface?

 

[agenda893]

I'd like to see how many levels of pressure this will register. I have a Wacom Intuos and have been tempted to buy a Cintiq for quite awhile. If Apple can deliver on a product that's better than what Wacom has I'll gladly pay the premium for an iPad Pro.

 

[KimsCreativeHub]

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously dismissed the need for a stylus when introducing Multi-Touch on the original iPhone over eight years ago, touting the finger as the best pointing device in the world.Macworld 2007 was quite awhile ago, however, and Apple on Wednesday ultimately reversed course and introduced the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, which it refers to as a creative tool for scribbling, sketching, annotating and editing.

Apple Pencil features a pointed tip with highly responsive sensors that allow for precise input down to a single pixel. To achieve this, Apple engineered the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro display to work together to detect position, force and tilt.

For example, as seen in the video below, you can press lightly for a thinner stroke, or press harder for a darker, bolder stroke. Likewise, you can draw with the Apple Pencil on an angle to produce broad, shaded strokes.

The iPad Pro's subsystem scans the Apple Pencil's signal 240 times per second, providing the tablet with twice the data points it would normally collect for a finger. This results in the Apple Pencil being very responsive, with almost indistinguishable latency, as seen in TechCrunch's hands-on video below.

Apple Pencil has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge, but more interesting is its ability to gain 30 minutes of battery life from just 15 seconds of charging. A magnetic cap hides a male Lightning connector that allows the Apple Pencil to be plugged into the iPad Pro to charge.

Apple Pencil will be available in November for $99 alongside the new Smart Keyboard. While the Apple Pencil is officially compatible with the iPad Pro, it remains to be seen if the tool will work with older iPads as a traditional stylus.

Article Link: Apple Pencil Offers High Precision and Low Latency, Gains 30 Minutes of Use From 15-Second Charge

As a pro illustrator this makes me salivate! especially the 2nd vid with the objective review!

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

What are the chances of this working with Air 2?

About as equal a chance of Steve Jobs crawling out of his grave to give you his autograph on your iPad screen using the Apple Pencil.

 

[Glassed Silver]

I don't understand why this stylus needs a battery at all. Plus, you are sacrificing the iPad Pro's battery in order to charge it

The pressure sensitivity alone needs electricity.

Working, probably yes but the latency will be very bad

Latency is an issue, yes, but an active stylus without the proper drivers is horrible.
That's why my Adonit Jot Touch (the Pixelpoint one) is awesome in one app (the one that implements the latest SDK) and awful in another one (that doesn't bother with it).

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[TWSS37]

Cool, something that shouldn't require a battery charges quickly

 

[Drumjim85]

Does anyone know how this pairs or talks to the iPad? Is it Bluetooth low energy?

 

[bgraham]

This is quite a funny product.

 

[GQB]

My first move will be to superglue a nice short cord between the cap and the body.

 

[Moonlight]

The pressure sensitivity alone needs electricity.

Glassed Silver:mac

Not necessarily true. All my Wacom tablets pens and my Surface 2 pen don't need power to have pressure sensitivity.

 

[kemal]

Why not call it Apple Pen? Sounds better to me.

Any ideas?

It responds like an artist's pencil, not a ball point pen. And I doubt the average customer remembers artist fountain pens.