Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Soooooo, it begs the question - what is the point in this stupid device that is a worse product than its predecessor?
It's a cheaper Apple Pencil for people who don't need the extra features like pressure sensitivity, and more importantly, can be used with the 10th gen iPad without the need for an adaptor.

The use case seems pretty straightforward to me. I wouldn't buy one, but that doesn't mean it lacks a reason for existing.
 
just bought the gen 2 last week. i'm happy i didn't wait for this b.s. what an idiotic thing to have to charge everything separately.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aylk
They don’t even include the effing cable you NEED in order to pair it? Wtf
I'm not accusing you, but I can't count how many times I've read that USB-C is ubiquitous so why isn't Apple using it and it's a little funny to see "but they don't include a USB-C cable" complaints now.
 
You know everyone talked so much smack about the old design they redesigned it to this. Honestly I thought it was pretty trick that you could plug it into the iPad for 15 seconds and get 20 mins of battery out of it if you forgot to charge it. Didn’t need to bring a cable with you, just the iPad and a case that held the pencil.

Kinda feel the same about the Magic Mouse. Is it that big of a deal to plug it in every couple months while you’re not using it. It’s a wireless mouse anyways who is going to use it plugged in.
the problem of these gadgets are: you can only notice the battery is low when you need them ....
 
  • Like
Reactions: aylk
For all the people complaining about it, I really like the idea of this Pencil - I rarely use my Pencil 2, and I can’t leave it attached to my iPad as it just sits there and drains the battery. I have to leave the pencil somewhere else, and manually toggle the Bluetooth off and on, on the iPad so that it doesn’t stay connected and just drain the Pencil’s battery all the time.

That and I never use the pressure sensitivity and actually find it horrendously annoying. I could actually see myself “upgrading” to this - letting it charge with a USB C cable and not having it leech off my iPad sounds amazing.

All I mean by this is - don’t knock it too hard. Everyone has different needs and for some, this is perfect!
I have a $20 clone, with magnet attach and cgarging and with a power switch. It looks more fit to your requirement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stiligFox and sos47


Apple last week began shipping out the new USB-C Apple Pencil, so we thought we'd check it out for MacRumors readers who might be interested in purchasing one. The USB-C Apple Pencil is compatible with all iPads that have a USB-C port and that are running iOS 17.1 or later.


When it comes to design and feel, the USB-C Apple Pencil is much like the second-generation Apple Pencil, featuring a matte finish and a flat side where it can attach to the iPad, but it's worth noting that it's shorter. Unlike the Apple Pencil 2, it is not able to pair with an iPad automatically, and you'll need a USB-C cable for pairing purposes.

If you pull on the bottom of the Apple Pencil, you'll reveal a USB-C port, but Apple does not include a cable so you will need to use your own. Pairing can be done by attaching a USB-C to USB-C cable to the iPad and the USB-C port.

Though the USB-C Apple Pencil can be placed on the top of the iPad thanks to the magnetic connection, it is not able to charge magnetically like the Apple Pencil 2. As with pairing, charging is done via USB-C.

The USB-C Apple Pencil is the most affordable Apple Pencil option at $79, but it lacks Double Tap for swapping tools, and there is no pressure sensitivity for varying line thickness. It does support tilt functionality and the Apple Pencil Hover gesture that's available on the M2 iPad models.

What do you think of the USB-C Apple Pencil? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New USB-C Apple Pencil
This video didn't test a very important feature: Scribble

until now all apple pencils will wait 1-2 seconds to recognize the text, when the pencil leave the ipad surface. This allows the user to finish the whole sentence.

With $20 clone, as far as the pencil untouch the glass, ipad will immediately starts to recognize. So if you write the letter A in 3 strokes, ipad will recognze your writing as 3 character: / \ -
This behavior makes Scribble unusable with $20 clone.

As this new apple pencil has the same feature set ofa $20 clone, I'm wondering if it can be use for Scribble or not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: aylk
For people who take notes and/or mark up PDF documents or use a pencil in lieu of a mouse, I think this new pencil is a perfectly good value. I own an Air 5, and if I didn’t already have a Logitech Crayon, I would buy one of these. Not all of us draw or are artists. If you do draw, spend the extra $$$ for the 2nd gen Pencil. I love having the choice, especially since I have never needed pressure sensitivity.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
Soooooo, it begs the question - what is the point in this stupid device that is a worse product than its predecessor?
To compete with other non Apple pencils that also lack pressure sensitivity I'd suppose. That feature must cost a lot for Apple to remove it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ingik
No double tap? so they have intentionally written code in their software to distinguish between this and their ap2… since Double tap response is in the host not the device.

Really pulling their thumbs out on the forced segmentation.

So many arbitrary limitations that they introduce to push their customers around which can’t be patched by third parties because it’s a totally closed system.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Shirasaki
No double tap? so they have intentionally written code in their software to distinguish between this and their ap2… since Double tap response is in the host not the device.

Really pulling their thumbs out on the forced segmentation.

So many arbitrary limitations that they introduce to push their customers around which can’t be patched by third parties because it’s a totally closed system.
They love to make the same mistake before Steve Jobs took over Apple in their early days I guess.

But there are also lots of people defending this kind of fragmentation saying the lineup is not confusing whatsoever. To each of their own I guess.
 
Soooooo, it begs the question - what is the point in this stupid device that is a worse product than its predecessor?
It is mainly meant as a pencil for the iPad 10th gen which came out some months ago. That iPad has USB-C but does not have the ability to charge the Pencil 2 inductively. Prior to this, someone with that iPad had to use the old Pencil 1 with the lightning port in the end and use a special adaptor cable to allow that lightning cable to plug into USB-C on the iPad to charge the lightning pencil. This new pencil replaces that complicated setup with a pencil matching the charging port of the iPad. It is unfortunate that Apple didn’t include a short USB-C cable with the pencil but they were obviously trying to keep the cost down for this one, thus why they left off pressure sensitivity. As long as the user is mainly using the pencil for notes, navigation, and the occasional simple sketch, this new pencil should server them well.

You can use this with any of the other USB-C iPads such as the Air and Pro, but it isn’t really made for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BanjoDudeAhoy
Nice video. I really think this Pencil exists for education customers. Still, do you know how hard it would be for kids to keep track of a Pencil, let alone a cable they need to pair and charge it? It's a little sad to see what UX foibles Apple is comfortable with in the name of preserving margin.
They can use the same cable that they charge the USB-C iPad with to charge the pencil. If it’s like the other pencils, it doesn’t need constant charging.
 
For people who draw, pressure sensitivity is a must have feature.
What about for people who don’t draw?

Some people take notes or tap small links on web pages or highlight text in documents. Those things don’t require pressure sensitivity. Even a simple diagram with circles, boxes, and lines can be done just fine without pressure sensitivity. We can’t all be artists.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ingik and TheNewLou
No double tap? so they have intentionally written code in their software to distinguish between this and their ap2… since Double tap response is in the host not the device.

Really pulling their thumbs out on the forced segmentation.

So many arbitrary limitations that they introduce to push their customers around which can’t be patched by third parties because it’s a totally closed system.
The double-tap feature requires gyroscope hardware, not just software. Presumably, Apple reduced costs by removing that component.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
I am sure Apple’s knows that the vast majority of Apple Pencil users simply do markups and annotation plus occasional notes. I would guess that very few users do complex diagrams or artwork. So, they provided a simpler and less expensive alternative for USB-C iPads….especially, the iPad 10 which desperately needed an alternative to the AP 1.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
Good to have a new pencil at a lower price point. Seems to be good. Also expecting to see a new Pencil with the upcoming iPad Pros
 
That makes more sense thanks. How much battery life do you notice it using with the mini? Seems like it would be insignificant once fully charged, but maybe it’s more noticeable on a mini?
I don’t know what it does over time to keep the pencil at 100% but I recently noticed that a full charge from empty takes about 5% of my iPad Air’s charge.
 
Feature-wise this seems essentially the same as the Logitech Crayon. They’re also in just about the same price segment.

The only thing I can see that’s different is that you can pair the crayon without a cable and the crayon has an on/off button (which is nice to have IMO) as well as a battery indicator.

As for people complaining that users are going to be confused and that one needs pressure sensitivity for drawing…
There’s a table on the website comparing the three pencils feature for feature.
If the user doesn’t research what they’re buying then I’d argue it’s their own fault if they end up with a product that doesn’t meet their needs.
An artist would probably know that they need pressure sensitivity and therefore not even consider anything that doesn’t support it.

Also, I used the Logitech Crayon for a while just to try it - I’m not overly fond of the shape, but it’s fine. I even tried it for drawing and yeah, I missed pressure sensitivity. But it was still fine for a quick sketch that didn’t need to be a proper artwork.
 
@Dan Barbera is such a great Youtube unboxing reviewer:

1. Accidentally drops the pencil out of the box before he could even hold it. (and fumbles with the box/pulling the sticker tabs in the first place)

2. At 3:10 in the video, Dan couldn't recall which iPad models support this pencil (it's hilarious when you say "I can't remember out of the top of my head" when your job is to review the product, Dan!)

3. Plus, why do you always appear to be tired, just like your hands-on video for iPhone 15 back in September?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.