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New Apple Pencil Announced With Hidden USB-C Port and More for $79
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If this is a low cost alternative, why support Hover? Keeping Pressure sensitivity makes more sense overall with the iPads this seems to target, ie the 10th Gen iPad. My kid who loves to draw on my 9th Gen iPad until she got her own iPad recently, uses pressure sensitivity. I don't see an iPad Pro owner buying this new Pencil, if you're spending iPad Pro prices, you're getting the 2nd Gen Pencil. Granted it does alleviate that stupid charging method for the 10th Gen iPad, so I will probably pick one up for my daughter.
Apple entering space that the cheaper 3rd party 'designed for iPad' stylus were in should push those prices down. ( Or Apple just takes a bigger slice of the peripheral pile; incrementally growing revenues. )
Apple Pencil (USB-C) isn’t compatible with the 9th gen base iPad.
I think this was meant to be the Apple branded alternative to the Logitech Crayon accessory used by many educational institution buyers. Apple was willing to cede the edu vendor accessory space to Logitech for years but I guess Apple has reevaluated and decided to offer accessories at what they consider to be edu price points.
That‘s fair, but then, when the 11th gen iPad comes out, then the 10th gen will slot into the same place in the lineup. Besides, schools investing in an iPad deployment may already have USB-C charging infrastructure (if they’re migrating from Chromebooks).
Probably a new Apple Pencil will debut for the Pro and Air next year that will replace Gen 2. I think this one replaces Gen 1 when Lightning is removed from the remaining iPads.
It relatively easily could be. That is likely more laziness/'penny pinching' on Apple's part in not wanting to put work into a product that is being phased out. ( Everything with a Lightning port is in zombie, mininmal life support mode at this point because Apple has to move off. )
If Apple could make the llghting Pencil one work with the USB-C iPad 10th, then doing vice versa really is not rocket science. They just don't want to spend the money.
The whole purpose of the 9th Gen at this point is to be as cheap to make as possible (while keeping some non-backsliding quality standards).
I can't imagine anyone who cared about pressure sensitivity wouldn't do some research.
I so agree!
Wow, the iPad lineup is ***** confusing. Dude, can't they simplify it to say like 3 or 4 (max)? You get the iPad Pro (2 sizes), the iPad mini, then the iPad regular (or call it iPad Air if you want). Done! Every time I think about the confusing iPad lineup, I feel like smacking somebody. *sigh*
Even if intended for 10th-gen iPad users... fine, you don’t have a dongle, but that’s pretty much the only “advantage”, seeing that you still need to charge via a cable. And the no pressure sensitivity aspect makes me, at first glance, still choose the 1st-gen with a dongle rather than this one.
It makes absolutely no sense for every other USB-C iPad user, just get the 2nd-gen.
Just a budget version, which I’m not sure is even worth it. Also, supporting hover and no pressure sensitivity is... a choice. And a poor one at that.
It makes absolutely no sense for every other USB-C iPad user, just get the 2nd-gen.
Just a budget version, which I’m not sure is even worth it. Also, supporting hover and no pressure sensitivity is... a choice. And a poor one at that.
Not everyone buys an Apple or other name brand product out of ignorance. If they buy it with an iPad and AC+ it's covered. Or they simply want to know it works; or it is easy to just pick up one at an Apple Store.
In addition, many of the cheap ones lack Bluetooth connectivity, so features enabled by it won't work with clones. From a quick perusal of Amazon many are not "perfect" clones.
That's not to say a clone isn't a good choice for a user; just that buying an "expensive" pencil may be the right choice for other users.
This Pencil doesn't replace any of the current Pencils. It's not compatible with devices equipped with a Lightning port and lacks other features.
It's intented as a replacement for the Generation 1 Apple Pencil for iPad 10 users, is it not?
What. Feel like I drank goofy juice before reading this article. Is this purely about EU compliance? I really don’t understand. This has to be the most confusing Apple decision/announcement in years.
You can't use the Gen 2 if you have the iPad 10. So you're forced to either use a pencil with a bizarre charging method or buy a barely cheaper one that doesn't have pressure sensitivity. It doesn't make any sense. Like others said: there are more than enough decent 30 dollar alternatives without pressure sensitivity. Some even charge magnetically on the Air/Pro. Why would anyone buy this new one from Apple?
This isn't just 'edu' . If handwriting recognition on iPads is substantially better now then when the pencils were introduced and Apple plans to keep pushing that forward with better AI/ML abilities then writing outside of edu contexts will pick up also.
People use iPads for inventory control. Does that use can really need pressure sensitivity? Nope. A check box with a notes option. (e.g. just write '20' instead of spinning scroll wheel for '20'. ). That is more effective.
Just more contexts where handwriting gets turned into 'cleaner' digit entry of text and numbers for a business use case.
This is what I was thinking, hadn't got round to posting. It certainly seems possible, and given it's something Apple have done before, is plausible – especially since the updates that are top of the rumour mill seem to be spec bumps (iPad, iMac, Pencil) instead of revamps, so would lend themselves to an iterative release over the course of a week.
But it does have tilt that those $29 Amazon ones don’t have so it’s not a fair comparison. And do they pair in lag with Apple Pencil?
Still, I don’t know what to think of Apple Pencil. I’ve had 1st Gen for years with my iPad mini 5, but I’ve yet to really use it, like ever. I do graphic design and photographs, and learned that as I do not draw, it’s maybe not so useful for me. Note taking I really on markdown anyway.
So... it drops everything that would have made it really cool? Got it.
Why?
Its not hard to understand surely.
This is the 'entry level' pencil that will superseded, for those who want it, the 'plug in' pencil.
Obviously that could not stay as a lightning connector given the wholesale move to USBC which is almost complete at apple.
Magnetic charging is a feature for the more expensive pencil and thats fine.
The only issue being what cable they supply or do you need to use to change this pencil. Seems likely they supply a USBC to USBC cable - but some legacy iPads probably need a lightning to USBC cable to charge this pencil using their iPad.
iPad 10th Gen still have a non-laminated displayed. They rather release a new Pencil for it, instead of putting in a laminated display and call it the iPad 11th Gen. They basically just solved a problem, they created themselves!