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Wow, so many reactions. This means something. I have a quote of Steve Jobs to see what Apple’s vision was:

Steve Jobs:
You know, it's not just about making something cheaper. It's about making the best product possible for our users. At Apple, we never compromise on quality and user experience just for the sake of price. If something is 50% less functional, it's not a better deal—it's a step backwards. The real question is, would you want to use a product that frustrates you half the time, even if it's 20% cheaper?
 
Wow, so many reactions. This means something. I have a quote of Steve Jobs to see what Apple’s vision was:

Steve Jobs:
You know, it's not just about making something cheaper. It's about making the best product possible for our users. At Apple, we never compromise on quality and user experience just for the sake of price. If something is 50% less functional, it's not a better deal—it's a step backwards. The real question is, would you want to use a product that frustrates you half the time, even if it's 20% cheaper?

It's interesting that people complain Apple has high prices and forces them to buy products with things they don't need to get a feature they want; and when Apple introduces a product that is less expensive without features some users don't need they complain about that. T

Something that is cheaper but has ll the functionality you need is not a step backward. If introducing a product with less functionality at a lower price point is always a step backward, then the iPad is a step backward from teh Air and teh Air a step backward from the Pro; which of course is not the case. he key is frustration - if you don't need the eaetures not included the product won't frustrate you, if you do buy the one that meets your needs.

It seems some are exhibiting what is called by economists as loss aversion; where the perceived loss has a greater impact on a persons reaction to it.
 
It's interesting that people complain Apple has high prices and forces them to buy products with things they don't need to get a feature they want; and when Apple introduces a product that is less expensive without features some users don't need they complain about that. T

Something that is cheaper but has ll the functionality you need is not a step backward. If introducing a product with less functionality at a lower price point is always a step backward, then the iPad is a step backward from teh Air and teh Air a step backward from the Pro; which of course is not the case. he key is frustration - if you don't need the eaetures not included the product won't frustrate you, if you do buy the one that meets your needs.

It seems some are exhibiting what is called by economists as loss aversion; where the perceived loss has a greater impact on a persons reaction to it.

As people mentioned, the problem with the Apple Pencil is that the Chinese knockoffs will offer the same features for $30 or less.

And the Apple Pencil isn't even better than a few of them: some of them can be turned off manually, which makes a single charge last up to 6 months. None of the Apple Pencils support this feature.
 
Macrumors even had to publish another pencil article to sort out the mess: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-guide-which-model-should-you-choose.2407987/
MR will publish anything Apple-related which gets them clicks. Im sure at some point they will do an "iPhone XR vs iPhone 15 Pro Max buyers guide.
“As it stands, you need a flowchart to buy an Apple Pencil, and that’s no good at all.” The Verge.
What do you want to use the Pencil for?
Which iPad do you have?

Answer those two questions and you will know which Pencil to get.

Easy peasy.
 
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As people mentioned, the problem with the Apple Pencil is that the Chinese knockoffs will offer the same features for $30 or less.

Knock offs will always be cheaper since they don't have to do R&D and may not have the same level of QC. It all comes down to what is important for the individual. Apple will never be the cheapest alternative.

And the Apple Pencil isn't even better than a few of them: some of them can be turned off manually, which makes a single charge last up to 6 months. None of the Apple Pencils support this feature.

I wonder what the battery capacity of clones is vs Apple's. An on off switch possibly allows a weaker battery to cut costs while giving the appearance of a long life. In addition, it appears the switch, from reviews, is a failure point.

It also appears on some tilt sensitivity requires lifting the pencil off the surface, unlike an Apple Pencil.

There is nothing wrong with saving money on a clone if it meets your needs. Buy what meets your needs and fits your budget.
 
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Knock offs will always be cheaper since they don't have to do R&D and may not have the same level of QC. It all comes down to what is important for the individual. Apple will never be the cheapest alternative.

Except Apple IS clearly trying to compete on price. They took out the most relevant feature of the redesign – pressure sensitivity. And if I'm clearly choosing on price – if I just want a cheap stylus – then it doesn't make sense at all to buy something for $70 when I can go all the way down to $20-$30.

If I do want QUALITY, on the other hand, then why would I NOT spend $20 more for a used Apple Pencil, or buy an Apple Pencil 2 for $100-$120? Chances are, if I want quality, then the Apple Pencil is the least of my worries, as I would buy an iPad Air or Pro at this point, which is far more expensive than the Apple Pencil. Not doing so would be penny pinching.

And if I want VALUE, then I'm probably better served with a drawing tablet e.g, XP Pen, which offers terrific value at that price point– yes, a drawing tablet with a screen will cost at least $250, but it is cross-compatible and works with a much greater software range– also XP Pen's stylus is passive, which means it won't die due to a faulty battery, like the Apple Pencil fatally will.

So, no matter how you slice it, the newly-released Apple Pencil is fighting an uphill battle. It is not the best choice based on cost or value.
 
Honestly, great question.
Simple Scribbles, hopefully Improve my personal Sig.

thanks
Picking an iPad Pencil is not a confusing, "OMG I need a flow chart" burden. To demonstrate how simple and undramatic the decision process is, you have answered these two questions:

Which iPad do you have?
What do you want to use the Pencil for?

-----

You have a 2018 USB-C iPad Pro.

Because you don't think you need pressure sensitivity, and you would like to save $40, you should buy the new entry level Pencil.

However, if you think you might want to use it for more artistic things in the future where pressure sensitivity is useful, or you want the convenience of magnetic pairing and charging, which is surprisingly nice, you should get the Pencil-2.
 
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I see a lot of complaints, but I like the idea that it is not pressure sensitive for when I'm taking notes. Not sure why they kept the tilt, but I'm interested to find out if this is better for general "pen on paper" kind of note-taking on the iPad than the previous pencils.
 
People need to read the link in the article.

This is not a replacement or next generation product. It's a lower tier product. It drops the following features:

- Pressure sensitivity
- Magnetic pairing & charging (it can be stored, but not charged/paired)
- Double tap to change tools
- Engraving
Yes, it’s 2023! The EU (one of Apple’s biggest markets has mandated that all devices (from all companies) drop proprietary connections and adopt USB-C.) So now Apple has a pencil ready to sell in the EU.
 
With my 2017 10.5” Pro, I’m stuck with a gen 1 pencil anyway, but when I upgrade to the next-gen iPad Pro next year, my forced pencil re-purchase will have to be a gen 2 (or its replacement). My art tops out at stick figures and 99% of my usage is note taking, but as a lover of real pens, I find that pressure sensitivity is critical for natural-looking digital handwriting. In contrast, hovering is a feature that seems very useful to the art crowd but only occasionally useful for note taking and something I can definitely live without. So for me, I wish these two features were swapped between the new pencil and the gen 2, as that would make the new one perfect for high-quality note taking and the gen 2 able to additionally handle serious art duties.
 
With my 2017 10.5” Pro, I’m stuck with a gen 1 pencil anyway, but when I upgrade to the next-gen iPad Pro next year, my forced pencil re-purchase will have to be a gen 2 (or its replacement). My art tops out at stick figures and 99% of my usage is note taking, but as a lover of real pens, I find that pressure sensitivity is critical for natural-looking digital handwriting. In contrast, hovering is a feature that seems very useful to the art crowd but only occasionally useful for note taking and something I can definitely live without. So for me, I wish these two features were swapped between the new pencil and the gen 2, as that would make the new one perfect for high-quality note taking and the gen 2 able to additionally handle serious art duties.

Nah, hovering is cool but useless. Pressure sensitivity, on the other hand, is critical if you want that natural look. Some guys do manage to pull out wonderful works without pressure sensitivity, but you can see drawings made without it don't turn out as dynamic.
 
I'm glad I spent the extra $$ for the magnetic charging pen! it is so much easier just to charge it on my iPad rather then to having to plug it in all the time.
 
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Basically
this is not the successor to 2nd gen

Seems rather pointless
Unless you have a 10th gen iPad with a USB-C port.
You can’t use Pencil 2.
You could only use Pencil 1 with a lightning to USB-C Adaptor.
You may not care about pressure sensitivity but just need something inexpensive.

This is pretty much a Pencil 1.5.
 
Since the low end iPad has switched to UISB-C, the old Pencil 1 with Lightning didn’t make sense anymore. This replaces that low end pencil.

But the Apple Pencil 1 is not a "low end" stylus at all. It's just an older version of the Apple Pencil 2, but it has exactly all the same features.
 
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