Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Pro Non-Artists: Any other real world uses of the apple pencil? [MERGED]
- Thread starter farqueue
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Note taking and document annotation.
There are multiple threads about this specific topic already....
Last edited by a moderator:
As a pencil owner who can’t draw to save his life, I’d say no.
I bought it on impulse shortly after buying a 10.5 pro and it’s spent most of that time in a drawer.
I found writing always ended up huge, not the size I’d write if using a pen and paper.
I bought it on impulse shortly after buying a 10.5 pro and it’s spent most of that time in a drawer.
I found writing always ended up huge, not the size I’d write if using a pen and paper.
I use my IPP for photo editing a lot and it makes that much easier. That and using apps such as OmniGraffle which just work better with a pencil...
I'm not sure if it's equivalent, but I diagram a lot of logic problems on a whiteboard app, and is great for that. Also keep in mind there are different tips you can choose, depending on the program you are in.
I use my pencil for other tasks that require fine selection as well.
Basically boils down to considering whether certain use cases are going to benefit you or not. Among them are art, note taking and document annotation to name a few.
I’m no artist but I get value from the Apple Pencil when using it for handwritten note taking either on blank pages or on PDF meeting agendas or presentation PDFs. I also get value from using it to annotate PDF documents, especially engineering drawings that I review and QC.
I’m no artist but I get value from the Apple Pencil when using it for handwritten note taking either on blank pages or on PDF meeting agendas or presentation PDFs. I also get value from using it to annotate PDF documents, especially engineering drawings that I review and QC.
I got one and the same here... I don't use it a lot but I'm making myself find ways to use it. Like signing documents, editing photos, and maybe start drawing. I would start using a stylus before getting one. The pencil is more precise than a stylus.
I'm angry with myself cause I just found that you can get $10 off with education discount.
I'm angry with myself cause I just found that you can get $10 off with education discount.
I use it all the time for taking notes with GoodNotes, which also has OCR to convert my handwriting into text, but the text recognition can be hit or miss depending on how carefully I write.
I got mine for $10 off last year by price matching with what Walmart was offering for it at the Apple Store, which was $89.99 at the time. At the end of the day, it's only $10. Several months after I got my iPad Pro, there were deep discounts for it going on, but I found that I got my money's worth because I needed it when I bought it and I have been using it a lot since.
I got mine for $10 off last year by price matching with what Walmart was offering for it at the Apple Store, which was $89.99 at the time. At the end of the day, it's only $10. Several months after I got my iPad Pro, there were deep discounts for it going on, but I found that I got my money's worth because I needed it when I bought it and I have been using it a lot since.
I like that it doesn’t cause the same repetitive motion injuries I get from typing or scrolling and helps my arthritis 
)
)I used it to write notes. Book / PDF / website on left side, notability on right side. And I just take notes. I find it far more beneficial than typing notes or just highlighting
I’m not at all artistic and I use the Pencil a lot. I take notes in Concepts. My notes are not well organized but more like doodling. When I’m starting something I like to free form doodle to test out different ideas before switching to some other app.
Among other things, I’m learning to write iOS apps. I take notes as I follow the videos then take screen shots of the code and add these to my notes. I like being able to add annotations off all sort to these documents.
Even when browsing or reading I use the Pencil to navigate. It saves my fingers from tapping on the glass.
Among other things, I’m learning to write iOS apps. I take notes as I follow the videos then take screen shots of the code and add these to my notes. I like being able to add annotations off all sort to these documents.
Even when browsing or reading I use the Pencil to navigate. It saves my fingers from tapping on the glass.
I bought on last year for my IPP 12.9 G2 as part of a test to see if it could replace my rMB. It couldn’t.
While I use the pencil occasionally for note taking, may do a bit more with the new functionality in iWorks, I haven’t used it enough to justify the cost.
Keep in mind my notes end up usually on a windows system in the end.
MHO YOMV
I’m no artist, but I am a teacher, so I use mine for annotating students’ work. Also, I use it for taking notes in faculty meetings, at church, etc., so it’s worth it for me.
As others have said, if I didn’t have those specific use cases though, it wouldn’t be worth it.
As others have said, if I didn’t have those specific use cases though, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Send it my way mate!
Haha I am actually giving it to my girlfriend to use after she picks up one of the new budget iPad's. She's an artist so she will definitely get a lot more out of it than I would. I figured I would start to draw, but I never got into it.
Worth a try!
I always wished I could draw......but I absolutely can not!
I’ve wanted a pro and pencil combo for a while to take notes and annotate screenshots. I also want to do a little photo editing. I wasn’t sure whether I would use it, so I held off.
As it’s so cheap, I’m now gonna pick up the new iPad to try it out. If I find I use it enough, I’ll pick up a new pro when they release later in the year and pass the 2018 off to the kids.
