Pencil charging...extremely poor design

[mixel]

I am getting the pencil when I get my Pro for a educational tool for my kids. My 5 & 7 year old kids will love drawing on the iPad and I am sure I will enjoy it for certain graphic applications. As mentioned above, there is certain to be a extra charging option. It's the Apple way. Owning a Apple product s like going to a 5 star hotel. There is going to be alot of side tipping and side charges for the price of admission.

.. Definitely get a screen protector, haha.

That's my biggest worry with such an expensive tablet with a giant beautiful screen. Tiny dust particles can, and do get between stylus and screen, and unless the glass is much tougher than the iPad3 I have, drawing with a stylus will eventually likely scratch the glass. Which is pretty traumatic.

When using my 3rd party styluses on my ipad3 I now use a matte screen protector which makes it feel a lot more like paper (or a Wacom tablet) - with a screen as insanely nice as the iPad pro though I think I'd be reluctant to make it matte and lose a little picture quality - I hope the pencil tip is rubbery enough to stop it from feeling like sliding around on glass, as that's not very natural feeling at all.

 

[skinned66]

These things are going to get lost - and $100 a pop, stolen - like gangbusters. No FindMyPencil.

 

[Noble Actual]

Yup, the charging design is laughable. At least make it easy to carry with with the smart keyboard. You can't even put the pencil anywhere.

 

[0007776]

Yup, the charging design is laughable. At least make it easy to carry with with the smart keyboard. You can't even put the pencil anywhere.

If you're carrying something as large as the iPad Pro around you'll have some sort of bag for it, the pencil can go in there.

 

[jamezr]

Ars Technica says the Pencil comes with a dongle. Anyway I doubt Apple meant sticking it in the iPad lightning port for extended periods of time. It's for when you need a short burst of power. And if you can get 30 minutes of battery on a 15 second charge that's pretty incredible.

OMG...seriously. Werent you dinging Samsung for poor design for allowing people to put a stylus in backward? Now we have a 12.9 inch iPad with a 7 to 8 inch Pencil dangling from the lightening port. not a very optimal design.
Sorry Rogifan but Apple advertises recommends it being plugged into the lightening port to charge it.
Not a very good design. I wonder how many broken Pencil ports there will be.

 

[lagwagon]

Not sure what the big deal is that people are making about how it charges.

If you get up from your desk to grab a coffee or use the washroom or for whatever reason. Quickly plug it in while away and unplug when you get back. The few minutes it takes to get a coffee will give you hours of charge, and odds are you'll leave your desk multiple times a day. You're not meant to carry this thing around with the pencil plugged in.

 

[Michael Goff]

OMG...seriously. Werent you dinging Samsung for poor design for allowing people to put a stylus in backward? Now we have a 12.9 inch iPad with a 7 to 8 inch Pencil dangling from the lightening port. not a very optimal design.
Sorry Rogifan but Apple advertises recommends it being plugged into the lightening port to charge it.
Not a very good design. I wonder how many broken Pencil ports there will be.

View attachment 581113

That isn't them recommending it, that's pointing out that you can. Big difference.

 

[Rogifan]

OMG...seriously. Werent you dinging Samsung for poor design for allowing people to put a stylus in backward? Now we have a 12.9 inch iPad with a 7 to 8 inch Pencil dangling from the lightening port. not a very optimal design.
Sorry Rogifan but Apple advertises recommends it being plugged into the lightening port to charge it.
Not a very good design. I wonder how many broken Pencil ports there will be.

View attachment 581113

As far as I know there's no way to put the Pencil in the wrong way and bork your iPad. It seems pretty obvious that this is for when you need a quick charge, not leave the pencil sticking out of the iPad for hours at a time. There's a reason Apple mentions that you can get 30 minutes of battery with just 15 seconds of charging.

 

[Kal-037]

I thought the same thing. Going to be a lot of broken-off lightning chunks stuck in the port.

Thought the same thing, curses, I keep going back and forth on this thing, I like the specs but then I look at the website or videos and the execution of it is just off. The pencil should have had a cord that it could connect to. I also think an 11.3" screen size would have been much better.
I'm trying to think if I would use this at all. I draw and sketch often, (majoring in Film/Animation,) but am not sure if this would be a replacement for my art gear or just end up being an iPad Air 2+++ and then I just use it to watch Netflix.


Kal.

 

[Kal-037]

I suppose Apple could release a separate charger for the Pencil that would be more efficient and safer.

 

[Abazigal]

I think I can understand why it was done that way. Say you are outside and your stylus runs out of battery. The most convenient way of charging it would be through the iPad itself, and the only port the iPad has that is capable of supply power is the lightning port itself.

That said, this is perhaps the most inelegant solution I can think of, since it means that you must all but have an iOS device with a lightning port to charge the stylus. If I am at home, there (presumably) isn't any female lightning charging port I can plug it in to, unless Apple releases its own stylus charging hub. If I am charging my iPad, I have to unplug it to charge the stylus? And yeah, that is a setup just waiting to be snapped into 2.

 

[mrex]

.. Definitely get a screen protector, haha.

That's my biggest worry with such an expensive tablet with a giant beautiful screen. Tiny dust particles can, and do get between stylus and screen, and unless the glass is much tougher than the iPad3 I have, drawing with a stylus will eventually likely scratch the glass. Which is pretty traumatic.

When using my 3rd party styluses on my ipad3 I now use a matte screen protector which makes it feel a lot more like paper (or a Wacom tablet) - with a screen as insanely nice as the iPad pro though I think I'd be reluctant to make it matte and lose a little picture quality - I hope the pencil tip is rubbery enough to stop it from feeling like sliding around on glass, as that's not very natural feeling at all.

i really cant see anything on my Air2. Been using P53 alot and see nothing on the screen. I was also worried at first, if tiny sand particles are between the pencil and the screen, but then i just decided that this is a consumption device, not a trophy and let see what happens... and nothing happened, no scratches - atleast scratches that i could recognize...

 

[jamezr]

As far as I know there's no way to put the Pencil in the wrong way and bork your iPad. It seems pretty obvious that this is for when you need a quick charge, not leave the pencil sticking out of the iPad for hours at a time. There's a reason Apple mentions that you can get 30 minutes of battery with just 15 seconds of charging.

really? You just put it in and 8 inch pencil is hanging from the ipad it breaks off and borks your iPad..... was that so hard for you to see? So through designed use it breaks off and borks your ipad.

That isn't them recommending it, that's pointing out that you can. Big difference.

That is the designed use for it recommended by Apple. I see the overwhelming majority here agrees that is not very good design that is the big difference.

 

[Rogifan]

really? You just put it in and 8 inch pencil is hanging from the ipad it breaks off and borks your iPad..... was that so hard for you to see? So through designed use it breaks off and borks your ipad.

Breaks off how? I don't think it's meant to be stuck in the iPad for long periods of time. Ars Technica said it comes with a dongle. If it turns out that is the only charging solution and meant for long periods of time then yeah I would agree it's an inelegant solution. But if it's just for quick 'top offs' where you stick it in for a few minutes or less then I think it's fine.

 

[Michael Goff]

That is the designed use for it recommended by Apple. I see the overwhelming majority here agrees that is not very good design that is the big difference.

Where do they recommend it? Where? I see them saying that you can. A lot of people here are so determined to hate the Pro that they're reaching for anything they can possibly use. Logic be damned.

 

[BornAgainMac]

The pencil should do more than write. Perhaps work as a mic, camera, orchestra conductor wand, game controller, text scanner, external sound speaker, Apple TV remote, light saber sound effect generator. Plus have it as a device you can find with "Find your iPhone" cloud service.

These additions will make up for this poor design.

 

[Dj64Mk7]

The pencil should do more than write. Perhaps work as a mic, camera, orchestra conductor wand, game controller, text scanner, external sound speaker, Apple TV remote, light saber sound effect generator. Plus have it as a device you can find with "Find your iPhone" cloud service.

These additions will make up for this poor design.

You're kidding me, right?

 

[Michael Goff]

You're kidding me, right?

It should also make sandwiches and clean the kitchen!

 

[Dj64Mk7]

It should also make sandwiches and clean the kitchen!

I'm being completely serious when I say that may come soon enough with various HomeKit devices and whatnot.

 

[jerwin]

I'm sure Jobs wouldn't mind an actual pencil used for art and notes on a 12.9" tablet. Not even he would expect people to draw with their fingers.

When I bough my ipad3 in the apple store, I was asked to sign the clerks ios device with my finger.
It's nice to have a device that doesn't need a stylus, but frankly I would have liked the option of using something more precise for drawing.

 

[jamezr]

Where do they recommend it? Where? I see them saying that you can. A lot of people here are so determined to hate the Pro that they're reaching for anything they can possibly use. Logic be damned.

Oh I don't hate the pro at all I think it is a great product. I might get one. I stated this in another thread as well. I am trying to justify the price point to myself. I won't use the pro tools that Apple demonstrated in the keynote.
I am still on the fence and might end up getting one. Since its not available until November i have time to decide.

But I doubt very highly I will ever plug the pencil into the lightening port for fear of it getting broken off in there.

Breaks off how? I don't think it's meant to be stuck in the iPad for long periods of time. Ars Technica said it comes with a dongle. If it turns out that is the only charging solution and meant for long periods of time then yeah I would agree it's an inelegant solution. But if it's just for quick 'top offs' where you stick it in for a few minutes or less then I think it's fine.

Funny how you were so quick to jump on Samsung about people potentially putting the stylus in backward. Yet using the pencil as designed and through suggested use can break off in the lightening port.

Who on earth cannot see that as an accident waiting to happen?

 

[Michael Goff]

Oh I don't hate the pro at all I think it is a great product. I might get one. I stated this in another thread as well. I am trying to justify the price point to myself. I won't use the pro tools that Apple demonstrated in the keynote.
I am still on the fence and might end up getting one. Since its not available until November i have time to decide.

But I doubt very highly I will ever plug the pencil into the lightening port for fear of it getting broken off in there.

I won't either when I get one next year. Also, question since I can't psychic out what you do with your computers. What do you do with your Air, MBP, and iMac... if you don't mind me asking. I've always wondered about the desktop/laptop/tablet combo when it comes to all Apple. I have a desktop mainly as a console, for reference.

 

[jamezr]

I won't either when I get one next year. Also, question since I can't psychic out what you do with your computers. What do you do with your Air, MBP, and iMac... if you don't mind me asking. I've always wondered about the desktop/laptop/tablet combo when it comes to all Apple. I have a desktop mainly as a console, for reference.

My imac is my workhorse and runs a windows VM as well.. I have 2 external monitors hooked up and it is my main computer. My rMBP is really just used as a browsing while on the sofa. My iPad Air is really for my kids. It has become the main gaming device in the house by the whole family.

 

[Michael Goff]

Then you definitely should get an iPad Pro. It's thinner, lighter, and can replace what you're using the MBP for. And the 32gb model might even be enough for you, making it significantly cheaper than even the entry level MBP even if you factor in the pen and keyboard.

Perfect time to switch and save money. Maybe even sell the Pro to pay for it. I'm sure somebody that isn't me actually has enough money for it.

I'm coming up with reasons for you to spend money. How nice am I?

 

[jamezr]

Then you definitely should get an iPad Pro. It's thinner, lighter, and can replace what you're using the MBP for. And the 32gb model might even be enough for you, making it significantly cheaper than even the entry level MBP even if you factor in the pen and keyboard.

Perfect time to switch and save money. Maybe even sell the Pro to pay for it. I'm sure somebody that isn't me actually has enough money for it.

I'm coming up with reasons for you to spend money. How nice am I?

Well...I am debating the exact scenario you listed. I might sell my MBP to get the iPad Pro. Not sure yet. I want to get a firsthand look at it and see what the keyboard is like. Might even get the pencil too