Second-Generation Apple Pencil Rumored for March of 2017

[handsome pete]

No need for an eraser IMO, it's a digital tool and it doesn't need to emulate certain pencils that have erasers on the back. And I don't want Apple making it $198 because it can do the same thing from both ends.

When I need to erase I just press the eraser button with my empty hand and continue to use the precision tip on the pointy end. Great if they improve the Pencil in other ways, but it's one of the products as of late that Apple got pretty "right" on the first try...

I'm not sure why it would double the price to add eraser functionality. I don't think you even need to make the eraser side as precise as the writing end. It just needs to be quickly accessible. I like working on a full screen canvas without any other buttons/overlays, so an eraser would be a welcome addition.
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I only wish there was a place to store the pencil in the iPad kind of like the Samsung Note phablets. But it's not possible at its current thickness.

Do you really want a pencil as thin or thinner than current ipads so that it fits inside? I think the weight and thickness of the current pencil is a positive feature.

As for those suggesting attaching via the smart connector, I wouldn't be against this option. But that really only seems useful for those that don't use a keyboard or case that usually stays connected.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Hopefully becoming more like the Surface Pen in many ways.
And they need to get rid of the current charging... it should charge wirelessly from the side of the iPad and the battery life should be longer. That should allow them to implement an eraser.

Yeah, because 12 hours of battery life on a single charge isn't enough. Nor is 30 minutes of battery life from 15 seconds of charging.

The Surface Pen doesn't offer anything close to what the current Apple Pencil does. The accuracy and functionality isn't even comparable.

 

[TechZeke]

Let me guess... thinner, shorter battery life, price bump, now available in jet black.

Exactly how I pictured it. Thinner jet black Apple Pencil 2 now available for just $129

That said, the Apple Pencil is by far the best digital writing device I've ever experienced. It's too bad it's limited to the iPad Pro.

 

[Greenmeenie]

Apple should definitely make it in different colors. At least offer a jet black one. And the magnet idea so it sticks to the ipad is good too. Make it happen apple.

 

[Ankou_Sabat]

I'd be happy if they just make it compatible with all iPads and iPhones instead of *just* the iPad Pro. But that would take courage ...

 

[elppaapple]

Sir Tim Cook, you can do many unusual things while inverted with this pencil. Use your numb nutted creativity and figure it out. Its 2017 and I need a new mac pro and a Macbook Pro with more then 16g ram, not a new pencil.

 

[elmaco]

No bezels and fingerprint sensor in display, that's good sruff.

My third wish would be something radicallly lighter. Holding a large display in your hand is too tiresome

I like an iPad that weigh as a magazine or a book

 

[tech4all]

Yeah, because 12 hours of battery life on a single charge isn't enough. Nor is 30 minutes of battery life from 15 seconds of charging.

The Surface Pen doesn't offer anything close to what the current Apple Pencil does. The accuracy and functionality isn't even comparable.

And what would be wrong with having more battery life? Sure 12 hours is good, but imagine having to go days without a charge.

 

[NinjaHERO]

Awesome. This is what I've been waiting for. New large Ipad Pro and new Pencil. Sounds great.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Just don't call it a stylus.

 

[V.K.]

Apple Pencil is one Apple product I've been extremely happy about recently. Best thing since sliced bread so far as I am concerned. I mostly use it for taking notes during scientific talks (have over a hundred by now), as scratch paper and for preparing talks and lectures. It allowed me to almost completely get rid of paper. As a bonus all my notes are with me at all times, are easily edited and organized (I use Notability). Really, best thing ever. I'm quite happy with the current design too. I would like a magnetic attachment to the iPad but other than that it's basically fine as is. Battery life is not an issue and charging is not an issue either. It may look goofy plugged into the iPad but I don't care. It charges super fast this way- I think quite a bit faster than via adapter.

 

[springsup]

After seeing that one patent from a while ago, I'm mostly hoping they finally add compatibility with the new MBP trackpads. The larger surface area would really lend itself to the Apple Pencil and it would definitely convince me to buy one on release day.

You can't see what you're drawing, though.

Personally, that's the most baffling thing about the TouchBar. Why not give the trackpad a display instead? It's larger and is already multitouch sensitive. Then you could use it for drawing, and Apps could show more complex tools with more advanced options.

I think that is ultimately what is going to happen, and then it'll live alongside the touchbar as one of 3 displays. That will be the future of the laptop - I mean, the biggest strength of touch-screens is that their controls are driven by software, so they are adaptive to the application you are using (that's the reason Steve Jobs preferred them over a fixed keyboard for the original iPhone). The laptop of the future has to learn from that - the Touchbar is a very minor way to do it (in a way, beautiful in its conservatism), but with trackpads that take literally half the body of the machine as they do in the new MBP, it's absurd not to make better use of that prime easy reaching-distance space.

 

[Johnny907]

Great. Soften the tip so the thing doesn't physically hurt to use and move the weight down closer to the tip so it doesn't feel so top heavy, and I might actually buy it.

 

[keunchilla]

I don't care for the pencil much, but I want the bezel-less iPad.

I want the bezel-less Pencil with a headphone Jack, so I can listen to Music on my Macbook with my wired earphones.

 

[mrxak]

I like the Pencil for art. Heck, I basically only got an iPad Pro for the express purpose of using it for art with the Pencil. I don't feel like it has any other use, to be honest, though if other people have been using it for note-taking or something, more power to you.

It would take some really compelling features to get me to spring for a Pencil 2 though. More than just an eraser.

 

[Tech198]

Second gen Apple Pencil..huh?

A magnet in the pencil to clip on probably been asking that for ages...

Perhaps now the Pencil will sketch twice as quickly as before thanks to this magically revolutionary design we've archived.

 

[V.K.]

And what would be wrong with having more battery life? Sure 12 hours is good, but imagine having to go days without a charge.

I will never say no to longer battery life, but honestly, this is not an issue already. It only takes a few minutes (about 10 minutes I think) to fully charge from 0 to 100% when plugged into the iPad. Given that, there is little need for longer battery life IMO. I never felt battery life was a problem with the pencil, something I could not say about any other Apple product.

 

[Soccertess]

So many posts are people wanting features that the surface pen has.

While many say the Apple pen is far superior, I think it really speaks volumes of how Nadella is turning microsoft around. I know it's just a pen but the Surface line execution has been quite well done (the first couple weren't that good, and let's just pretend RT never existed).

I really hope Apple takes a page from Microsoft (can't believe I'm saying this) and starts thinking differently. They should rethink the charging, eraser, and how to carry the pen.

Someone should tell TIM people DON"T like carrying around dongles or pens, so maybe make a little pocket for it. OR maybe a magnetic connection...

I hope the board considers tossing Tim!

 

[heimo]

Next Pen will actually be called AirPen and it's so thin it's practically invisible (almost like using just your finger tips.) It weights just 0 grams and you can download it from App Store. Price will stay at $99 / €129 / £199 - and if you lose yours, there will be replacements available for AppleCare customers (available for $39.)

 

[Analog Kid]

Apple Pencil is one Apple product I've been extremely happy about recently. Best thing since sliced bread so far as I am concerned. I mostly use it for taking notes during scientific talks (have over a hundred by now), as scratch paper and for preparing talks and lectures. It allowed me to almost completely get rid of paper. As a bonus all my notes are with me at all times, are easily edited and organized (I use Notability). Really, best thing ever. I'm quite happy with the current design too. I would like a magnetic attachment to the iPad but other than that it's basically fine as is. Battery life is not an issue and charging is not an issue either. It may look goofy plugged into the iPad but I don't care. It charges super fast this way- I think quite a bit faster than via adapter.

Same here-- notes and math are things that I always have a hard time doing by keyboard. If the meeting is well structured, I'll use something like OmniOutliner to take notes, but if the conversation is unstructured then nothing beats freehand for nonlinear note taking.

And there isn't a keyboard interface invented that's comfortable for doing math...

 

[usarioclave]

How about a speaker so I can find my pencil when it gets lost?

 

[44267547]

For Steve's sake, make it work with the MBP trackpads already Apple. Now that would be a feature worthy of the Pro moniker, unlike the Emoji-bar.

For Steve's sake, why would you even bring his name into this and make a MacBook Pro derogative? The Apple Pencil is exclusive to the iPad for sketching and what have you. Unlikely the MacBook Pro would ever see the Apple Pencil support.

 

[handsome pete]

You can't see what you're drawing, though.

Personally, that's the most baffling thing about the TouchBar. Why not give the trackpad a display instead? It's larger and is already multitouch sensitive. Then you could use it for drawing, and Apps could show more complex tools with more advanced options.

I think that is ultimately what is going to happen, and then it'll live alongside the touchbar as one of 3 displays. That will be the future of the laptop - I mean, the biggest strength of touch-screens is that their controls are driven by software, so they are adaptive to the application you are using (that's the reason Steve Jobs preferred them over a fixed keyboard for the original iPhone). The laptop of the future has to learn from that - the Touchbar is a very minor way to do it (in a way, beautiful in its conservatism), but with trackpads that take literally half the body of the machine as they do in the new MBP, it's absurd not to make better use of that prime easy reaching-distance space.

wacom tablets (and other digitizers) have been around forever without seeing what you're writing on directly beneath the pen. I take it you've never used one. It's surprisingly easy for your brain to make the connection between what your hand is doing with the pen and what you're seeing on the monitor.

 

[V.K.]

Same here-- notes and math are things that I always have a hard time doing by keyboard. If the meeting is well structured, I'll use something like OmniOutliner to take notes, but if the conversation is unstructured then nothing beats freehand for nonlinear note taking.

And there isn't a keyboard interface invented that's comfortable for doing math...

as a math professor I definitely concur. I regularly have people in my calculus class sit with their laptops and take pictures of the blackboard with their phones because they can't take notes using keyboard. this is just nuts. Apple only ever targeted artists with the pencil (that's very clear from their ads) but they should be targeting college students too. That's a pretty large audience and I think Apple is making a mistake in not advertising the pencil to them. Taking notes in math, physics, chemistry is not an option with a keyboard. Probably true of some other subjects as well.

 

[mi7chy]

Apple pencil 2 should be metal instead of plastic to justify the $99 price tag considering the Surface metal pen is an included accessory and feels more premium.