Three Things to Know About the New Apple Pencil

Every time I now read the description of the updated Pencil as “...magnetically attaches...” I can’t help but read it as Jony Ive’s cringeworthy “magical connection” :rolleyes:
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Lepton said:
I like that the thing doesn't constantly roll off the desk like the old one!
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There are simply no words to describe what a ridiculous oversight that was. God knows who signed that off. Oh wait, yes that’s right...

Especially when you only had to look at an actual pencil (for grown-ups) to notice the hexagonal shape wasn’t design for the sake of it.
 
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Just been in store to check the new iPads and Pencil: first thing I noticed picking up the Pencil is that it weights significantly less than the old one ( which is a huge bonus for someone that uses it for 5+ hours a day)..also the flat side make it feel more like a real pencil.
 
MacDawg said:
If Steve Jobs is raised from the dead and comes back to life then you really do have Apple as a religion
And at that point, nobody notices a pencil
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The Pencil would have significance as a Holy object. Maybe even magical powers like a wand or talisman. Tablets.....well you know.

Actually, I'm already there. Amen.
 
ctg7w6 said:
If it is 25 cents per tip and they sell 5 million pencils, that is 1.25 million dollars. Even if they sell one pencil, it is 250k saved. I don't know why you think Tim Cook the financial wizard doesn't think of these things. For instance, stopping giving dongles for head phones, requiring the purchase of dongles for USB-C. These things all add up to millions of dollars for Apple.

Obviously they DO think about things like the tip. First it was there, now it's not. Someone made both decisions. This is precisely why you are not a CFO... You clearly don't think of the things that make companies more profitable.
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Good Will is a long term indicator of future profit. And something Apple has shown little concern for.

Focusing on short term profit at the expense of good will has destroyed many once great American corporations.

Seems like just a matter of time now...
 
Very helpful article.Thanks, MacRumors. :)

Not upgrading right now, but this is the kind of article I appreciate having access to.
 
Tim has banked $700 million in his years as CEO. He has authorized the buy-back of nearly $1 Trillion in stock -- that is a truly historic number. I'd guess most Apple C-level execs have similar amazing personal gains during Tim's reign. It is mind-boggling to think that Tim or any C-level exec cares about the long-term future of Apple. This is true of nearly every C-level exec in Merica. It really is hard for you or I to imagine the levels of compensation these guys get for managing next quarter's financials. Of course, they all sit on each others' boards, so who is going to be the one to deny this process vs. long-term shareholder value??

Aston441 said:
Good Will is a long term indicator of future profit. And something Apple has shown little concern for.

Focusing on short term profit at the expense of good will has destroyed many once great American corporations.

Seems like just a matter of time now...
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Liking the look of the pencil can’t use it til tomorrow though. Thank god no more charging it via the port
 
Can any one explain why the previous generation of Apple Pencil will not work with the new iPad Pro? Is there a hardware limitiation? Can’t be a charging limitation as there was an adapter sold with last gens Pencil.
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Rogifan said:
The old Pencil paired via lightning. That’s why it’s not compatible.
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So apple couldnt create a USB to lightrning so we could still use our old pencils?
 
Lepton said:
I like that the thing doesn't constantly roll off the desk like the old one!
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Mine has rolled off the desk three times in two days!. Worse, since it has to stick flush to the iPad to charge, putting a clip or something on the pen to prevent it from rolling is annoying as it needs to come off every time you charge. Like the new pencil overall, hate the charging mechanism.
 
BravoTangoPapa said:
The battery life is far less than the original. Example: from 100% to 96% in around 3 minutes - just taking a couple of quick notes. Same test with original pencil and the battery doesn’t drop at all. Disappointing.
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3 mins use is hardly a good data reference. In any case, the charging mechanism is so convenient, it’s far easier to keep it topped up than the old. With the old, it’s always low on battery or completely flat when I need to use it. Not now.
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V.K. said:
While I use my Pencil a lot, most of the time I use my ipad without the pencil. I carry it around, put it on various surfaces and hold it in various positions. I can't imagine that having the pencil attached to it all the time could be very convenient.
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Then just put it in your pen holder and only attach it when you need to charge. What’s difficult and different to your old practice?
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mi7chy said:
A lot of R&D went into making that $5 plastic pencil magnetic. Waiting for the $199 metal version to match the metal iPP.
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No joke. The magnetic strength is just enough to lift my 11 vertically and then break the bond. Obviously very carefully calculated.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Remember when Macbook Pros used to come with dongles?
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Remember when they used to come with power extension cords?

EDIT: To be on topic - I only changed the tip on my original Apple Pencil once... and only because I lost the tip that was on it (it seriously came off in my bag or something and fell out - no idea how).

BUT: I had also lost the tip it came with... so I had to go buy a pack of them... lol
 
koa said:
There’s a technical reason Apple couldn’t make the old pencil pair with new iPad using a USBC to lightning cable?
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Raist3001 said:
Can any one explain why the previous generation of Apple Pencil will not work with the new iPad Pro? Is there a hardware limitiation? Can’t be a charging limitation as there was an adapter sold with last gens Pencil.
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So apple couldnt create a USB to lightrning so we could still use our old pencils?
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Not sure if there’s some limitation with the cable? I know people think Tim Cook is the devil on earth but if it was technically possible to pair via a usb-c to lighting cable I honestly don’t think upper management would tell engineers to disable it from working. I don’t know what percentage of the iPad customer base owns a pencil but I’m guessing it’s small and even smaller those Pencil users that would buy a new Pro and not get the much improved new Pencil. I don’t think Apple has to do trickery that forces people into buying the new Pencil.
 
tridley68 said:
well crap i wasn't aware of that i thought Bluetooth was Bluetooth.
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Apple doesn't like dangerous standards they can't lock down. For your own privacy and protection of course. That's why they kindly block unauthorised chargers that might provide dangerous electricity to iPhones and unauthorised audio that might provide dangerous sounds to HomePods.
 
az431 said:
So you're thinking that Tim Cook was sitting at his desk thinking how he can boost net income beyond the current 80 billion a year, and his solution was to remove a 25 cent piece of plastic from a product that makes up .001% of Apple's revenue? Yeah that's probably it.
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Well he is selling that 25 cent piece of plastic for about 5 dollars each so maybe.
 
It is a dramatic improvement, certainly. I didn't think they'd be able to make such a jump from the old pencil/pro combination, but it's there. Easier to hold, double-tap works beautifully, charging is so much better.

What does annoy me slightly is that it only sticks to one long side. Being left-handed I want to hold the ipad with my right hand, and so the only way I can do this is to have the pencil on the left (otherwise it gets dislodged while holding the ipad). This means that the ipad is notionally upside-down, so the power button and Face ID are at the bottom. It sort of works (except for apps that don't recognise it and are therefore upside-down too), but it would have been better had it been possible to store the pencil on either side.
 
840quadra said:
Still dislike that Apple will not let us use the original Apple Pencil on this iPad. Charging it is not a problem.

View attachment 802464

1. Buy an Apple Lightning to USB-C cable (I already had one)
2. Attach Lightning adapter that ships with the original Apple Pencil to that cable
3. Attach the pencil to cable and adapter.

On my 10.5 I can see that the pencil is actually able to charge when connected to the 11 via this method, so it’s clear that Apple is simply blocking it from pairing via BT.
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Thanks for trying anyway. I was wondering if it would be an unofficial work around.
 
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