Have pre-ordered a new iPad Pro, upgrading from an iPad Mini 4. I don't get the Apple Pencil. I'm not an artist. Why might I need a Pencil?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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.
Why do I need an Apple Pencil?
- Thread starter simonlucas
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Taking notes in a business meetings at work, or for taking notes in class if you are a student.
If you don't draw, retouch photos, or need to take notes, the iPad is perfectly usable without Apple Pencil.
If you don't draw, retouch photos, or need to take notes, the iPad is perfectly usable without Apple Pencil.
You likely won’t if you can’t think of a need for it.
I bought it for my 9.7 IPP and I’ve barely ever used it. I didn’t bother getting it for my new iPad coming next week. It was a waste of money for me....that can change but for now I just can’t find a reason to buy it.
I bought it for my 9.7 IPP and I’ve barely ever used it. I didn’t bother getting it for my new iPad coming next week. It was a waste of money for me....that can change but for now I just can’t find a reason to buy it.
If you have to ask the question, you probably don't.
I work in tech, I find a lot of great non artistic uses for it.
For what it’s worth I do occasionally use it for photo editing, and for a simple sketch pad (again, often project sketching rather than artistic) but I’ve found a lot of places for it in my professional workflows.
- I find sketching in notes to be a great training tool. Being able to zoom in and out especially makes this easier. A simple example is explaining concepts in git by drawing branches / trees with commits, showing how refs work or what rebases look like. Another is laying out the architecture of related systems in an application or in infrastructure.
- Sometimes I attach it to a tv via an hdmi adapter or airplay to use as a quick whiteboarding tool in a group setting
- In a pinch, when connected to a Remote Desktop over vnc or rdp it makes for a handy precision pointing device. It’s no mouse but it solves the problem of small, precise touch targets in that situation
- Marking up PDF documents - maybe I’m reviewing a project poster or proofing a technical document, it’s a comfortable way of working to sit back and scribble, highlight and underline
- Similarly, marking up screenshots. Maybe someone has questions for me about how a web app works, I can take a screenshot and mark it up quickly to help illustrate how something works or to communicate something more easily
For what it’s worth I do occasionally use it for photo editing, and for a simple sketch pad (again, often project sketching rather than artistic) but I’ve found a lot of places for it in my professional workflows.
Last edited:
I have bought months ago a stylus, and my iPad pro experience is dramatically changed for better. I think artists and graphics need Apple Pencil.
Apple Pencil is easier to take notes with if you have to write lots of notes quickly, but a regular stylus can work. It's just not as responsive as the Pencil.
I am waiting on the pencil. I have bought two, lost one and the other will not hold a charge so it would be over $300 in pencils if I get another. We will see how Photoshop looks and make a choice then.
How much use did you get before it stopped holding a charge? I'm curious to know what the lifespan is.
Very little. Would sit on a shelf for months before I would recharge it again.
I guess I was "mean" to my pencil as I used it very seldom.
Another use case is using the iPad as a remote desktop interface. This is why I bought the pencil. I find the pencil is very useful when you have to click on things on the screen that were developed to be interacted with via a mouse and not your fingers.
I'd say if you have to ask, you don't. My fiancee gave me the pencil as gift last year, I never used it. Now she uses it with her 2018 iPad. I think she really bought it for herself haha.
I am not a writer, I’m not an artist, and I don’t retouch photos. I use mine to click on things every single day or signe documents, though yes, it does cost and will have to swallow that pill. I bought the new gen 2 for the same reason. Don’t like use of my fingers or another stylus but each to their own reason for getting or not getting the pencil.
That's true - though it's also worth saying that using it to take notes and mark up documents is far, far more compelling than I expected it to be. It's the thing I use my iPad Pro for the most, and I wouldn't be without it.
If you have to ask, you probably don't need it. Don't spend money on something that you have to look for reasons to own.
Same case scenario for myself, on a mini 4 and looking to upgrade if im ok with the size. But Ive actually always wanted pencil support on the mini to use as a notepad. Ive never experienced the pencil itself, but Ive tried other styluses, and I wasnt happy with them. So if the pencil is really like pen on paper, then I'd consider getting it. Otherwise, not worth the purchase without the need.
it's really not like using another stylus at all - it's remarkable in how responsive and accurate it is. The tip is a bit 'slippery' unless you put a textured screen protector on (you lose screen clarity as a result) but otherwise it's very much like using a ballpen.
$329 2018 iPad supports the first gen Pencil. If you're fine with the space gray, B&H photo has it for $319.
I'm the opposite. Even if I have the pencil in the hand, I prefer to click on things with my finger. I only use it to draw and write.
Same here. I prefer using the Pencil to navigate apps, mark up emails or sign documents. I use the Pencil everyday, so it was certainly worth the $80 I paid for it at the time.