Pencil Question

[Mickeylittle777]

Is the pencil only for drawing or other app specific functions? I watched the event and it appears that everyone seemed to open menus with their fingers and then use the pencil. I also never saw anyone use the pencil to open an icon, scroll thru a page, or tap on a link.

I have an Android Note Pro 12.2 and pretty much never use my fingers as I either use a mouse or my stylus and actually the stylus works as a great mouse. Even on my wife's iPad Air I can use a fluffy tipped stylus to scroll pages, open apps, and tap on links.

So I wonder about the pencil?

 

[sjleworthy]

i presume the Pencil will act as a regular stylus for those apps that have the Pencil SDK written into the app.

i'm always keen to wonder when we'll finally get a mouse for our ipads, and now considering the ipad pro size we're certainly in mouse territory, but if the stylus can act as the mouse then all the better.

and as i say, as long as the app has the Pencil written into it as support, no reason why it wont be used as a regular stylus/finger alternative. Apple have mentioned opening up the Pencil to devs, so i suspect in no time at all all apps with be Pencil driven as standard if you so chose so.

 

[sjleworthy]

i'd be curious to know where to store the Pencil? did Apple forget to tell us about a clip or slot in the new keyboard maybe? i cant imagine this aspect was overlooked, can you?

 

[Mickeylittle]

Yeah, hopefully we will get more info before long on these questions. Apple seems to be slipping on their presentation just a little in my opinion. I believe one of the vendors stated the iPad Pro was coming with 4 gigs of ram but Apple never stated that. I can't remember but it seems like it was the Adobe guy?

But yes, there does not appear to be anywhere to store this $99 pencil. You can bet that Zagg or Logitech won't overlook this when they come out with their keyboard/case combo for the Pro, and I bet it will probably run $99-$129 as well!

 

[sjleworthy]

4 gig is officially confirmed i believe.

 

[Tuttle]

I just saw a blurb indicating that iOS 9.1 included provisions for the pencil. Does anyone know if it will work with older iPads running iOS 9.1.

 

[scifan57]

I just saw a blurb indicating that iOS 9.1 included provisions for the pencil. Does anyone know if it will work with older iPads running iOS 9.1.

The Apple Pencil only works on the iPad Pro. iOS 9.1 included provisions for the Apple Pencil because the iPad Pro, when it's released early next month, will have iOS 9.1 as its initial iOS version.

 

[Brian 244]

Only the iPad Pro has a digitizer sensitive enough to detect the fine motions for the Pencil to work as intended. It is highly unlikely the Pencil will ever work with any other iPads until the next generation in 2016.

 

[twerppoet]

It is still a capacitive stylus at heart, so it would probably work on older iPad, but it would not work any better than the other active styluses, such as the Adonit Jot. The core of the improvements in the Pencil over other styluses is a combination better sensors on the iPad Pro, increased refresh rates on the iPad Pro, and Bluetooth integration of the Pencil at an iOS level only Apple can achieve.

So, there is little to no reason to buy a Pencil over the other styluses already available for older iPads. But if you do get an iPad Pro and Pencil, and happen to want to use the Pencil with your older iPads, it will probably work as a basic stylus.

That's all speculation of course; but given Apple's description of how the Pencil works I'm pretty sure that's how it will pan out.

 

[Brian 244]

It is still a capacitive stylus at heart, so it would probably work on older iPad, but it would not work any better than the other active styluses, such as the Adonit Jot. The core of the improvements in the Pencil over other styluses is a combination better sensors on the iPad Pro, increased refresh rates on the iPad Pro, and Bluetooth integration of the Pencil at an iOS level only Apple can achieve.

So, there is little to no reason to buy a Pencil over the other styluses already available for older iPads. But if you do get an iPad Pro and Pencil, and happen to want to use the Pencil with your older iPads, it will probably work as a basic stylus.

That's all speculation of course; but given Apple's description of how the Pencil works I'm pretty sure that's how it will pan out.

Agreed but knowing apple they will probably find a way to disable pencil on other iPad models.

 

[scifan57]

I'm sure somebody will try out the Apple Pencil on every model iPad as soon as it goes on sale. Then we'll see how well it works on other iPads.