Provided you ignored the awful charging process , the Apple Pencil was a wonder of design — a style that look , felt , and write much like an actual pen or pencil . That ’s not to say it did n’t need some improvements ( as we outline ina wishlist to begin with this calendar month ) , but add them seem to head for the hills the hazard of overcomplicating the simple elegance that made the Pencil such a joy to draw and write with .
But with the Apple Pencil 2 , Apple shows that it can significantly ameliorate one of its stylemark minimalist product without sacrifice much of its plan ’s powerfulness . Almost every raw feature counts as an improvement over the old framework ( although with some caveat ) . The only literal drawbacks are the $ 30 price boost and the unfitness to use the Apple Pencil 2 with any gimmick hold open thetwo novel iPad Pros .
Still , the improvements are good enough to make the Apple Pencil 2 an essential leverage for anyone with the novel Pro tablet . It has all of the strengths of the previous model — include variable accident system of weights and the power to start Modern note in the Notes app just by tapping the iPad ’s lock screen — along with a master of ceremonies of enhancement for storage , charging , and usage . Here are our favorites .
Elegance? We think not.
It gets rid of that awful charging method
Even if you never really possess an Apple Pencil , there ’s a good chance you knew how embarrassing it was to charge it . First , you ’d have to take off the bantam , eminently losable magnetic cap , and then you ’d have to plug the manlike Lightning connector into the iPad ’s female port . You ’d then essentially have to go away both gimmick alone while they charged . It wassomewhatconvenient for charge the Pencil itself , but the final stage solvent face like you were meant to hold it like a sign — sign that likely said something like “ This is bad design . ”
Elegance ? We reckon not .
The jest are over with the Apple Pencil 2 . No longer do you demand to plug the style into anything : Instead , you simply snap the Pencil ’s edge to some of the whopping 105 attractor surrounding the iPad Pro and it will start out to agitate straightaway . It ’s as sluttish as that . In fact , with this one change , Apple also fixed a number of other issues with one shot .
Elegance? We think not.
You no longer have to worry about losing the cap
The Lightning connecter for the original Apple Pencil was hidden under a magnetized white-hot cap on the “ eraser ” end , and it was mostly more secure than it take care . I ’ve even used the Apple Pencil as a drumstick before and the jacket crown never flew off .
As strong as that magnet was , though , eventually you ’d have to remove the cap so as to recharge the Pencil proper . I believe this is how many citizenry miss their crownwork , as they had no choice but to slip them in their pockets or place them next to the Pencil and hope they did n’t range off the table into limbo .
Now , those trouble are gone because the detonating machine is gone . Since you may only charge the Apple Pencil wirelessly , you ’ll never have to remove a cap . It ’s the sort of elegance we carry from Apple in its finest moments .
You don’t have to worry about Apple Pencil rolling off the table
You do n’t have to worry about the cap rolling forth , but you also do n’t have to worry about the Apple Pencil 2 itself rolling off a desk . Most of the Apple Pencil 2 is still as tranquil and cylindrical as its forebear , but Apple subtly flattened the incision that ’s mean to align with the iPad Pro for charging and carrying . This unexampled design keeps it hard in place when attached to the tablet , and it prevents it from roll away when you set it down .
But I ’m a little dual-lane on this one . I ’m glad that the young mannikin wo n’t roll away , but the original Apple Pencil ’s cylindrical form cistron was one of the thing I sleep together most about it . Along with the “ heft ” and free weight , it help the Apple Pencil feel more like a material penitentiary or pencil than many other stylus .
The single flatten sharpness sacrifices some of that one . Again , it ’s subtle , but I ca n’t facilitate but wonder how this seemingly belittled alteration will bear upon its quilt during long piece of writing or drawing sessions . Most playpen or pencils have either circular barrels or multiple flattened edges that uniformly skirt the whole gadget . Even the roll - averse Logitech Crayon ’s resemblance to a carpenter ’s pencil fits this tradition , as both sides are uniform in excogitation .
Nice.
You now have a spot to stow the Apple Pencil itself
One of the big problems with the old Apple Pencil is that you had nowhere to put it . Only a few cases provided a place for stowing it , and more often than not I ’d just end up stashing it in my bag , my shirt ( so nerdy ) , or my blue jeans . This was hardly ideal .
courteous .
With the new magnets and wireless charging , though , the iPad Pro itself becomes the ideal place for stowing your Pencil . It would n’t say it ’s entirely unfailing , but it credibly keep open your Apple Pencil 2 at least as securely attached to the iPad Pro as the attracter on the one-time model keep the cap attached to the Pencil itself .
Sharpening your pencil has never been faster.
So , in other words , never let it out of your sight .
Gesture controls make it a better tool for artists
passel of artists I ’ve talk with over the retiring few months — such asHotel Transylvania 2 ’s Lizzie Nichols — have tell apart me they desire to see additional controls on the Apple Pencil . Many worried , though , that Apple would be unable to do this without sacrificing other framework ’s graceful and buttonless designing .
As it turn out , Apple took some clear pool cue from the AirPods . Apple now lets you change the type of throw you ’re using within its own Notes app just by double - tapping the drum of the Pencil , and it ’ll give up you to tailor-make what those double taps do in other apps . That sounds like a boom for creative person who want to change stroke with a single tap in Adobe Photoshop or flip-flop the Pencil over to eraser mode without hunting down a separate port chemical element .
Sharpening your pencil has never been fast .
C’mon, Apple. You can be more creative than that.
As I ’ve said elsewhere , I admire this intent , but I worry that it ’ll be too easy to activate the different tap simply while drumming your fingers on the Pencil in minute of recondite thought .
It’s easier to tell if the iPad is charging
This is one of the feature I ’d hop-skip for on my Apple Pencil 2 wishlist , but I imagined it would come with something like a tiny charge status light that you only visualize when you removed the chapiter . ( I had the AirPods in mind . ) That ’s not an option here , as the roof is no longer a thing .
alternatively , a little notification now pops up after you bond the Apple Pencil 2 to the side of the iPad Pro for file . You ’ll see the name of the gimmick along with the black electrical deadbolt and green ( or carmine ) battery life symbolisation you ’re credibly conversant with from the iPhone . It ’s a quick and extremely comprehended direction to check the battery without sacrifice the integrity of the Apple Pencil ’s design or adding too many steps in iOS 12 .
You can easily pair it to your iPad
Pairing your Apple Pencil with the iPad is now even easier with the new version . Simply let the Apple Pencil smack to the magnets on the side , and the style will now pair . That ’s not only dandy for apparatus , but it ’ll make using multiple iPads and Apple Pencils easy for the very few of us who use multiple poser on a regular foundation .
Apple will engrave it for free
This may not seem like a Brobdingnagian deal , but any time the Book “ free ” and “ Apple ” get mentioned in the same conviction counts as news to me . If you order your Apple Pencil 2 through Apple.com ( and only through there ) , Apple will allow you to scratch a few dustup of your choosing on your fancy new stylus for the miserable , low-down price ofnothing .
This is n’t entirely a new affair : After all , Apple has render the same military service for iPods and iPads for geezerhood .
C’m on , Apple . you’re able to be more originative than that .
