Apple Pencil with USB-C port officially announced
Apple has announced a new Apple Pencil that has a USB-C charging port. The new model is the most affordable stylus pen made by the company.
Apple Pencil with USB-C port announced
The new Apple Pencil has been designed for productivity and creativity, it works with the iPad 10th gen, and all iPads that have a USB-C port. Speaking of which, the stylus pen comes with a sliding cap, which you can move to access a USB-C port. The bluetooth accessory has a built-in magnet, which comes in handy as you can attach it to your iPad for storage, or to put the Pencil in sleep mode.
The Apple Pencils can be used to take notes, read, annotate content. It can also be used for marking up documents, collaborate on PDFs, and Apple will add support for AutoFill in PDF later this year. The stylus pen can come in handy for basic sketching and drawing in the Freeform app. The Apple Pencil works with the Messages app, the Lock Screen, Interactive Widgets and more. It could be a useful tool for students.
The Apple Pencil USB-C model weighs 0.72 ounce or 20.5 g. It measures 6.10 x 0.29 inches (155 x 7.5 mm). The new Apple Pencil has been priced at $79 in the U.S. $70 for Education), £79 in the U.K. and 95,00 € in Europe. The accessory will be available in early November. The new stylus pen is a bit more affordable than the 1st-gen Apple Pencil which costs $99, while the 2nd-gen model that carries a $129 price tag. Apple says that the USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter is available separately for $9, it is compatible with the Apple Pencil first-gen.
The Apple-Pencil USB-C model is compatible with the following iPad models: iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gen), iPad Air (4th and 5th gen), iPad mini 6th gen, iPad 10th gen. Apple Hover is supported with the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th gen) and iPad Pro 11-inch (4th gen).
What are the differences between the new Apple Pencil and the old ones?
The latest version of the Apple Pencil supports pixel-perfect precision for writing, sketching, and drawing. It also supports low latency for responsive usage, and tilt sensitivity for shading.
However, unlike the 1st and 2nd gen models, the new Apple Pencil does not support pressure sensitivity, so you can't use it for a proper drawing experience. The stylus pen is not capable of wireless charging, pairing, nor does it support double-tap to change between tools quickly.
A few reports had mentioned that Apple would announce a new iPad on Tuesday, but the Cupertino company launched a new stylus pen. That being said, the rumors were not completely wrong. Apple did announce a new iPad in China, except it is not a new model. It is just a refreshed version of the iPad 10th gen with an eSIM slot. It seems unlikely that Apple would launch a new iPad this year. If so, then 2023 would be the first year in the history of the tablet (since 2010), without an updated model of the iPad.