By celeburma_zirmxt
Image credit: Apple
Apple revealed plans to release a new, less expensive Apple Pencil with USB-C in early November.
All iPads with a USB-C port can use the new Apple Pencil (USB-C), which has many of the same features as the first and second generation Apple Pencils, though not all of them. The Apple Pencil (USB-C) has the following features: accurate drawing, minimal latency, tilt sensitivity, magnetic attachment to iPads, and the ability to “hover” on iPad Pros with M2 processors, according to a chart on Apple’s website.
The addition of USB-C somewhat offsets the lack of several important features, such as pressure sensitivity, wireless pairing and charging, and the inability to double-tap the pencil to switch between tools.
The USB-C port of the Apple Pencil (USB-C) is accessible through a sliding cover at its end. Additionally, according to Apple, the new Pencil goes into sleep mode when connected to an iPad in order to save battery life.
Early in November, the Apple Pencil (USB-C) will be obtainable, with a starting price of $109. That places it far behind the $129 first-generation pencil and the $169 second-generation pencil.
One could argue that the new, less expensive Pencil adds to Apple’s already peculiar iPad and accessory offerings. I find it to be an almost perfect substitute for the original Apple Pencil, but Apple is sticking with the first generation for the time being. Pressure sensitivity and the USB-C port—the first-generation Pencil charges via Lightning—are the two primary differences between the two.