Apple recently unveiled a less expensive Apple Pencil with USB-C. The $79 iPad accessory has a cap that slides back to show the USB-C port. It can also magnetically attach to an iPad’s side edge, including the 10th-generation device that Apple unveiled just last year.
Because it costs less, the Pencil lacks some of the more sophisticated capabilities seen in first- and second-generation accessories. Pressure sensitivity, wireless pairing and charging, and the double-tap functionality that enables tool switching are not supported by the gadget. Hover is still supported with iPad Pro M2 devices, though.
The second-generation Apple Pencil charges wirelessly but isn’t compatible with the 10th-generation iPad that Apple released last year, leaving owners of that iPad with limited options if they wanted to use Apple’s fancy stylus. The first Apple Pencil model used a Lightning connector that protruded from it to plug into your iPad’s port for charging. The current state of iPad accessories is unclear.
The third to sixth generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the first to fourth generation 11-inch iPad Pro, the fourth and fifth generation iPad Air, the 10th generation iPad, and the sixth generation iPad Mini are all compatible with the USB-C Apple Pencil. Beginning in November, the USB-C Apple Pencil will be available.
In 2018, Apple unveiled the Apple Pencil 2, a follow-up to the original Apple Pencil. With features like wireless charging, the ability to magnetically attach to the side of supported iPads, a flat edge that prevented it from rolling off a table, and support for gesture controls for things like switching tools while using an app, it was a significant improvement over the original model. However, those upgrades came at a higher price of $129, which is a $30 premium over the original Apple Pencil.
Apple’s iPad improvements are long overdue. The 10th-generation iPad was released in October 2022, followed by iPad Pros with M2 CPUs in the same month, an iPad Air with an M1 chip in March 2022, and a revamped iPad Mini in September 2021.
