The problem is, if you want pressure sensitivity, you still only have the choice between the iPad 9 or 10 with the Pencil 1 or a significantly more expensive iPad Air/Pro (or the smaller mini) with Pencil 2. The new Pencil changes nothing there. It also means the Pencil 1 can’t be considered obsolete, creating a confusing lineup with the three Pencils. That’s just awkward.
It was already strange that the Pencil 1 and 2 weren’t mutually compatible, or at least in one direction. The fact that the new Pencil works both on iPads where previously only the Pencil 1 or the Pencil 2 worked, shows that this was at least partly an artificial restriction. And the new Pencil being restricted to USB-C iPads would likewise seem to be an artificial restriction.Yeah, I edited my post. However, I don’t see why the new Apple Pencil isn’t compatible... seems strange.
The problem is, if you want pressure sensitivity, you still only have the choice between the iPad 9 or 10 with the Pencil 1 or a significantly more expensive iPad Air/Pro (or the smaller mini) with Pencil 2. The new Pencil changes nothing there. It also means the Pencil 1 can’t be considered obsolete, creating a confusing lineup with the three Pencils. That’s just awkward.
I could see them dropping it from the regular iPad, but the Air and mini will likely retain compatibility wih the Pencil 2.I strongly suspect we’re moving to a position where pressure sensitivity is only available on the Pro models
Heck, we can go so far as to say this whole iPad saga is strange. No updates this year, 10th generation received the highly requested landscape camera hardware change (not the iPad Pros) and now this.It was already strange that the Pencil 1 and 2 weren’t mutually compatible, or at least in one direction. The fact that the new Pencil works on both iPads where previously only the Pencil 1 or the Pencil 2 worked, shows that this was at least partly an artificial restriction. And the new Pencil being restricted to USB-C iPads would likewise seem to be an artificial restriction.
They could have, but then there wouldn’t be an $80 Pencil option, as opposed to the current $100 Pencil 1. It’s basically $20 off for people who don’t need pressure sensitivity.This is such a consumer-hostile thing to do. I'm a diehard Apple sysadmin who can recite the lineup since about 1998, and this is confusing as hell.
How hard would it have been to have put a USB-C connector on the end of the 1st gen pencil and call it a damn day?
Obviously Pencil 2 only has wireless connection hardware so it can’t connect to older iPads—so do you mean Pencil 1 should have been able to connect to newer USBC iPads with an adapter? Or do you mean Pencil 2 should have had both wireless and Lightning hardware?It was already strange that the Pencil 1 and 2 weren’t mutually compatible, or at least in one direction.
The former, or for Pencils that were already paired using the same Apple ID, you wouldn’t need to re-pair them on a new device with that ID. Both Pencil 1 and 2 work with Bluetooth (they are listed in Settings under Bluetooth when connected), so it seems like it should have been possible to also make the Pencil 2 work with the older iPads.Obviously Pencil 2 only has wireless connection hardware so it can’t connect to older iPads—so do you mean Pencil 1 should have been able to connect to newer USBC iPads with an adapter? Or do you mean Pencil 2 should have had both wireless and Lightning hardware?
Yeah, I don't fully get this move either. It's both an improvement and a regression from the Apple 1st gen Pencil.I don’t get this move at all, what’s the point? Do we need an apple pencil SE tho?
The new USB-C Apple Pencil is now available for purchase
The new $79 model adds variety—and some confusion—to the Apple Pencil range.www.macworld.com
Choice is a good thing until it becomes overwhelming, contradictory, and confusing. The iPad line is hard enough to delineate without needing to also figure out which Apple Pencil to buy.
And one Pencil that works across all of them.It's time that Apple reduce their cluttered iPad line and reduce it to about 4 items:
- iPad Pro (2 sizes)
- iPad mini
- regular iPad (or call it iPad Air, whatever)
Apple sees long term, not just today. My guess is that Apple perceives future need and product positioning that we do not know enough to even speculate about.I don’t get this move at all, what’s the point? Do we need an apple pencil SE tho?
I can agree with that.And one Pencil that works across all of them.
I'm betting the drop production of one when they drop the other. Doesn't make financial sense to keep production tied up in the First Gen when the last device using it is out of production. If you need a replacement for one on your 8th/9th/10th iPad, there are plenty of resellers on Amazon with a stockpile. Apple doesn't need to keep producing them. As soon as they drop sales of the last Lightning port iPad, I bet the First Gen goes with it.I don't think they'll stop production for at least five years. Once the 9th gen iPad becomes "obsolete" in 2028 or thereabouts, we'll see the first gen Pencil cancelled.
I assume they're going to drop the original pencil soon. I get the benefit of a cheaper and more expensive option, but they should still be cross-compatible. People with a fancy iPad might still only want a cheap pencil, while people with cheaper iPads should be able to pay for if they want things like pressure sensitivity.I can agree with that.
But, I also see utility for having 2 pencils (but not 3): one that is more expensive, and another that is less expensive and has fewer functions.
I totally agree. It feels like nickle and dime-ing here when that shouldn't be.Realistically though, I still think the better option would be to just make one good pencil and make it as affordable as possible (and drop the price or upgrade it when it's five years old). There's not enough feature-differentiation to really justify the separation Apple is doing here.
This is just prioritising profit over the product and the user-experience. The new one isn't even that cheap, and the experience is still bad compared to 2nd-gen pencil, and it's arguably even worse than the 1st-gen.
Plastic Banana?Folks, this is all about Apple’s tutti-fruitti, phoney baloney, plastic banana, good time rock-n-roll PR need to say “ALL NEW” and “LOWER PRICE,” to get people to buy something more, so they can expand their profit per sale.
Pretty sure the eu mandate only applies to devices with a charging port so the gen 2 is exempt. Why not continue like that?Probably the EU mandate unless the Pencil is somehow exempt from needing to be USB-C. I'd bet they drop the First Gen as the new one is compatible with all USB-C iPads. Which the 9th Gen iPad is the last Lightning iPad, right?
We shall see, but I highly doubt Apple's going to not sell you a pencil for an iPad that was sold under 5 years ago.I'm betting the drop production of one when they drop the other. Doesn't make financial sense to keep production tied up in the First Gen when the last device using it is out of production. If you need a replacement for one on your 8th/9th/10th iPad, there are plenty of resellers on Amazon with a stockpile. Apple doesn't need to keep producing them. As soon as they drop sales of the last Lightning port iPad, I bet the First Gen goes with it.
I don’t get this move at all, what’s the point? Do we need an apple pencil SE tho?