Is apple pencil suitable for other iPads? Review of the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro, who needs it and why

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For some reason, many thought that one of the key functions The iPad Pro comes with a stylus called Apple Pencil, although the company strongly emphasizes that this is not a stylus at all, but something else, for example, a pencil, as the name suggests. The reason for the dislike of the word “stylus” is clear. Founder of Apple Steve Jobs claimed that all management is on touch devices companies will be carried out by hand, and the stylus is a relic of the past. Steve Jobs is no more, which means that the current leaders of the company can release whatever they want, which is what they are doing. Nevertheless, you still have to give explanations for your ingenious discoveries, otherwise the crowd of fans will remain perplexed and do not know what to tell others about the next great invention. Jonathan Ive, who hasn’t come up with anything interesting or worthwhile in the last few years, in an interview with Wallpaper Magazine explained why and how the idea for the pencil came about, here is his direct speech: “We realized that there is a clearly defined group of people that can appreciate a tool that will allow them to draw or sketch, but not in the same way as drawing with their fingers. And I suspect it’s a large group of people.”

Almost five years after its release first note, the launch of this line from Samsung and the rise of its popularity, Apple suddenly saw that there was a niche in the market for those who loved to draw. And we decided to make our own product. There was no need to invent anything here, since all kinds of styluses for Apple tablets were produced by many companies, but they all suffered from one drawback - they were poke sticks, while other manufacturers created full-fledged devices input that responds to pressure, pen tilt and other “little things”. In particular, such devices include all styluses from Samsung, as well as the stylus for Microsoft Surface, which latest versions tablets are part of the standard supply. Once again, Apple is entering a market with its solution, where there are already analogues that have passed long haul in several generations. If Apple had not ignored other people’s experience, they could have created their own “pencil” completely different, and it would have been much more useful for iPad tablet users, but everything turned out differently, the story developed as usual.

Let's start with the fact that the Apple Pencil is an additional accessory, sold separately from the iPad Pro and positioned as an optional part of the tablet. This accessory is not for everyone, and the fact that it receives so much attention is solely due to the company's successful PR efforts. Every day there are more and more revelations from designers, user interface developers, as well as those who design cars, planes and ships, in which these people admit that before they did not have a life, and with the advent of the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil they for the first time had the opportunity work fully, and not as they did before. Of course, in this PR hubbub there are also adequate reviews, but they are often drowned in the delight of those who have never worked with a stylus and for whom the Apple Pencil is their first such experience.

Apple price Pencil in the USA costs 99 dollars excluding taxes, in Russia - 7,790 rubles, which makes this pencil, if not gold, then close to it. On the other hand, professional styluses from Wacom are not cheap, but they are a completely different class of product, and their consumers know exactly what they are paying for. This is not a mass-produced toy for bored people who want to depict something on their tablet screen. I doubt that professionals in graphics, design and the like will start using the Apple Pencil en masse, it all comes down to force of habit, but the main thing is the software that will be available to work with the pen. As for the software, everything is very sad so far, but more on that later.

So, we take the Pencil out of the box, open the cap at the top end and see the Lightning connector. The box shows how it needs to be inserted into the tablet to recharge.

Forgive me, but this is pornography in the literal and figurative sense. Apple engineers lost all their skills, as they created a visually ugly, bad and unreliable solution; in this position, it is not difficult to break off the connector. And they sincerely warn about this! Caring, crooked creators of the Apple Pencil, who quickly realized that their solution was not very good, and therefore added an adapter to the kit for charging the pencil from a computer or from the network. This is a small adapter, we plug it in on one side regular charging from iPhone/iPad, on the other hand - the pencil itself. Adapter! For the stylus! If Steve Jobs were alive, he would have had a very harsh conversation with Jonathan Ive, after which the latter would have rushed to fix and redo everything.

I didn’t dare post a photo of what it looks like when charging, I was afraid that we would be closed for pornography, so look at this moment in the video, everything is shown there. But I can say one thing, Apple engineers exceeded my worst assumptions, they made the pencil in the worst way possible. The same stylus on MS Surface does not require charging and works great with the built-in software. But more on that later.

Apple's pencil is glossy, and if your hands are wet, it starts to slip. No rough surfaces; a creative tool should be smooth and gliding, both on the surface and in human hands. Speaking seriously, it is clear that it is not for nothing that the majority of those who produce styluses do not make them smooth, but prefer a rough body. Let's guess why. Apparently, they value the ergonomics of a device above its appearance, but Apple does exactly the opposite.

From an ergonomic point of view, the Apple Pencil has another drawback - it does not attach to the iPad body. It is magnetized from the bottom, but the attractive force is not enough, so you won’t be able to wear it like that. You will have to carry it somewhere else, but not with the device. This is silly? In my opinion, this is damn stupid and short-sighted, and most importantly, inconvenient. But you can deny quite obvious things and say that this is correct and the only way it is necessary.

Now about the good and pleasant. The Apple Pencil only works with the iPad Pro; it cannot be connected to other tablets. The reason is that the company slightly changed the screen technology to support such a stylus. I don’t know whether it will be supported in other products, but it is justified only on large diagonals, on the same iPad Mini The pencil has little meaning.

We insert the pencil to charge, and immediately the iPad Pro offers us to synchronize the device via Bluetooth and connect it. We agree. In notifications you can find a widget that shows the charge level of your Apple Pencil. The company claims that a fully charged pencil will last about 12 hours, with 15 seconds giving you a runtime of 30 minutes. Full Apple charger Pencil from iPad will take about 45-50 minutes. In principle, this is a small problem; charging this stylus from time to time will not be difficult. When the battery level reaches a low level, a warning will appear.

Eat back side a medal that no one thinks about or pays attention to. iPad Pro uses more power when you use Apple Pencil. After half an hour of working on the screen, the battery loses 7-8 percent of its charge. For comparison, watching a movie at maximum brightness eats up 10% per hour. Feel the difference and differences.

Software - all the names are familiar

Apple's stylus understands up to 2048 degrees of pressure, as well as horizontal deviation. This means that by pressing it you can make lines thicker, and by tilting the pencil you can create shading. And in this way it resembles an ordinary pencil, which is very good.

But now is the time to talk about which programs support working with the Apple Pencil and how. With it you can move around the screen and select icons. And there are no problems here, everything works. Another thing is that creativity requires programs that can work with the Apple Pencil, and there are already more than a dozen such programs. For example, in standard notes you can write by hand, but your text will not be recognized; there is simply no such function in iOS9. This is the first disappointment, no handwriting or typing this way, this pencil is for creativity, not for boring handwritten notes.

I tried a dozen programs that were recommended to me App Store for a pencil, most of them already had stylus support, that is, the appearance of the Apple Pencil was not unexpected. For example, in Evernote it has long been possible to enter notes by hand; on the iPad you could draw with your finger, as, indeed, this can still be done now. It’s approximately the same in each of the programs; the Apple Pencil does not provide any special accuracy; you draw exactly the same as you drew before, with the same programs or similar input devices.

I conducted a small experiment and asked my colleague, who is interested in drawing, to try out the device and give her opinion. She enthusiastically began to draw from a photograph taken on one of her trips, but very quickly put her Apple Pencil aside and said the following: “I don’t really need it, here you can draw it all by hand in the program, some parts are probably more difficult.” than usual, but not fundamentally more difficult.” After chatting about this topic, I realized a simple thing: to draw, you don’t need a miracle device, you only need desire, and the choice of tool is secondary. The surface of the device cannot replace paper, its quality and other sensations, since it is not only the pencil, brush or paint that is important, it is how they interact with the paper and what result you get. In theory, it would be possible to emulate paper in software, but no one has done this yet.

All the software that I tried can be used with any stylus; the Apple device is extremely simple and does not have any special functions. Moreover, there is no integration into the operating system. And this puts an end to the most popular use cases that have emerged from the Note line in almost five years of its existence. For example, people often cut something out of pictures and send it by mail, adding annotations to such pictures. And on the same Note, this can be done in a matter of seconds, there is an option “write on the screen”, you instantly get a screenshot, which you decorate to the best of your ability. Or you can cut out a piece of a picture and simultaneously recognize the text on it, send both the picture and the text from it, in any language. But this is already such a high class that I won’t even talk about it, since Apple in this case looks like a poor relative. The key advantage of Note is deep integration stylus for everything you can do on your device. It was created not only and not so much for those who draw, but for everyone who wants to gain new opportunities, and the device provides these opportunities to the fullest. It is possible that they are not always needed, but sometimes they are necessary and very useful.

What's with the stylus integration on MS Surface? Exactly the same story, at Microsoft, oddly enough, they understand that the stylus itself is not important, it is necessary to integrate it into the system, for example, to make it possible to launch OneNote with one click, enter handwritten text or drawings, and recognize all this. If necessary, erase without resorting to additional movements and pressing the button on the stylus. And on the same Surface Pro 4, the stylus is attached magnetically to the body, it can be carried along with the device. It turns out that Microsoft's engineers are much better than those at Apple, where they were unable to implement the simplest function, although they themselves came up with a lot of chips with magnets during the time of Steve Jobs.

Also a slightly different level of software and binding of the stylus to the system. Why is this so? Probably the answer lies in what people think, why and why they do it, and to whom it might be important. They are working on use cases. At Apple, they don’t do this, but rest on their laurels. In fact, by copying other people's products, Apple brings nothing to them, and the implementation from an engineering point of view is the worst possible. Why is that? We relaxed, there is no owner inside the company who would monitor how everything should work.

I wonder how Apple release Pencil, many “leading world publications” discovered this topic and began writing about it. And it doesn’t matter that dozens of styluses existed before, and the software initially supported them, including on the iPad. It doesn't matter that the only advantage of the Apple Pencil in the small stylus market is the name of the manufacturer, and not anything else. The main thing is that the company was able to create a myth that time after time it produces successful products that are needed by millions. And it doesn’t matter at all that the same watch didn’t take off and Apple doesn’t say anything about it in terms of real numbers. It doesn't matter that the iPad Pro is a very niche device with an idea that was stolen from Samsung and Microsoft, with a little bit of each. And it’s not so important that no one thought to charge a hundred dollars for a stylus. On the other hand, you have to pay for stupidity. Apple believes that stupidity is worth a hundred dollars. And it's the right price.

As an additional comment, a review of the Apple Pencil from our UI/UX design reader.

This accessory, like a drop of water, reflects where the company is going and how its helmsmen have relaxed and rested on their laurels. Is not best product, which was released by Apple, however, over the past couple of years it’s difficult for me to name something that would attract attention. Copying other people's ideas, poor implementation, but for now Apple can afford it. But the credit of trust is a rather fragile thing, it can disappear.

We thank UP-house.ru for providing the Apple pencil.

Steve Jobs once said that styluses are a thing of the past. On our devices, the mastermind and creator claimed Apple, there will never be styluses. But Steve left. And the new managers decided not to listen to his opinion on this issue, based, by the way, on a unique instinct, thanks to which perhaps the most successful brand in the world was born.

In the fall of 2015, the apple giant presented, along with a new iPad tablet Pro accessory under called Apple Pencil. At the presentation, however, they assured that this was by no means a stylus, but handy tool for drawing and working, a niche product for our most creative fans. Well let's figure out whatWhat Apple Pencil really is, and it’s not for nothing that the successors of Jobs’s work disobeyed him.

It's not for nothing that the Apple Pencil was introduced along with the iPad Pro. This device became the pioneer of a new line of Apple “tablets”. The Pro was positioned as a tablet that could replace a work laptop. The gadget received a powerful processor, 4 gigabytes of RAM unprecedented for Apple devices, an almost 13-inch screen, as well as a special connector into which a removable keyboard could be connected. Thus, Pro has become, at a minimum, simple the perfect tool to demonstrate presentations and other materials to partners, while connecting a keyboard, it was possible to quickly make edits to the document.

But on the other hand, it was even more convenient, easier and faster to make changes using... Apple Pencil! Well, if we think in this vein (let's be honest - the above reasoning can hardly be called illogical), the release of an accessory that suspiciously resembles a stylus can be considered completely justified. And, perhaps, given the circumstances that caused the appearance of this product, even Steve Jobs would not be against his “birth”.

A real exclusive: Apple Pencil for iPad Pro

iOS gadgets have eternal compatibility problems, and this is no secret to anyone. However, Apple Pencil for iPad Pro has crossed the line. The company was not afraid to present an accessory that at the time of presentation was compatible with only one device in the line!

In fairness, however, it should be said that the reason for the “limitations” of the Apple Pencil was quite valid - in order for the stylus to be convenient, fast and functional, the iPad Pro screen had to be equipped with a number of new technologies. Well, you understand that it was not possible to add them to already released devices, thus making the field of application of the accessory wider. However, now the second Pro has already been released and it is promised that the third will be released soon, so little by little the field of application of the Pencil will expand...

Owners of Apple Pencil are unfamiliar with the pangs of creativity

...as well as the functionality of the accessory, which at the time of release could hardly be called impressive. However, while the functionality was being expanded, skeptics managed to write a bunch of negative reviews on new device from the Apple giant and talk about a lot of its much cooler analogues. However, today, when Pencil has found its niche and become more functional, there is no need to talk negatively about its abilities.

The accessory is most loved by users who often have to face the task of drawing something - in other words, designers, and the most different areas. You can make the first sketches of, say, a logo directly at a meeting with the customer; you can make edits, like “is it possible to make black blacker”, as they say, without leaving the cash register, without wasting time on a bunch of post-approvals.

Today there are quite a few applications for drawing, the most advanced of which at the moment is probably Procreate - its capabilities are appreciated by both designers and artists. However, you can make a simple sketch even in native app“Notes”, which with Apple Pencil turns into something like Paint, is available different colors and tools - marker, ruler, eraser, etc. The thickness and type of line can also be selected in the program, but (!) the same thickness can also be changed, as they say, with a slight movement of the hand - press the i-pencil lighter, the line will become thinner, show a little more diligence - the thickness will increase.

Another cool feature is drawing through paper. What does it mean? And the fact is that if you want to quickly redraw something from a sheet of paper, you can put it on the display and quickly trace it with an i-pencil - and voila - the drawing is already on the tablet screen! Of course, the sheet should not be too thick, but, for example, classic printing paper is quite suitable.

Or maybe a stylus?

Apple Pencil, however, is good not only as a drawing tool - it is suitable wherever, as Apple itself assures, additional precision may be required. To be honest, it is very convenient even if you use it as... yes, an ill-fated stylus. The last century is the last century, but on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro the stylus can often be more convenient than a finger. For example, your hand is tired of being suspended, and you still have a lot of work to do - you need to look through your mail - take an i-pencil and start working with it, and you can put your hand on the screen - special technology will allow the display not to respond to palm pressure if you use an Apple Pencil .

Now let’s imagine that you don’t just need to look at your email - let’s say you work as an editor and have received texts for editing. You don’t necessarily have to turn on your computer, open Word and use the special “Review” tool; it’s much faster and more convenient to make notes from the iPad, and you don’t even need to sit at the table, you can, for example, lie on the sofa. In general, there may not be as few scenarios for using the Apple Pencil as it seems at first glance.

Fast and long lasting

As we said above, everyone knows about the compatibility problems of iOS devices, but it’s also no secret that all Apple technology very fast and responsive, and she also has no problems with autonomy. All these “compliments” are relevant for the i-pencil - its response speed is amazing. It’s also easy and quick to create a Bluetiich pair between an iPad and an Apple Pencil - you need to connect the device to the connector and, when prompted, tap “Create a pair.”

You can charge the Apple Pencil either through the tablet itself or through an outlet, full charge occurs in about half an hour, after which the accessory can exist autonomously for up to 12 hours. In general, very decent. It's also nice that the charge level can be monitored through the notification center, and a notification appears when the charge level is low.

A few but...

However, no matter how fast and autonomous the Apple Pencil is and no matter how many possibilities it offers, there is no escaping its obvious shortcomings. Firstly, the Apple company’s engineers came up with a wildly strange charging mechanism - you need to remove the “cap” from the accessory and insert it into the Lightning connector of the tablet. It’s supposed to be convenient - they say you can charge it directly from the iPad, but in reality the design turns out to be wildly awkward and fragile - a very long “stick” sticks out of the tablet - one awkward movement and the connector will break.

Apparently, having realized the horror of the situation, when it was too late to fix something, it was decided to add a special adapter to the i-pencil kit - it is put on the accessory and is already attached to the adapter charging cable, which is inserted into the socket. Of course, you’re not afraid to break the connector here, but, you see, the “vegetable garden” turns out to be a notable one, it’s almost tempting to say that this would not have happened under Jobs.

Another obvious design disadvantage is the lack of a mechanism for attaching the Apple Pencil to the tablet - yes, it seems to be magnetic to the case, but it’s very flimsy, that is, you can magnetize it so that it doesn’t get lost on your desktop among papers, but it’s unlikely to be moved somewhere in this form If anyone makes up his mind, he will fall.

And finally, it should be noted that when working with iPad i-pencil Discharges very quickly - after half an hour of operation, 10 percent of the charge is lost.

A matter of taste

Also, many people attribute the disadvantages of the Apple Pencil to the fact that this accessory does not look at all Apple-like, they say, it lacks grace and soul. However, this, of course, is a matter of taste - one might say boring, or one might say organic. Besides, an artist shouldn’t be distracted, right?

Price issue

Stop. You didn’t think until now that the i-pencil comes completely free with the iPad Pro? No. Apple in this case would not be Apple. Of course, you have to pay quite a bit for the accessory - its official cost is $100. As before, the exchange rate still doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, but at the current price, it’s not a bit of a bite and it immediately seems that you can draw with your finger, whatever. The average cost of an Apple Pencil (MK0C2ZM/A) is now about 7,500 rubles.

Who needs it?

The question - “Who needs it for that kind of money?”, of course, is on the tip of the tongue, but here you need to remember that this is a niche product, whatever one may say, Apple does not hide this and does not say that it is absolutely necessary for any user. But, nevertheless, in this world there are quite a few people who will find this instrument a very successful acquisition. All these people can be divided into two groups: creative people - designers, artists, etc., and people on whose opinion a lot depends - editor, director - quickly making changes to the current project is worth a lot. As you can see, the niche is not so narrow.

Another question is, why don’t all these people buy a similar tool from another brand? Yes, we will not hide the fact that the Apple Pencil has quite a few competitors - some of them are cheaper, some are more expensive, some have more features, some have less. But, you need to understand that not a single stylus will work with the iPad Pro as smoothly and quickly as the Apple Pencil. Moreover, do not think that good styluses, which can be called worthy competitors of the Apple giant’s product, will cost much less.

The announced Apple Pencil for iPad Pro caused only bewilderment among some skeptical critics: how can you present a stylus to the public in 2015? However, Apple developers had their own views on the use of this device, which were then shared by everyone else. This short review all the features of the Apple Pencil will show that the new development from the guys from Silicon Valley is far from a stylus or even a pencil.

WITH using Apple Pencil and iPad Pro let you create amazing designs

A stylus is a stick that can be used to “poke” touch screen to control the interface. Steve Jobs warned against this a long time ago, stating that GUI must be adapted for “poking” with fingers. Apple Pencil, on the other hand, takes a different path - it is an extremely convenient interactive tool that has a wide range of capabilities and is not designed for just pressing virtual buttons on your iPad.

Response speed

The main feature that the creators prioritize. Yes, various tools have already been created that allow you to be creative in virtual space. But Apple’s “pencil” is capable of leaving a mark on paper, that is, on the screen, much faster.

Points that are recorded iPad display when working with Apple Pencil, twice as much as a finger touch. The contact is scanned at a huge frequency: 240 times per second. For any professional, the absence of delays will be very important.

Pressure regulation

Another proof that you cannot equate the stylus, finger and device for the iPad Pro. You can only lightly drag a “pencil” across the display: then the drawn line will be barely noticeable. You can do this with force: then you will see a thick stroke on the screen.

The sensors that determine the pressure applied, unlike the iPhone 6S/7, are located not in the iPad, but in the “pencil” itself. This makes it possible to apply a much wider variety of effects. The pen will draw exactly what you want to see.

Tilt matters

Sensors in the interactive pen and Multi-Touch display allow you to accurately determine your tilt. So the trace on the screen changes if you tilt your Apple Pencil slightly. Do shading: try going over Apple Pencil from different angles and get a different effect each time and, accordingly, a different pattern.

Rest as you feel comfortable

There is no need to be afraid to “scratch” your palm across the screen and ruin the drawing. After all, the iPad Pro will distinguish between hand touches and interactive pen touches. Professionals wear gloves when working with graphics tablets. Here, as you can see, this is not necessary.

Access to any creativity

Apple Pencil, for all its uniqueness, is a universal tool. Even if you are an ardent conservative, the device will surprise you. Whatever techniques you use for drawing, the “pencil” can easily reproduce them.

Many professional artists have tried this gadget and were very pleased with it. The resulting drawings were practically no different from those that were made traditional method on paper. And it allows you to try out even more features and effects of Apple Pencil for iPad Pro.

Working hours

The more prosaic characteristics of the device are also excellent. The Apple Pencil is charged using the Lightning connector, which is located at the tip of the device. To charge, you need to connect it to the iPad. Operating time is up to 12 hours. The developers also assure that 15 seconds of charging will be enough for 30 minutes of work. Yes, in practice a less impressive result is possible, but 12 hours is more than enough work.

How to connect Apple Pencil to iPad Pro? It connects to the iPad when Bluetooth assistance 4.0. The charge level is not displayed on the device itself, but when connected, a corresponding widget will appear on the tablet screen, which will show how many percent are left until the battery runs out.

A few more characteristics that make you love this device

Ease. Apple Pencil is made of white plastic. It is very comfortable to hold it in your hand also because it is quite light. At the same time, the low weight did not affect the hardness in any way, which is confirmed by various crash tests.
Minimalism. Everything here is Apple style: a small oblong box containing the device itself, several instructions, an additional tip and an adapter for a standard Lightning cable.
Dimensions. Apple Pencil is the same length as a regular pencil or pen. Therefore, you will have to get used to the new gadget much less.

Where can you use Apple Pencil?

Here are a few applications that will help you realize your creative potential to one degree or another:

Notes. Standard supports this device perfectly. Notes has several modes that let you draw with a pen, marker, or pencil. Of course, this application is not suitable for professional use, but it is quite suitable for entertainment and for sharpening your skills.
Procreate. This application has been specially adapted for new iPad Pro. There is also a mode for “pencil”. Procreate 3 will allow you to create much more valuable works of art than Notes.
Astropad Graphics Tablet. The program turns an iPad into a graphics tablet. With its help, when connected to a Mac, you can work with Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and other popular editors.
Paper. Paper from Fifty Three is already a full-fledged notepad, which is also fully adapted for the new device. With this application it will be very easy to do simple things, create graphs, charts, drawings, presentations and much more.
Adobe Comp. Several Adobe apps have been optimized specifically for the iPad Pro. In Adobe Comp you can work with various sketches, professional vector and raster graphics, easily create layouts and templates, and then import them into “big” Adobe programs: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign.

Who is Apple Pencil for?

Here it is worth facing the truth. At its price, which today is seven and a half thousand rubles (and if we add to this iPad cost Pro 12.9”), you don’t want to buy an Apple Pencil as a toy. The interactive pen will be used by professionals for whom this price in exchange for such high level the quality will not seem high. Few people can afford such a device for entertainment.

Apple has once again established a common standard that is gradually coming into use. Apple Pencil is not a stylus, but a highly precise and convenient tool. It’s only a matter of time before all the leaders in creative activity switch to it, and other companies start releasing something similar. And at the moment there are already enough a large number of analogues.

Personal experience after 48 hours of use.

What we have been waiting for for so long has come true. Apple released the iPad Pro, we wrote, and two weeks later the guys from Onlyphones.ru offered to plunge into the world of fine art and test all the capabilities of the Apple Pencil stylus.

What is the iPencil capable of, is it worth the trouble, and how does the owner of an iPad Pro who has an Apple Pencil get their hands on life? Let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the stylus.

Reason #1: no delays

For people who use the computer as a professional tool, the greatest enemy of all time remains delay. The sound engineer struggles to minimize the time it takes to convert sound from analog to digital; the designer wins back precious milliseconds by making the next stroke on the graphics tablet. Apple Pencil has no such shortcomings.

As soon as you touch the huge iPad screen Pro, it responds instantly to touch. The lines turn out clear and even, and the artist has the feeling that they are drawing on a slate board or a piece of parchment. Response speed This accessory has the highest praise, and the signal reading frequency reaches 240 times per second.

Reason #2: very sensitive

Despite its small size, comparable to the size of a regular ballpoint pen, the Apple Pencil is packed with all sorts of sensors that ensure its smooth and trouble-free operation. The stylus distinguishes not only pressing force(up to 2048 degrees), but also the angle of inclination.

By setting a slight tilt, you can quickly shade a fragment of the drawing, as when working with a regular pencil.

Reason #3: long lasting

Inside the Apple Pencil there is a miniature battery, the capacity of which is only 80 mAh. Despite such a small size, after fully charged stylus ready for 12 o'clock continuous operation.

Moreover, universal Charger for Apple Pencil at your fingertips. The gadget is equipped with a traditional Lightning port, and easy connection to the appropriate iPad port Pro for just 15 seconds will give the stylus 30 minutes of work. Full charging time is about 50 minutes.

For charging via a regular network, a miniature adapter is provided: an Apple Pencil is inserted on one side, and a Lightning cable on the other.

Reason #4: the palm is not the enemy

Even an experienced artist knows the consequences of touching a drawing with the palm of his hand to a drawing just drawn with a slate or charcoal pencil. This is the case when the hands that created the drawing can ruin it. Apple has provided for this too.

Despite the fact that, according to all the “laws of the genre” of capacitive screen technology, it must respond to the touch of a human hand, when working with the Apple Pencil, you can touch the screen with the edge of your palm, leaning on the tablet screen as if on a regular sheet of paper. The tablet will not go berserk from this action, and the clarity of the stylus will not deteriorate at all.

Reason #5: works through “obstacles”

Another interesting feature of the Apple Pencil is the ability to work through a sheet of paper. Let's assume that you want to copy as accurately as possible a fragment of an original drawing printed on paper.

To do this, just attach the sheet to the iPad Pro screen and trace all the required contours. The tablet counts all the touches of the stylus, despite the fact that between the screen and the tip of the pen there is an impromptu obstacle - a sheet of paper.

Reason #6: instead of a finger

The main purpose of the Apple Pencil is drawing. However, the stylus is compatible with almost all actions that you usually perform when touching the tablet with your fingers.

Open links, launch applications, scroll, interact with menu items, print (support for third party keyboards and keyboards that provide handwriting) – Apple Pencil can do it all. The limitations of the accessory include the inability to open the Notification Center, Control Center, switch to Slide Over mode, or Split View. More likely, this limitation is purely software in nature, but “Apple decided so.”

Reason #7: Application Support

For implementation indeed good product The ingenuity of engineers and the bright vision of a designer are not enough. Need software support. The number of apps compatible with the Apple Pencil is growing exponentially.

Already today the following are compatible with the Apple stylus: Pixelmator, Adobe Comp CC, Paper, Adobe Phoroshop Mix, Adobe Photoshop Fix, AutoCAD 360, Autodesk SketchBook, Evernote, Adobe Illustrator Draw, Canva and a number of other applications. The inclusion of stylus support by developers allows not only to optimize the interaction of the accessory with the interface, but also to enable support for iOS functions such as Split View.

A little about the sad

Ask any marketer and he will confidently answer that the “ideal product” does not exist. Apple Pencil was no exception, and the list of disadvantages of the “Apple pencil” looks something like this:

The stylus is compatible only and only with the iPad Pro. It will not work with other devices, including Apple products.
Unavailable multitasking. Apple Pencil does not allow you to switch to Split View and Slide Over modes - the main innovations of iOS 9. You can only make this transition using your finger.
No eraser. Users familiar with alternative styluses that work with capacitive screens, one of the advantages of this category of products is the presence of an eraser. Touch the screen with the other end of the stylus and activate the eraser mode. Apple Pencil doesn't have this option.
Apple Pencil does not support multi-touch gestures. However, not a single stylus can do this.

A skeptical user will probably take another Apple development among the “expensive and unnecessary toys.” A professional designer or artist, being a creative person, will think about purchasing an Apple Pencil, because the desire to experiment is the main engine of creativity. A fan of Apple products and a user who has been waiting for " large iPad", will take the stylus without a doubt.

Where to buy Apple Pencil? We suggest stopping at the online store Onlyphones.ru. Firstly, it is available today; secondly, among the impressive range of accessories for Apple devices, you will definitely want to buy “something else”.

Apple Pencil can be used not only for drawing, but also for full control operating system. However, there are tasks that are not under the power of iPad Pro.

You can open apps and links, scroll and navigate

Obviously, you can use the Apple Pencil to launch programs, follow links, scroll content, and navigate the system. This works in all applications, including those not adapted for the use of a stylus. In this case, you use the Apple Pencil in a similar way to your finger. The system recognizes long presses, so you can delete applications or open links in new tabs.

You can't open Action Center or Control Center

It is impossible to swipe from the top or bottom of the screen using the Apple Pencil. To access the relevant sections of the system, you must use your finger. It's just a matter of Apple solution rather than any technical limitations.

iOS 9 multitasking features are not available for Apple Pencil

The stylus cannot be used during a call Slide modes Over or Split View. Swiping on the right side of the screen does not bring any results.

if you have open application in Slide Over, you won't be able to remove it from the screen using the stylus. Apple Pencil will not allow you to control the call and position of windows in Split View mode.

You can type on the keyboard, enter your password on the lock screen, and bring up Spotlight

If you're used to typing with one finger, you can use the Apple Pencil when working with virtual keyboard iPad Pro while typing in Safari, Spotlight, search queries App Store and any other applications.

If you don't want to unlock your device with using Touch ID, then use the stylus to enter the password.

Third party keyboards work great with Apple Pencil

Regular apple keyboard offers not the best quick way input, so use third party solutions, supporting gesture control, can speed up typing.

The system does not respond to palm touch

Want to give your hand a rest while using Apple Pencil to scroll in Safari? This works great.

You can rest your hand on the iPad Pro display while navigating, typing, or taking handwritten notes. The Apple Pencil works great with apps that haven't received a special update to interact with the stylus.

You can charge your Apple Pencil using a Lightning cable

Despite the ability to charge the stylus battery directly from using iPad Pro, Apple Pencil can be charged via a standard Lightning cable using a special adapter from Apple.

You can draw through a piece of paper

If you place plain paper on top of the iPad Pro's screen, the display will recognize your pen movements. Depending on the thickness of the sheet, you can change the brightness level to view the resulting pattern. The display also does not respond to palm touches through the sheet.

You can't use the opposite end of the stylus as an eraser

Despite its name and the presence of a round cap, the Apple Pencil does not have sensors for working in eraser mode. Although instinctively you may try to erase the excess.

In adapted applications, to erase something, you must programmatically select the eraser mode.

You can't use multi-touch gestures (obviously)

There's no way to return to the home screen or switch to another app in iOS 9 using the Apple Pencil.

If you use gestures to control the system, you must use your fingers. Of course, a pencil cannot replace four or five fingers at once.

But if you want, then press the stylus on Home button to return to the home screen.

Apple Pencil won't work with other iPads or iPhones

This accessory was designed specifically for the iPad Pro and only works with Apple's new 12.9-inch tablet.

iPad Pro received a display with low level latency, thanks to reading the position of the pen 240 times per second. The device absolutely accurately recognizes the moments when the Apple Pencil or fingertip is used for control.

These technologies are not included in iPhone 6s or iPad Air 2. So you don't have to worry about buying a $100 Apple Pencil if you haven't splurged on an iPad Pro.