Apple’s big announcement today wasn’t a new iPad, it was a new stylus for the iPad. rather than replacing either of the previous ones, this goes on sale alongside them, so there are now three Apple Pencils, and it’s going to be even more confusing for iPad owners looking to buy one for their tablet.
Largely following the design of the 2018 Pencil (complete with matte finish and flat side with magnetic attachment), the new stylus differs in the inclusion of a sliding cap which reveals the USB-C port for charging. Interestingly, Apple is not referring to the new device as a 3rd-gen model, but rather “the new Apple Pencil” or “Apple Pencil (USB-C),” perhaps because the company doesn’t want customers to think it’s more advanced than preceding models. This is the range as it now stands:
The newest Apple Pencil, then, is also the cheapest. It even manages to undercut the 1st-gen model, which is more than eight years old, has distinct design flaws, and is based on a connection standard that stopped being added to new iPads in 2022. The reason for this is the cut-down feature set on the new Apple Pencil, which sets it apart as a deliberately budget version of the product. It was rumored that Apple had a budget Pencil in the works, but the company was thought to have abandoned work on the project more than a year ago.
In most cases, the missing features are ones that were brought in with the 2nd-gen Pencil in 2018: the USB-C Pencil cannot pair and charge wirelessly, for example, even though it does attach to the companion iPad magnetically, it doesn’t offer the double-tap control method to switch tools, and you can’t get it engraved.
But the one feature where the USB-C Pencil falls behind even the first-gen Pencil is also its most notable omission. The new stylus doesn’t have pressure sensitivity, the feature whereby the other two models are able to alter the stroke laid down depending on how hard you press. This is what set the Apple Pencil apart from rival products, and it’s tempting to suggest that those who are interested in the new Pencil might do better to just buy a third-party stylus, which is likely to be cheaper still.
The new Apple Pencil will begin shipping in early November and is not yet available for preorder.