All iPads Apple Pencil if not using the iPad for drawing or writing?

[jm31828]

I see that the Apple Pencil seems to be something everyone with an iPad is buying these days, and I almost got caught up in that as I have been deciding which iPad to buy here while multiple models are on sale.

The Apple Pencil 2 had been on sale for $89, and I was initially thinking it was a "must have" to go along with the new iPad that I will be getting (likely the Air 5th generation). But, as I think about it- I won't use the iPad for writing, and I don't draw- so the pencil would really be a replacement for my finger within photo editing apps like Lightroom or Pixelmator, and that would really be it.

Realistically, a basic soft tip stylus (not a smart pen/pencil, but a true, "dumb" stylus) would be all I would need for this, correct- with no need for the pencil? Or do those of you out there with the same use case as I do find that you actually do find good value in the Pencil?

Thanks!

 

[russell_314]

I bought the Apple Pencil just because it works with the iPad. It doesn’t get used. Unless you’re an artist or you think you’re going to become the next Van Gogh, perhaps just get a cheap stylus if you really think you need one. I use my fingers on the touch screen.

 

[jm31828]

I bought the Apple Pencil just because it works with the iPad. It doesn’t get used. Unless you’re an artist or you think you’re going to become the next Van Gogh, perhaps just get a cheap stylus if you really think you need one. I use my fingers on the touch screen.

haha Thanks! I am right where you were, I was going to order it 1) because it works with the iPad and it is advertised as being so necessary and 2), the $40 off sale really enticed me.

I agree though, in reality it makes no sense for me.... i think I'll just use that money for something else.

Thanks!

 

[Frankfurt]

Annotating and signing pdfs - my use case.

 

[Pakaku]

You're better off with any cheap pen if you don't need pressure sensitivity or tilt. Even if you did use all of the features, it's still a big investment. Just avoid anything that doesn't have a precision tip, that's the bare minimum IMO if you intend on interacting with any UI.

 

[jm31828]

Are the $25 knockoff pencils on Amazon pretty good? They have good reviews, those may be a good alternative I suppose.

 

[stanza.richi]

Annotating and signing pdfs - my use case.

+1. Must have to read and study books and pdfs.

 

[secretk]

Are the $25 knockoff pencils on Amazon pretty good? They have good reviews, those may be a good alternative I suppose.

I am not an artist (can't draw). I do color from time to time in Procreate but it happens once or twice in a year these days. I bought the pencil for digital note taking (no pile of papers, easy searching with OCR). I also use the pencil to annotate and highlight when reading.

Few things come to mind that separate the cheaper stylus from the Apple Pencil:

1. Charging method (plus for 2nd generation)
2. Pressure sensitivity
3. Palm rejection
4. Overall precision

As I am not artist pressure sensitivity does not matter to me that much. Palm rejection though is a huge deal when taking digital notes. Precision is also important for me. If I read a book and want to highlight/annotate something I do not want to waste time and redo it just because the stylus did not pick up the word/phrase I wanted. I want to focus on the book, not on the tool.

If you do not see an use case for you for that, then maybe try out cheap stylus.

 

[sunking101]

Unless you're an artist, student or you have sausage fingers with zero touchscreen accuracy (rare on a smartphone let alone a tablet) then you don't need an Apple pencil or any type of stylus.

 

[Digitalguy]

As long as the pencil uses the Logitech protocol it's more than fine, it will have everything the Apple pencil has except pressure sentivity, which is only really useful for drawing...
Just make sure that the pencil is only iPad compatible (not a passive one, which are pretty crap) and only works with iPads from 2018 on (= it has the logitech protocol).
I got one with USB C charging for $15 on Aliexpress (clone of the pencil 2)
If you want more (magnetic charging and pairing) you can get the Benks one for $40, that's the closest thing to the Apple pencil 2 (uses the logitech protocol too).

 

[FeliApple]

Yeah, I got the Apple Pencil because FOMO, and it lays unused. I hadn’t bought a Pencil with my 9.7-inch iPad Pro and always wondered whether it would be a nice thing to have. Well, I got my answer.

 

[jdb8167]

If you can get it at a $40 discount I would say it is probably worth it. It does depend on what you use your iPad for of course. If you ever do any kind of writing or annotation, the Apple Pencil 2 can't really be beat. I only use mine with my iPad mini a few times a month but even at full price when I bought it, I don't regret it. Interestingly, I use it more with my iPad mini than I did when I used an iPad Pro since the iPad Pro usually had a keyboard attached and the iPad mini never does.

 

[jm31828]

If you can get it at a $40 discount I would say it is probably worth it. It does depend on what you use your iPad for of course. If you ever do any kind of writing or annotation, the Apple Pencil 2 can't really be beat. I only use mine with my iPad mini a few times a month but even at full price when I bought it, I don't regret it. Interestingly, I use it more with my iPad mini than I did when I used an iPad Pro since the iPad Pro usually had a keyboard attached and the iPad mini never does.

Thanks!
I don't plan to do any writing/annotating, but will be doing some photo editing in Pixelmator or possibly Lightroom- so I could potentially see using it there for all of the different sliders and adjustments.

 

[jdb8167]

Thanks!
I don't plan to do any writing/annotating, but will be doing some photo editing in Pixelmator or possibly Lightroom- so I could potentially see using it there for all of the different sliders and adjustments.

I would say you probably shouldn't waste the money then. From my experience, it is easier to use your fingers than to reach for a stylus.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I am an engineer who annotates and marks up PDF plan drawings on an iPad. I have no artistic talent at all. I have used a Logitech Crayon with an iPad Mini 5th Generation since 2019 that uses the 1st generation Pencil. I have recently purchased an iPad Air 5, which uses a 2nd generation Pencil. The Crayon works equally well with both tablets, and has held up for over 3 years and counting, although I may buy a new Crayon with the USB-C connector for future use with the Air.

 

[jm31828]

I would say you probably shouldn't waste the money then. From my experience, it is easier to use your fingers than to reach for a stylus.

Thanks for that feedback!
As noted, it was $40 off, so it was $89.... still a lot of money to spend if I truly won't end up using it.
I may return it (haven't opened it yet anyway) and just use that money for something more useful. Thanks!

 

[jm31828]

I am an engineer who annotates and marks up PDF plan drawings on an iPad. I have no artistic talent at all. I have used a Logitech Crayon with an iPad Mini 5th Generation since 2019 that uses the 1st generation Pencil. I have recently purchased an iPad Air 5, which uses a 2nd generation Pencil. The Crayon works equally well with both tablets, and has held up for over 3 years and counting, although I may buy a new Crayon with the USB-C connector for future use with the Air.

Have you had to replace tips frequently on the Crayon, or do they really hold up a long time as well?

 

[Digitalguy]

If you can get it at a $40 discount I would say it is probably worth it. It does depend on what you use your iPad for of course. If you ever do any kind of writing or annotation, the Apple Pencil 2 can't really be beat. I only use mine with my iPad mini a few times a month but even at full price when I bought it, I don't regret it. Interestingly, I use it more with my iPad mini than I did when I used an iPad Pro since the iPad Pro usually had a keyboard attached and the iPad mini never does.

even at $90 if it's only for writing/annotation, a pencil 2 clone will do the job just as well for less than half the price

 

[jm31828]

even at $90 if it's only for writing/annotation, a pencil 2 clone will do the job just as well for less than half the price

Yeah, I just started looking at those on Amazon- seems that the ones in the $25 range have good ratings- I think that would be a much smarter buy, and I will be returning the Apple Pencil 2 that I had purchased.

Thanks to all here for the discussion! I could definitely afford to keep this, but one thing I HATE is wasting money on things that I find later I don't need, so I am glad that with your help I was able to come to my senses a bit.

 

[RoadWarrior56]

Have you had to replace tips frequently on the Crayon, or do they really hold up a long time as well?

I am still using the original tip. After 3.5 years, the time between charges is reduced, and I have lost the cover that went over the lighting input. But the device was relatively cheap, easy to use, and universal for ALL iPads that use any generation of Apple Pencil.

 

[culo77]

I jumped on that sale. I am still not finding a use for it in how I currently use the iPad. At the moment it is going down as a regret purchase.

It’s a great and amazingly integrated device. I may eventually find my use case for it. Hopefully someone on this thread will showcase their use that will click with me.

 

[JPack]

I see that the Apple Pencil seems to be something everyone with an iPad is buying these days, and I almost got caught up in that as I have been deciding which iPad to buy here while multiple models are on sale.

No, most people are not spending 20% of the cost of the iPad to buy a Pencil. Customers with Pencils are outliers.

Pencil only makes sense if you need the pressure sensitivity feature, i.e. for drawing. For note taking and annotations, the $20 generic pencils work very well.

 

[bondr006]

Are the $25 knockoff pencils on Amazon pretty good? They have good reviews, those may be a good alternative I suppose.

I have this one I got at Amazon as a backup to my Apple Pencil 2, and it is fantastic. It charges just like the Apple pencil by attaching magnetically to the iPad. Pretty much feels and operates just like the Apple pencil for much less.

Wireless Charging Stylus Pen for iPad ($32.99 - 4.5 out of 5 Stars - 254 Ratings)

Edit: Right now there is a 16% coupon you can add to it, bringing the price down to $27.71.

 

[papbot]

Yeah, I just started looking at those on Amazon- seems that the ones in the $25 range have good ratings- I think that would be a much smarter buy, and I will be returning the Apple Pencil 2 that I had purchased.

Thanks to all here for the discussion! I could definitely afford to keep this, but one thing I HATE is wasting money on things that I find later I don't need, so I am glad that with your help I was able to come to my senses a bit.

I find that my Apple Pencil 2 suffices quite nicely in place of a trackpad cursor. All I have to do is float the tip over links to see the actual link, or even a complete post here on Macrumors. This is on an M2 iPP with hover enabled. I do have a Magic Keyboard with a trackpad but on the occasions when I’m not using that the pencil adds even more utility than what the trackpad offers. I can also get videos to play within links or on YouTube just by hovering over them. I don’t use the pencil for drawing but as a device that offers similar utility to a trackpad and more than a standard stylus would I’ve become dependent on it.

 

[jm31828]

I find that my Apple Pencil 2 suffices quite nicely in place of a trackpad cursor. All I have to do is float the tip over links to see the actual link, or even a complete post here on Macrumors. This is on an M2 iPP with hover enabled. I do have a Magic Keyboard with a trackpad but on the occasions when I’m not using that the pencil adds even more utility than what the trackpad offers. I can also get videos to play within links or on YouTube just by hovering over them. I don’t use the pencil for drawing but as a device that offers similar utility to a trackpad and more than a standard stylus would I’ve become dependent on it.

Interesting use-case- thanks for sharing!!