Apple Pencil w/2018 iPad Pro

[OddMacFan]

Hello,

I know that the new (2018) iPad Pros use the Gen 2 Apple Pencil and that the Gen 1 Pencil is not compatible. However, is this simply because of the lack of Lightning connector on the new iPPs? Has anyone attempted to use a USB-C to Lightning cable to pair the Gen 1 Apple Pencil?

 

[mofunk]

There are videos on youtube by Reviewers testing this and its a No can do. The Apple Pencil you think would work like a stylus or like other drawing tools but it doesn't. Apple has made it so that it only works with certain devices. I tried using the Apple pencil with an iPhone and it didn't work. so no

 

[OddMacFan]

I always assumed that part of the Pencil setup was a sensor system in the iPad itself, so I would not expect the Pencil to work with iPhones or non-supported iPads. However, it appears that the actual write/draw function of the Pencil 2 is the same as the Pencil 1, so I’d assume that the method of operation is the same, and the inability to use Pencil 1 on the new iPad Pros is due to an intentional software limitation.

Perhaps there’s more to it, but on the surface it doesn’t appear that way.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I always assumed that part of the Pencil setup was a sensor system in the iPad itself, so I would not expect the Pencil to work with iPhones or non-supported iPads. However, it appears that the actual write/draw function of the Pencil 2 is the same as the Pencil 1, so I’d assume that the method of operation is the same, and the inability to use Pencil 1 on the new iPad Pros is due to an intentional software limitation.

Perhaps there’s more to it, but on the surface it doesn’t appear that way.

I have actually accidentally had the Pencil 1 work on the new iPad... I have picked up the wrong one by mistake and had it work briefly before stopping. Sometimes solid lines, but more often a weird dot pattern.

 

[mofunk]

The whole thing reminds me of Apple iSight camera. It worked fine until Apple decided to put a camera inside the screen. Some were using the iSight camera to scan and take photos. Its easier to take a photo with products because you can move it around. It was bricked by Apple when they removed the firmware.

Apple bricks a product so that you can move to the next one. Maybe they know something about the 1st gen Pencil that we don't? Maybe the newer one is more cost effective? Or that it will work better with the newer iPads. I mentioned using the Pencil with other devices because Apple products have always had the capability of writing as far back as 2000s with Newton and with Write app on the Powerbooks. You could sign emails, write on screen etc.. I wonder if they will bring that back and allowing us to use the Pencil. Oh and on the right of the older MBP there is a magnet. Not sure about the newer ones..But Apple could put something there that would allow us to charge the Pencil. Just a thought.

 

[OddMacFan]

Apple bricks a product so that you can move to the next one. Maybe they know something about the 1st gen Pencil that we don't? Maybe the newer one is more cost effective? Or that it will work better with the newer iPads. I mentioned using the Pencil with other devices because Apple products have always had the capability of writing as far back as 2000s with Newton and with Write app on the Powerbooks. You could sign emails, write on screen etc.. I wonder if they will bring that back and allowing us to use the Pencil. Oh and on the right of the older MBP there is a magnet. Not sure about the newer ones..But Apple could put something there that would allow us to charge the Pencil. Just a thought.

My understanding of the Pencil setup is that there is sensor hardware in the iPads which support it. Obviously, this sensor hardware does not exist in iPhones or other Apple devices. If this is true, there would be no way for Apple to provide Pencil support on those devices.

I am not an artist, so I could probably get by without the Pencil. However, I find the Pencil to be occasionally helpful to substitute for the lack of mouse/trackpad support on the iPad, as it permits much more precise element selection and cursor control. A side benefit is that I can use it to annotate, illustrate, or sign documents as necessary, though I don’t do any of those things on a daily basis.

It would be nice to be able to re-use my Gen 1 Pencil with iPads in the future should I upgrade from my recently-purchased iPad 9.7 6th Gen. I really debated about getting the iPad Pro 10.5 due to the potential of additional longevity with the Gen 1 Pencil, but over the long term I don’t know that the extra 2GB RAM on the iPad Pro will materially extend its life. If I get a few years’ worth of use out of the Gen 1 Pencil, I will probably have recouped my investment.