I mainly use the iPad for browsing the web and movies and I barely play any games. Does any consumption user actually find the Pencil useful? I ask simply because I purchased a used iPad Pro bundle off eBay and found that I can reduce my cost by reselling the Pencil for around $40. There is a certain appeal that I got the Pencil for pennies on the dollar through the bundle but not sure if I'll be making "excuses" just to use it (like taking notes which I prefer doing with pen and paper).
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Pro Do any normal "consumption" users find the Pencil useful?
- Thread starter Kendo
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The Pencil can act as a stylus, so there is that for normal "consumption" use.
I use the pencil to mark up PDFs and other documents, but I also do serious work on my iPad beyond the web browsing and music stuff.
I use the pencil to mark up PDFs and other documents, but I also do serious work on my iPad beyond the web browsing and music stuff.
I do not. Bought one when I got my 10.5 and used it a couple of times and then not for months. Tried to charge it and it would not even pair after the battery was dead for months. Unless you are an artist or someone who needs a pencil, save your money.
Some here say they can select quicker with the pencil than using their finger. I will use my finger any day.
Being retired now, I am primarily a consumption user of my 10.5" iPad. I have the pencil and rarely use it, to no degree justifying the cost of it. I use it occasionally, probably more out of guilt for buying it than anything else. If I were to upgrade to the new iPads, I would not repeat the pencil purchase.
i drew and colorized on the ipad "non pro" for 6-9 hours yesterday without the pencil, just the index finger, if this helps
I don't typically use the pencil when I'm "consuming" media. However, if I'm taking notes in a meeting or at a seminar or studying...I go between the pencil and a bluetooth keyboard.
I use my pencil many times a day - for note taking, sketching, reviewing docs, planning etc. Wouldn't be without it; essential part of my work and thinking processes.
But it has no use case for web browsing or watching movies AFAICS. If your iPad is a reading/watching device only, the pencil won't do much for you.
But it has no use case for web browsing or watching movies AFAICS. If your iPad is a reading/watching device only, the pencil won't do much for you.
What apps do you use for planning? Sometimes I do prefer good old fashioned pen and paper so if the iPad and Apple Pencil can eliminate actual paper, I might just do all my notes on the iPad.
If you are an artist or take lengthy handwritten notes, the pencil is great. I am no artists. When I take meeting notes, I type a few bullets and sketch rudimentary diagrams to help me understand the issues. These diagrams are very simple (circles, boxes, arrows, symbols etc..), so I don’t need a $130 pencil. I can use a cheap slim capacitive stylus ($10) or my fat finger.
I also markup/annotate documents. But, I don’t need an Apple Pencil to do it, since my markups are usually just highlighting, strikeouts, etc.. A simple stylus or trusty finger work just fine for this stuff.
I also markup/annotate documents. But, I don’t need an Apple Pencil to do it, since my markups are usually just highlighting, strikeouts, etc.. A simple stylus or trusty finger work just fine for this stuff.
If all you will use it for is consumption, then sell it and pick up one of those $1 rubber-tipped styli. They actually work BETTER than the Pencil for navigation.
For comparison, I too am a pen and paper type of person. I bought the Pencil for my 1st gen 12.9 Pro thinking that with the larger screen canvas I'd use it for sketches and note taking. It turned out to be a little too big for that and only used it occasionally. But when I switched to the 2018 iPad, I really started to make heavy use of the Pencil. I use it all day for taking notes, brainstorming, project planning, and even a little sketching.
I think one reason i didn't use it so much with the 12.9 Pro is because that is near-letter sized whereas my paper notebooks/pads are "padfolio" size (1/2 letter size). This is why I'd love an iPad Mini that supports the Pencil.
Great thread. I want a pencil really bad. But I don't take notes and can't draw. I know it's something that would be played with for a week then stuck in a drawer somewhere. This thread just confirms that. Fun looking toy, but I just can't justify it.
I’m no artist, and my handwriting looks like gibberish, so it’s not for me. My wife bought me a pencil a couple years ago and I bet I haven’t used it 10 minutes. I use a CCIVV 5.6 inch mesh tip stylus from Amazon - that’s what works for me as a consumption user.
I really enjoy sketching and taking notes on my iPad Mini 4 even though it doesn't support the Pencil. I've found a way to have similar functionality that might be helpful for people who want to try writing/sketching but don't want to invest in the Apple Pencil.
I use the DotPen and an "art glove" made from an inexpensive white cotton glove. I don't cut off as much as the guy in the video does (I just cut off the thumb, index, and middle finger). The art glove provides "palm rejection" and the DotPen has a fine point that is usable in ALL apps. Other powered styli require that individual apps support their styli.
I use the DotPen and an "art glove" made from an inexpensive white cotton glove. I don't cut off as much as the guy in the video does (I just cut off the thumb, index, and middle finger). The art glove provides "palm rejection" and the DotPen has a fine point that is usable in ALL apps. Other powered styli require that individual apps support their styli.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
For me, if I have ASK yes, if I only have an onscreen keyboard, no.
[doublepost=1542302501][/doublepost]To add— I love the pencil, but I do use it for work— annotating PDFs and drawing on a whiteboard for my students. I really don’t use it for consumption. I mean, if it’s already in my hand, I do find it kind of nice to use during consumption for selecting text or whatever, but the vast majority of the timeI just use my finger.
I'm not the person you asked this to, but even Apple's Notes app now allows for really good pencil experience (or keyboard) in using it as a notebook. The best thing I find handy is you don't ever misplace the physical paper and I always have my iPad with me.
But to the question of what software to use, start out trying Apple Notes. If it works for you, great, it was free. If not, there are a lot of notebook apps out there and you'll get a lot of opinions and find a lot of opinions on which is best. I used to use Goodnotes a lot, my wife uses Apple Notes, but I have a need to markup PDFs and enjoy saving websites that I markup, and for this I started using LiquidText. And I use Microsoft's Onenote quite often.
As others have said, browsing and movies don't have a real need for the pencil. But even if you are not a photo retoucher, digital artist drawing with the pencil, college student taking copious handwritten notes (not everyone knows how to type, and sometimes typing is noisy), a business person using the pencil in meetings...sounds like just using it as a pen/paper notebook planner may work for you.
Since you'll have the pencil, try it out. At least with Apple Notes.
For work I put my meetings notes in OneNote. I like it because it's cross platform. I have a Windows computer and Android phone and I have OneNote installed on all of them. So I can access my notes from any of those devices (including even my work desktop computer).
It also depends on the notes you have to write. For example this week I am in a workshop where we are discussing architectural changes (I am leading Software Development team so that's specific to us) and we are doing lots of diagrams on the whiteboard. For this type of thing I prefer to take written down notes and to not use typing.
Honestly I don't miss the paper/pen feeling. I get similar experience with the iPad. Only it's easier to delete stuff and correct mistakes and to switch colors (I tend to use a lot of colors when I make handwritten notes).
Case scenario: Eating buffalo wings.
Fingers dirty, use pencil to navigate....
Fingers dirty, use pencil to navigate....
This, most definitely. The capacitive stylus even does the swipe from bottom to close as it works just like your finger (as expected).
Lots.
Apple notes for just scribbling page after page of thoughts - I like the endless canvas
Paper or Concepts for drawing diagrams and making connections - I like the shape conversion of paper and the sketch noting/vector capabilities of Concepts
Notability for lecture/conference notes
Everything ultimately gets stored/filed in Evernote.
Buy it from the Apple store and you can try it until early January and then return for a full refund if your suspicion is correct.