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Pencil 1 and 2 have effectively been discontinued and are only there for compatibility with older models.

Going forward you have either Apple Pencil (with USB-C charging) that works on all models, or Pencil Pro (with wireless charging) that works with the Airs and Pros.

It's finally been tidied up.
 
Too confusing. Be careful when ordering it for Christmas and you accidentally order the wrong pencil for your brand new iPad. Lol. Apple used to be all about simplicity.
The Pencil 1 and 2 are mostly around for legacy devices. The Apple Pencil USB-C works with all models currently for sale. The Pro has more features and works with the Air and Pro.
 
Pencil 1 and 2 have effectively been discontinued and are only there for compatibility with older models.

Going forward you have either Apple Pencil (with USB-C charging) that works on all models, or Pencil Pro (with wireless charging) that works with the Airs and Pros.

It's finally been tidied up.
They still sell all 4 though, that's where it can be confusing for customers.
 
I believe that some of the commentators on this forum are exaggerating the issue. It's like going to a tire shop and complaining about the total number of tires available rather than reviewing the tires that fit your vehicle. People don't consider the entire lineup of iPads from the entry-level to a fully loaded iPad Pro. Regular users decide which iPad they want based on their budget and purpose. Afterward, if they'd like to purchase a pencil or keyboard, they purchase the one compatible with their device. Unlike Macrumors forum posters, they don't navel-gaze and compare the entire lineup and compatibility charts.
 
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They definitely purposely made the new iPads not compatible with Apple Pencil 2, because there's no way on a technical level they can't support it.
 
I just got the M2 iPad Pro at Christmas and the new pencil won't work with it but will work with the M2Air? WTF kind of a rip off is this....like Im gonna go spend 1500 on a new iPad just to get the new pencil? FU Apple and your constantly surprising greed.
 
New pencil pro with barrel rotation feature is a godsend for artists. I really can't wait to try that feature on a new iPad. ASFAIK the only thing previously came close to that - was Wacom's Art Pen (along with a ton of Wacom's bugs and quirks free of charge).

I assume the segmentation you're all upset about is probably related to that feature.
But let me assure you: anyone buying a new iPad Pro for any pro work will gladly upgrade to that new pencil.
iPad Air, on the other hand, supports both models, so what's the big deal?
 
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They still sell all 4 though, that's where it can be confusing for customers.

It's a bit like them selling lightning cables, that's for the old models. Going forward there are just two pencils, regular and Pro.

Go onto Apple.com and order an iPad, it gives you the option of the two Pencils only for the new iPads. Or one for the base model iPad. It's finally been tidied up.
 
This is so f’ing lame. I just preordered new iPad Air, assumed I could still use my relatively-new pencil 2. Such a mess, so confusing. And, if we are being honest, Apple’s pen technology is still far behind others. Wacom, of course, has had pressure-sensitive stylus’s forever that don’t need to be charged; I have some generic Chinese-made cintiq-ripoff I got from Amazon for $80 that has a battery-less pen and offers 8,000 levels of presssure, and it’s great. Meanwhile Apple has this mess.
I might cancel my preorder for this, my Pencil 2 is too new to just sell for a fraction of what I paid for it several months ago, just to replace it with basically the same thing that I can now squeeze? So stupid.
 
This is so f’ing lame. I just preordered new iPad Air, assumed I could still use my relatively-new pencil 2. Such a mess, so confusing. And, if we are being honest, Apple’s pen technology is still far behind others. Wacom, of course, has had pressure-sensitive stylus’s forever that don’t need to be charged; I have some generic Chinese-made cintiq-ripoff I got from Amazon for $80 that has a battery-less pen and offers 8,000 levels of presssure, and it’s great. Meanwhile Apple has this mess.
I might cancel my preorder for this, my Pencil 2 is too new to just sell for a fraction of what I paid for it several months ago, just to replace it with basically the same thing that I can now squeeze? So stupid.
Apple painted themselves into a design corner with the Pencil 2. It was obvious when the 10th-gen iPad came out that Apple would need to redesign the “pro” pencil to accommodate a landscape camera.
 
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Maaann. I legit wish my 4th gen 13" Pro and accompanying pencil needed replacing. That way I could justify upgrading. I am so excited to try out the new pencil.
 
They definitely purposely made the new iPads not compatible with Apple Pencil 2, because there's no way on a technical level they can't support it.
They couldn’t accommodate a landscape camera in the new iPad Air/Pro without redesigning the pencil.
 
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The Pencil 1 and 2 are mostly around for legacy devices. The Apple Pencil USB-C works with all models currently for sale. The Pro has more features and works with the Air and Pro.
People need to stop talking about the Pencil USB-C as though it’s in the same category as the others. It has no pressure sensitivity, for most stylus users this is a no-go. Pencil 2 is for devices that, until an hour ago, were top of the line, not legacy. Not saying Apple can’t update their things, but to make it so new devices can’t use other devices from two years ago is pretty ridiculous, I doubt very seriously this is a hardware limitation.
If the newest Mac wasn’t compatible with any mouse except the newest one, people would be pissed.
 
People need to stop talking about the Pencil USB-C as though it’s in the same category as the others. It has no pressure sensitivity, for most stylus users this is a no-go. Pencil 2 is for devices that, until an hour ago, were top of the line, not legacy. Not saying Apple can’t update their things, but to make it so new devices can’t use other devices from two years ago is pretty ridiculous, I doubt very seriously this is a hardware limitation.
If the newest Mac wasn’t compatible with any mouse except the newest one, people would be pissed.

The Pencil 2 has been around for 5 years. It wasn’t designed in contemplation of a landscape camera. And as other have pointed out, there are third party styli that have additional features.
 
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Honestly, perfect timing for me at least. I’ve had my Apple Pencil 2nd Gen since day 1 in 2018 since my iPad Pro 12.9” 3rd Gen, so it’s going on 6 years and the battery is quite degraded by now and doesn’t last very long.
 
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