I'm getting a new iPad Pro, but not sure whether I would want the Pencil since I'm not an artist. Do non-artist types use the Pencil? If so, for what? Is the new Pencil worth the price for non-artists?
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 Non-Artists: Any other real world uses of the apple pencil? [MERGED]
- Thread starter farqueue
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I am an artist, so of course I am biased. But i would say yes, even for non artists, the apple pencil is very convenient. I use the apple pencil for non artistic things like taking notes on my ipad all the time. My sister who isn’t an artist got one, and she loves taking notes on her ipad now. Marking up her calender and things like that. I would also say that if you’re a student, it will really come in handy as well.
Are you a student or a note taker? If so, then yes. If not, then no.
Have you gone to the Apple Store and fooled around with one? If not, i would suggest you check it out. Get a feel for writing with the Apple pencil, see if you like it, and if it would be something you could see yourself using.
Are you a student or a note taker? If so, then yes. If not, then no.
Have you gone to the Apple Store and fooled around with one? If not, i would suggest you check it out. Get a feel for writing with the Apple pencil, see if you like it, and if it would be something you could see yourself using.
I'm not much of an artist, but do use it to doodle and use coloring books for relaxation as well as jot down shopping lists etc. that I can later retrieve on my phone. It came in handy today when my doctor's office returned a document to me via email that needed my signature. I just opened the PDF, signed it with the pencil, and mailed it back. It was very convenient. It's also nice to use in place of finger for touchscreen when using with keyboard.
Last edited:
Not an artist as well. I use the pencil to color some sketches I find in Internet in my leisure time.
I exclusively use the Pencil at work for note taking and brainstorming. I like it as I can have all of my notes in the iPad and not carry around heavy notebooks or lose single papers.
It's also quite useful for annotating pdf files. I quite often love to underline and highlight stuff that I read and with the pencil I can do this on the iPad itself.
I exclusively use the Pencil at work for note taking and brainstorming. I like it as I can have all of my notes in the iPad and not carry around heavy notebooks or lose single papers.
It's also quite useful for annotating pdf files. I quite often love to underline and highlight stuff that I read and with the pencil I can do this on the iPad itself.
Personally I don’t think so, you can get away with third-party stylus which is cheaper if you’re non-artist and just wanted to sign documents, etc. But I get it, it’s an interesting little apple product. If you got the money, why not... but I don’t think it will find much use if you’re not an artist/designer/photo-editor.
I use mine to draw, and I don’t use the pencil for anything else, when I do it’s because I’m drawing and I naturally use the pencil for everything else at that moment.
I use mine to draw, and I don’t use the pencil for anything else, when I do it’s because I’m drawing and I naturally use the pencil for everything else at that moment.
I'm also not an artist. But I do find myself journaling on the ipad pro. I can see myself making lists. And I do doodle here and there too. I also really enjoy using it as a cursor to navigate or scroll when going on websites or when using the kindle app.
Agree with so many of the comments here: I still use the first gen Apple Pencil frequently for medical forms and pdf mark up. Even if I wasn’t drawing, I’d still pick up an Apple Pencil with every iPad I purchase. Very useful.
I love the gen 2 pencil, I hope the 2019 iPad and/or iPad mini are compatible.
I love the gen 2 pencil, I hope the 2019 iPad and/or iPad mini are compatible.
[doublepost=1548171818][/doublepost]Yes get it.
Had the same question and my daughter convinced me.
Use it all the time for typing and navigating and drawing in notes.
Much better than a simple stylus.
In effect it completes the iPad.
Seeing these replies has made me more interested in getting a gen 1 styles for my 10.5 IPP. So lets say I’m interviewing a candidate and I wan’t to mark up their PDF resume, are there any additional features once the Apple Pencil is in the mix? For example, would it enable any more editing options? Or is it simply just a precise stylus in that case?
I got it, and I love it. Non-artists should get it, without question. It will change how you interact with the iPad in a very good way. Thanks for your comments!
Journaling, note-taking, marking up Acrobat and MS Office documents...I find myself using it all the time. It completely revolutionized how I use an iPad.
One use case I haven’t seen mentioned here for non-artists is music/video editing. It really comes in handy once you come to think of it as your mouse/trackpad in DAWs and video editors. I can get a lot more precision when adjusting my start and end points on the timeline with the Pencil than I could using my fingers.
And in a DAW, it’s great because I want the tactile feel of striking pads or keys when I’m actually making the music, but when it comes to fiddling with knobs and things, it’s nice to be able to get more precise without being forced to give up and move over to my Mac, where I’m more likely to get distracted from what I’m doing. It keeps my workflow going in BeatMaker 3 in a major way.
And in a DAW, it’s great because I want the tactile feel of striking pads or keys when I’m actually making the music, but when it comes to fiddling with knobs and things, it’s nice to be able to get more precise without being forced to give up and move over to my Mac, where I’m more likely to get distracted from what I’m doing. It keeps my workflow going in BeatMaker 3 in a major way.
If you mean artist in the drawing sense, I rarely ever draw but if you encompass other creative fields like photography, the Apple Pencil is an important part of my workflow. Making targeted corrections on photos with the Pencil is fantastic.
I also use it for note taking and for doodling when I’m brainstorming both alone and in meetings. Incidentally, AirPlay mirroring to a big screen turns the iPad + Pencil into a great white board substitute. Finally, the Pencil is a good way to annotate drawings and other documents. I’ve replaced my client contracts with digital versions. I hand the iPad and Pencil to the client to sign and then email them a copy on the spot.
I also use it for note taking and for doodling when I’m brainstorming both alone and in meetings. Incidentally, AirPlay mirroring to a big screen turns the iPad + Pencil into a great white board substitute. Finally, the Pencil is a good way to annotate drawings and other documents. I’ve replaced my client contracts with digital versions. I hand the iPad and Pencil to the client to sign and then email them a copy on the spot.