iPad Pro Pencil or not..?...

[MrMister111]

I got one with my first gen 12.9 and I don't use it often, but it is handy for writing from time to time... I did actually use it for work on occasion, taking notes during interviews and so forth - which could be useful in 11 with the image recognition and being able to then search notes, but I don't use it nearly as often as I could.


It is also useful for doing crosswords! There's something about filling them in by writing that's just much more enjoyable than typing them in... I don't know what it is. I'm also not an artist and don't use it to draw at all

Crosswords, now that's a good idea!

 

[an-other]

The Pen: It's a great way to engage students. It's literacy and vocabulary words. You can highlight different rhyme schemes and delete. I can't do that on my mac...

Apologies for unproductive sarcasm.

 

[TinaBelcher]

I'm not an artist but I enjoy drawing in my spare time. Also it's going to be amazing to highlight text with. No more finger-marking. I've got mine last week and hopefully I'll receive my iPad Pro tomorrow. I cannot wait to try it out. Even if you don't end up using it much, it's still something that should be experienced, at least in my opinion

 

[Chupa Chupa]

You don't "need it." Whether it could be of use to you only you can say. The App Store has a section of Pencil enabled apps. Take a look at those and see if they serve any uses for you. If you take notes it could be useful, if you like to draw, paint or doodle it's cool. If you edit PDFs and like the "old fashioned" way of marking up "paper" it's great. If none of that then it's likely not something you would get much use out of.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Well I just got a barely used (tried it once apparently and didn't like it) for $55 on Facebook marketplace. I'm charging it now (was completely dead) so I'll be able to comment later after I've tried it out on my 9.7 pro running iOS 11 beta.

 

[Kobra]

I have a pencil that I use extensively. Instead of typing with the onscreen keyboard I use the "Myscript Stylus". It's so much faster to write with the pencil than tapping the keyboard. For daily note taking I use "GoodNotes 4" and "MyScript Nebo". Nebo app is amazingly good at converting handwritten text to typed text which you then can "open in" word, e-mail or any other app. The "Readdle PDF Expert" and the "Readdle Scanner Pro" have in combination with GoodNotes finally made me completely paperless. Save the trees, get a Pencil

Also, without the pencil the iPad Pro would just be an expensive iPad Air...

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

So I've been playing with the pencil today. It definitely adds an extra element to the iPad experience. I can't draw at all, but I did have fun messing around with some doodles in the Linea app. Note taking/brainstorming could also be interesting because it allows you to have a completely free form experience that the keyboard lacks. In addition, it is actually kind of nice to just use the pencil to navigate around the iPad. I like it, but it's certainly not a must have. I'm going to try to keep using it as much as I can, but after the novelty wears off I could see myself just keeping it in the drawer. I think it's the type of accessory that you know if you need/want it.

Also, without the pencil the iPad Pro would just be an expensive iPad Air...

Since the iPad Air is a device that came out in 2013, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you just mean "non-pro iPad" thus the 2017 iPad would be the most accurate current comparison. Even giving you that, I couldn't disagree more. The pencil is just one minor (niche) aspect of the iPad Pro.

Other reasons to get an iPad Pro, besides the Pencil (in order of importance for my particular usage)
-Smart connector/keyboard
-Faster processor
-larger screen
-louder quad speakers
-better camera
-laminated display
-tru-tone display

I'm sure there are more differences, but those are the most important ones for me. Honestly the smart connector is really the differentiating factor for me.

 

[stzweb]

I use it almost all the time. If it's not to draw as it was the first purpose to buy it, i find the pencil really more precise than fingers just to clic at the right place, select text with the sliding highlight cursors, etc.

 

[baconcow]

I rarely touch the screen because of the Apple Pencil. It is an excellent stylus.

 

[craig1410]

I've had a pencil and Smart Keyboard since I got my 12.9" and use the pencil a lot.

I'm not an artist but I enjoy doodling and I also like being able to take handwritten notes, especially now that those notes are automatically OCRd and can be searched just as if they were typed. Obviously I primarily use the keyboard to input text but there is a not to commend about using handwritten notes during a meeting or phone call because you can get a better idea of the flow of conversation after the event with written notes than from a text document where you might tend to go back and forwards editing the document as you go. From written notes you can see more evidence of the progression from topic to topic with little sidebars etc.

Additionally, one of the most useful features, especially in iOS 11 is the ability to very easily annotate documents and screenshots. This is invaluable in my job as a web developer where I mark up UI designs or bug reports but my wife also uses it as a teacher to mark up student's work and she loves it for that purpose.

Lastly, the Apple Pencil is a big part of what makes an iPad Pro different to the non-Pro variants and it seems silly IMHO to spend so much on the device without spending that $50-$100 more to complete the functionality. You have already paid for the pencil technology inside the display so all you need now is to buy the key to unlock it. Worst case - you just resell the pencil for $50-$60 on eBay so the risk is minimal.