The new Apple Pencil Pro draws better and is harder to lose – Apple

Apple announced the third generation of the Apple Pencil During the Let Loose webinar, Find My functionality was added as well as new pen customization capabilities for various creative processes. It’s available to order now for $129 — the same price as the second-generation Apple Pencil — with new Apple Pencil Pro features that bring it closer to what you find in styluses meant for drawing tablets, like the gyroscopic “Barrel Roll” but also the ability to tap Pen to change program functions.

This is essentially the first upgrade to the Apple Pencil since the second-generation model was announced in 2018. Although the less expensive USB-C Apple Pencil was released last year and supports a wider range of iPad models than the Apple Pencil 2, However, it also left out some of the advanced features that the second generation model had, such as pressure sensitivity, but also changed the double-click design tool, making it less useful for processes like graphic design or 3D modeling.

The Apple Pencil Pro inherits these advanced features from its predecessor, along with new features, such as a light-press gesture that signals the base of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 to open a new palette for quickly switching between different tools, colors, and line thicknesses, but also haptic feedback, where the stylus pulsates slightly when Users tap or double-click on its tip.

A welcome upgrade is the addition of Find My functionality, for those nerds who tend to lose their pen. It’s easy to lose a thin, pencil-shaped device, and the cost of replacement is not insignificant, especially when — almost inevitably — the previous pen will appear on its own at some point, months later, after its owner has moved in first. – Down to find it.

App developers can also create their own interactions using the pen. Procreate CEO James Conda gave some examples, including brushes that “interact in completely new ways” thanks to the gyroscope function or using pressure to activate shortcuts to different programs. Gyroscope mode also allows animators to move and rotate objects simultaneously while recording their actions in Procreate Dreams.

The main downside here is compatibility, as the Apple Pencil Pro only pairs with the just-announced M2 iPad Air and M4 OLED iPad Pro models, so users with older devices won’t be able to upgrade their stylus. Meanwhile, while the Apple Pencil Pro offers better access to software shortcuts than its predecessors, professionals may find the styluses that come with tablets specifically designed for design work, like Wacom’s new Movink 13, more comfortable to use and have greater capabilities to adapt to their needs. the user.