When I first saw this thing, I wasn't sure if it was old technology or new technology. Turns out, it's both.
Some Apple accessories, like their phone cases, are not really all that innovative. Others are truly game-changers. In my mind, there are two categories of Apple accessories: those that rely solely on brand recognition for sales and those that completely innovate the way we use technology. The Apple Pencil is the latter.
This isn't your grandpa's PalmPilot stylus. A stylus is nothing more than a pen-shaped piece of plastic with a pointed tip. They were popular before smart phones rose to prominence, but when Steve Jobs came out with the iPhone he considered the stylus to be obsolete. The improved touch-screen technology meant that your finger could function even better than a stylus.
When introducing iOS to the world, Jobs famously said, "who wants a stylus? You have to get em', put em' away. You lose them. Yuck." So why pay top dollar for what appears to be obsolete technology? Because this is not what it appears to be. This is not a stylus. Anything a traditional stylus can do, your finger can do too. But the Apple Pencil can do so much more.
Pairing with your iPad, the Pencil utilizes sophisticated internal pressure and tilt sensors to give you a truly authentic drawing experience. It will feel just like using a real pencil and sketchpad. Except unlike your paper drawings, these images can be saved, edited, and shared digitally. It's Apple's effort to harmonize our new digital tools with our ancient analog tools.
Before the Apple Pencil, graphic designers would have spent a lot more money buying a full personal computer set-up with a sketchpad and all the necessary software to do what you can do with this simple unsuspecting-looking device. This device shouldn't be looked at as an expensive stylus, but rather, an affordable, comprehensive graphic design tool.
Check out our online store for more information, or come by the store for a demonstration!
Apple Retail price (U.S.): $129 Compatibility: iPad Air (4th and 5th generation) iPad mini (6th generation) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th generation)
Apple Retail price (U.S.): $99 Compatibility: iPad (10th generation)1 iPad (6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th generation) iPad Air (3rd generation) iPad mini (5th generation) iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st, and 2nd generation) iPad Pro 10.5-inch and 9.7‑inch
