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Next-generation Apple Pencil might have interchangeable magnetic tips

Apple Pencil

It’s been five years since Apple introduced Apple Pencil 2 for the iPad, which brought a new design that’s more comfortable to hold and recharges magnetically. Rumors about a new Apple Pencil are pretty vague at this point, but the X user known as “Majin Bu” is now claiming that there will be a new version of the accessory with “interchangeable magnetic tips.”

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Procreate teases ‘Dreams’ iPad animation app with ‘powerful tools that anyone can use’

Procreate Dreams ap

Procreate, pioneer and leader in the iPad illustration space – and two-time Apple Design Award winner – has unveiled its newest app that aims to make it easy to “create rich 2D animations, expressive videos, and breathtaking stories.” Procreate says “Dreams” for iPad includes an “all-new drawing experience” and is launching in November. Check out the teaser video and more below for all the details.

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Astropad launches pen-on-paper upgrade for iPad with ‘Rock Paper Pencil’ combo kit

After previously launching its Magnetic Screen Protector for iPad that delivers a paper-like experience with Apple Pencil, Astropad is out today with a new product that offers an even more realistic pen-on-paper feeling for artists and notetakers. The Rock Paper Pencil kit includes Astropad’s newest magnetic screen protector along with two ballpoint-style Apple Pencil tips.

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Are cheaper Apple Pencil alternatives worth it? [Video]

The Apple Pencil 2 is coming up on five years since it was released alongside the redesigned 2018 iPad Pro. It is still the best version of a digital pencil that Apple sells. Since its release, it has remained relatively unchanged. It is physically identical to when it came out, it has received two tiny software updates since iPadOS 13, and Apple still sells it for $119 ($10 less than the original $129 price). This has allowed 3rd party competition to get very good and catch up to the functionality of the Apple Pencil at a fraction of the cost. So that begs the question, are cheaper Apple Pencil alternatives worth it?

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Apple Pencil problem occurring with replacement iPad screens

Apple Pencil problem on iPad | Jagged lines shown

iPad owners who had the screen replaced by a third-party service center are reporting that an Apple Pencil problem occurs afterward – and it appears to be a deliberate move on Apple’s part.

To be clear, the issue isn’t limited to aftermarket displays: It happens when a genuine Apple screen is pulled from one iPad and fitted to an identical model …

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Feature request: Expand Optimized Battery Charging to the Apple Pencil

Optimized Battery Charging Apple Pencil

Back in 2019, Apple introduced a new feature to iPhones, as part of iOS 13: Optimized Battery Charging. This is intended to protect iPhone batteries from unnecessary charge levels, in order to prolong their life.

The same feature subsequently came to AirPodsApple Watch, and the Mac. But one Apple product doesn’t yet have it, and that’s the Apple Pencil

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Review: Astropad Magnetic Screen Protector for iPad offers a wonderful and removable paper-like experience

Astropad Magnetic Screen Protector iPad paper-like

After delivering great software experiences with Astropad Studio and Luna Display for years, Astropad has launched several curated hardware products designed specifically for creatives. Two of those we’ve been testing out are the new Magnetic Screen Protector that brings a paper texture feel to iPad with Apple Pencil plus the Compact Easel.

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Procreate team praises Apple Pencil Hover feature on new iPad Pro: ‘It’s hard to go back’

Procreate team praises Apple Pencil Hover feature on new iPad Pro: 'it’s hard to go back'

Apple in October introduced a new generation iPad Pro that features the M2 chip. However, M2 iPad Pro also comes with a new exclusive feature named “Apple Pencil Hover,” which enables a new experience when the accessory is hovering over the screen. For the team behind the popular app Procreate, “it’s hard to go back” after using Apple Pencil Hover on the new iPad Pro.

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How to enhance Apple Pencil (first-gen) with a standard pen clip for carrying and stabilizing

Update to this article from 2015 for 2022: This story was originally published a month after the original Apple Pencil was released in 2015. Three years later, Apple redesigned the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Apple Pencil 2 was less slippery, paired and charged magnetically, and generally just better in every way possible.

Fast-forward from 2018 to 2022, Apple introduced the 10th-gen iPad as an affordable option with the modern design. However, this new iPad bravely enters the market with support for the original Apple Pencil and not the second-gen version. Also it requires a dongle to pair. Anyway, this odd turn of events suddenly makes this tip from seven years ago relevant again. Enjoy this reopened time capsule.


Apple Pencil is a terrific digital stylus that transforms iPad Pro into a highly capable electronic sketch pad and notebook, but it’s dead simple design potentially leaves something to be desired for some users. For example, its cylindrical-shaped symmetrical body lacks a basic pen clip for attaching it to your shirt pocket or elsewhere, which makes it look prettier and simpler but means it easily rolls down inclines and can’t attach to cases or pockets. Apple has weighted it internally to sit in place on a flat surface cleverly with the Apple Pencil marking facing upward, but it’s still no match for a slight slant and where exactly are you supposed to put it?

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Apple patent describes more Apple Pencil gestures, and even a camera [U]

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Update: Apple has today extended this patent with additional claims, which Patently Apple suggests is intended to better protect the invention. This doesn’t necessarily make it more likely that Apple will implement additional gestures, but it seemed a plausible possibility at the time, and the update certainly indicates continued interest by the company.

There could be more Apple Pencil gestures in store for future generations of the company’s iPad stylus. We saw the first of these in the second-generation device, in the form of a double-tap to quickly access tools …

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iPad mini 6 extended-use review – There’s no substitute for portability [Video]

OLED iPad mini

I’ve been using Apple’s dramatically redesigned iPad mini for about two months now, and my biggest takeaway is that it’s a great device for reading and note taking. But as you’ll see in my iPad mini 6 extended-use review, it’s not without compromise.

Although the 2021 iPad mini isn’t without its flaws, its strengths – namely, portability and pound-for-pound capability – have made it an integral part of my workflow. Should you consider making it a part of your technology stack? Is it worth the $100 price increase over the outgoing model? Watch my hands-on video as I discuss the merits of Apple’s pint-sized tablet after some extended usage.

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