One of the most popular styluses for Apple’s tablets is the Apple Pencil, which allows you to doodle, take notes, and simply navigate iPadOS on your tablet.
There have been two generations of the Apple Pencil for iPads since its first release in 2015, with the second generation device arriving in 2018 to operate with newer iPads.
The two iPad styluses have coexisted peacefully, but a single tweak in the latest iPad (2022) threatens to upend all of that harmony.
Apple Pencil problems
While the first iPad is a popular item, it is not without flaws. When it comes to charging, you have to remove the cap off the end of it and put it into your iPad’s Lightning Port.
Since the stylus had to be plugged in at an odd angle while doing this, there was a significant danger of tripping over the extended Pencil and damaging the charging connector.
One of those Apple design choices that has been criticised mercilessly like the wireless mouse with a plug on the bottom. Since the Apple Pencil 2 employs magnets to latch to the iPad’s top where it charges wirelessly, its popularity is understandable.
The rise of the Apple Pencil 2
Over time, more and more iPad models, including the Pro, Air, and in 2021, the Mini, have embraced the Apple Pencil 2.
Lightning ports are gradually disappearing from iPads. In 2020, the Air line would have lost the port, while in 2021, the Mini would have. There are now just entry-level models remaining.
There is no practical method to charge the original Apple Pencil, unless you are prepared to use numerous adapters and dongles that Apple has previously marketed. To accommodate the magnetic clip for charging the Apple Pencil 2, the switch to USB-C was followed by a redesign of the iPad.
A USB-C iPad (2022)
In 2022, Apple’s entry-level iPad might include a USB-C connector instead of Lightning, according to a new leak. Apple’s proprietary charging technology will no longer be used on the iPad, but iPhones will continue to utilise it.
In such case, the original Apple Pencil would be rendered obsolete. It would be unlikely that Apple would continue to produce new iPads that would be able to support it.
There’s no reason to keep the adapter around since Apple doesn’t sell previous-generation iPads, unlike iPhones. A seven-year-old stick would have no use for the corporation to produce any more of.
Even if third-party sellers still sell the old Apple Pencil, its days are bleak if the company switches to USB-C exclusively.
The future of the Apple Pencil 3
Apple has a history of phasing out products. New versions of its yearly goods are released every year, thus the original Apple Pencil has to be axed at some point.
It’s about time, too, since the stylus charging mechanism is so idiotic that it should never have gotten it beyond the drawing board.
If Apple does decide to discontinue the original Apple Pencil, it’d be a major deal.
In the event that Apple only has one stylus to produce, we would want to see an Apple Pencil 3. Apple’s second-generation stylus has clunky controls and fewer useful functions than Samsung’s S Pen. The company has plenty of room to enhance the device.
Apple Pencil competitors may take some of the attention if Apple were to lessen its pen presence. As it is, there are plenty of alternatives.
