App update suggests Apple Pencil support coming to rumored 9.7" iPad Pro

A Thursday update to popular iPad drawing app Astropad Graphics Tablet suggests Apple's next-generation 9.7-inch iPad, rumored to launch as a "Pro" model next week, will bring support for Apple Pencil.

In the notes for Astropad's version 1.4 release, developer Astro HQ claims "Apple pencil support for new iPads (Spring 2016)," a curious addition considering Apple's pressure-sensing stylus only works with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Apple launched iPad Pro alongside Apple Pencil in November.

While not solid evidence that Apple's rumored 9.7-inch iPad revamp will sport Apple Pencil compatibility, the update lines up with recent rumblings claiming much the same. Apple often grants certain developers pre-launch access to top secret hardware, allowing them to code demo apps later used to tout key features in an onstage debut.

Apple Pencil is currently relegated to the massive 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which comes with specialized internal components like a sampling subsystem capable of boosting scan rates to 240Hz when connected to the stylus, a feature designed to negate perceivable input lag.

According to the most recent rumors Apple's next-gen 9.7-inch iPad will come with a Smart Connector for attaching powered accessories, a rear camera flash and quad speakers for stereo sound in both landscape and portrait viewing orientations.

Apple is widely expected to debut a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro alongside a next-generation 4-inch iPhone at a media event on March 21.

Aside from the Apple Pencil revelation, Astropad version 1.4 comes with various stability improvements.

7 Comments

dunks 1252 comments · 16 Years

About 8 years ago

I thought my iPad Air 2 was the perfect device, but this seems like a really solid set of upgrades.

phone-ui-guy 1018 comments · 18 Years

So an app developer posts something they probably know nothing about (except for whatever they have read on rumor sites) and gets free publicity for their app? Hmmm...

dreyfus2 1069 comments · 17 Years

phone-ui-guy said:

So an app developer posts something they probably know nothing about (except for whatever they have read on rumor sites) and gets free publicity for their app? Hmmm...

Um,no. If they were able to add this support using public APIs, the beta and the SDK they have access to obviously support it. Since the Astropad developers are former Apple engineers and Astropad is the poster app for Apple Pencil, this makes perfect sense. Just seems that Apple released it a few days too early.

dreyfus2 said:

phone-ui-guy said:

So an app developer posts something they probably know nothing about (except for whatever they have read on rumor sites) and gets free publicity for their app? Hmmm...

Um,no. If they were able to add this support using public APIs, the beta and the SDK they have access to obviously support it. Since the Astropad developers are former Apple engineers and Astropad is the poster app for Apple Pencil, this makes perfect sense. Just seems that Apple released it a few days too early.

This is information that would have really helped the article. Thanks! I figured if it was just APIs in the betas, we would have heard about it by now.