Apple scrapped a $49 Apple Pencil for iPhone, claims rumor
William Gallagher
A purported leak on Chinese social media site Weibo says Apple made a million of a new Apple Pencil, that could work with the iPhone — and scrapped all of them.
The Apple Pencil line up currently consists of $99 first generation edition, and the $129 second generation model. This new rumor, relayed from Weibo by regular leaker DuanRui, says that Apple came close to making a third model that would have cost $49.
At the Apple Event in September, Apple was originally going to release a new Apple Pencil code-named Maker, priced at about $49, with no pressure sensing and no battery needed, using a chip to power the stylus from the screen, similar to the Samsung S- Pen.1/2
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) November 24, 2022
In total, the rumor says that there was to be this new Apple Pencil, it would be the cheapest version by far, and it would work with the iPhone. That may be less a rumor, more a summary of Apple Pencil users' wishlists.
This "Maker" pen — surely "Marker" is more likely — also purportedly entered mass production before being cancelled after a million have been made. Perhaps Apple is more able than most firms to take that financial hit, but Apple is extremely strong on production control.
The rumor does not speculate on why Apple would have scrapped this device. But it does say that it was originally intended to be launched at the September "Far Out" event, alongside the iPhone 14 range.
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