William Gallagher
AppleInsider has learned that code in the Japanese version of Apple's website reveals multiple mentions of an "Apple Pencil Pro," ahead of the expected release of a new model on May 7.
Apple's "Let Loose" event on May 7, 2024, is believed to concentrate on the new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, but even if only based on its logo, a new Apple Pencil is expected too. Now code in Apple's official site for Japan has revealed multiple mentions of the name "Apple Pencil Pro."
The mentions are all in the page source and developer views of the site. There are no publicly visible references yet.
It's previously been reported that the new Apple Pencil would gain extra features compared to the current high-end model, the Apple Pencil (second generation), which is now six years old. Those features were spotted in the code for the developer beta of iPadOS 17.5 and consist of a series of new gestures involving squeezing the Pencil.
If, as expected, the new Apple Pencil Pro becomes the top model in the range, it's not clear what will happen with the existing three models. The original Apple Pencil from 2015 is the only model that can work with iPads such as the iPad Air (third generation) and iPad mini (sixth generation).
Apple's "Let Loose" event will be streamed live at 7:00am Pacific, 10:00am Eastern.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
6 Comments
The Apple Pencil 2 CAN be used with an iPad mini 6th gen.
I am guessing maybe some sort of haptic feedback. Such as, as you write or draw on the glass surface, the feedback could mimic the sensation of a paper surface.
Meh … long & short press on the iPhone was here for like what 2-3 years before it got abandoned. I’m skeptical of the potential for this to work any better on a pencil. At the risk of bursting bubbles, the S pen functionality on Samsung tablets still runs circles around the Apple Pencil.
To be followed by the Pro Max? Longer, and the best Apple Pencil we have ever made ;)
They have to call it something.