Apple Pencil
How Apple’s superb stylus does the write thing
YOU WILL LEARN
How the Apple Pencil works and the main differences between the two generations
IT’S IMPORTANT TO
KNOW THAT NOT ALL iPADS
SUPPORT THE FIRST-GEN APPLE PENCIL
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN an ordinary pencil and an Apple Pencil is pretty clear. The former is for writing, drawing, and shading on paper; the latter, for writing, drawing, and shading on iPads. The Apple Pencil may look a lot like a normal pencil but there’s a lot of technology crammed into its compact case. Which is just as well, as it costs quite a bit more than a normal pencil does.
The first–generation Apple Pencil was launched in 2015 and is still on sale; the second–generation launched in late 2018. If you’re buying one, it’s important to know that not all iPads support the first– generation, or any generation. See below to check what works with what. The short version is that if your iPad has a USB–C connector, it only supports the second– generation Pencil.