Apple Pencil gets impressive updates with iPadOS

Posted:
in iPad edited June 2019
During WWDC, Apple announced iPadOS which not only grants a ton of new features to the iPad, but also gives the Apple Pencil a few new features and improvements. Let's dig into what's new.

Apple Pencil 2
Apple Pencil 2

The best stylus for any tablet

The second generation Apple Pencil is without a doubt the best stylus for any tablet in the market right now. When Apple introduced this second generation Pencil with these new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros it had a low 20ms latency, but with iPadOS, that latency has been slashed to just 9ms.

According to Apple, the Pencil feels more natural, and is now using even more advanced prediction algorithms and optimizations to reduce that latency.






To the naked eye, you won't really notice a huge difference. What you get, and perception of what you get will vary depending on your hardware, so if you're using the latest generation iPad Pro with ProMotion equipped with the second generation Apple Pencil, this will give you the best performance versus an iPad without ProMotion and using the first generation Pencil. All iPads and Apple Pencils will show improvement, though the best results are found in the newest generations.

An improved screenshot tool

New Full Screen Option on iPadOS
New Full Screen Option on iPadOS


With iPadOS you can also now swipe up from the bottom left or right corner of your iPad with Apple Pencil to take a quick screenshot and start marking up documents right away. Additionally, you can select full page if you're taking a screen shot of a website, for example. And, you can annotate, jot down notes, and save this as a PDF directly to the Files app which can then be relayed using the Share Sheet in iPadOS.

New screenshot tool on iPadOS
New screenshot tool on iPadOS

Notes & Dark Mode

Apple's dark mode extends across the operating system, and to the Notes app as well. There's now a redesigned tool palette that gives you quick access to tools, color palettes, shapes, object eraser, and a new pixel eraser for removing any part of a stroke.

Most of these features, including the new screenshot functionality, will also be available for first generation Apple Pencil users, as well as those using the Logitech Crayon.

Dark Mode on Notes App
Dark Mode on Notes App

These new improvements are welcomed

All of these new changes in iPadOS will make the iPad Pro a lot more useful come this fall when iPadOS is officially out for the public. With Sidecar in macOS and an iPad as your secondary display, and if you happen to have an iPad with Pencil support, you'll now be able to use your iPad in a lot of pro apps, like Final Cut Pro, Maya, and Adobe Illustrator just to name a few.

If you're curious about Sidecar, and how it works in macOS Catalina, we already gave you a detailed look at how this new feature works, so we won't rehash it here.

iPadOS on 11-inch iPad Pro
iPadOS on 11-inch iPad Pro


The Apple Pencil and Apple Pencil 2 are both available at Amazon for $94.99 and $129 respectively. For the best discounts on iPads, be sure to check out our iPad Price Guide.

Apple will be releasing iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS 10.15 Catalina, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13 later this fall as a free update.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    mrrmrr Posts: 69member
    I love the Apple Pencil on the iPad. Now please bring it to the iPhone !
    tmaylkruppSoliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 24
    You should insert a link to the Catalina/Sidecar story in the text. I missed that one :-0
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 24
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    You should insert a link to the Catalina/Sidecar story in the text. I missed that one :-0
    There's one in the sentence right underneath the headline "These new improvements are welcome"

    and here too: Sidecar in macOS
    cornchipchiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 24
    eacummeacumm Posts: 93member
    It appears that one cannot directly wright with the Apple Pencil directly in the email app, without having to do markup.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 24
    glee217glee217 Posts: 15member
    So what is the ONLY difference between the 1st gen pencil and the 2nd gen? Please pinpoint me to the source. thanks
    edited June 2019 williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 24
    wg45678wg45678 Posts: 47member
    Still like to see Newton-like support for handwriting capture and conversion anywhere the text input engine is used. Seems a waste of time to put my pencil down and start typing on the keyboard. Surely an update of that is possible given Ax performance (20 years later) compared to the StrongARM the Newton was based upon. I find myself missing that ability to take notes or make entries (and the Notes app does it behind the scenes but doesn't display it). Perhaps I'm one of the few. I know Notability and a few other apps do so (in non-real time) but I'd prefer to keep everything in Apple's apps and have that capability everywhere.
    edited June 2019 jeffharriswatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 24
    I’m still waiting for a stylus like my toshiba portege from the early 2000’s. It had a click button on the side that was programmable and when you flipped it around it erased. 

    Why cant Apple’s pencil have that nifty erase feature?
    williamlondoncaladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 24
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    I’m still waiting for a stylus like my toshiba portege from the early 2000’s. It had a click button on the side that was programmable and when you flipped it around it erased. 

    Why cant Apple’s pencil have that nifty erase feature?
    Huh? You can erase anything with a double tap on Pencil. No need to flip.
    jeffharrisredgeminipawilliamlondonStrangeDaysroundaboutnowlolliveruraharawatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 24
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,415member
    wg45678 said:
    Still like to see Newton-like support for handwriting capture and conversion anywhere the text input engine is used. Seems a waste of time to put my pencil down and start typing on the keyboard. Surely an update of that is possible given Ax performance (20 years later) compared to the StrongARM the Newton was based upon. I find myself missing that ability to take notes or make entries (and the Notes app does it behind the scenes but doesn't display it). Perhaps I'm one of the few. I know Notability and a few other apps do so (in non-real time) but I'd prefer to keep everything in Apple's apps and have that capability everywhere.
    Apple's Notes automatically reads your handswriting but unfortunately, it's done internally and you cannot convert them to text. It's there ready only for search.
    caladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 24
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    eacumm said:
    It appears that one cannot directly wright with the Apple Pencil directly in the email app, without having to do markup.
    Myscript used to make a stylus app  (Stylus) that worked via a special keyboard in any app. Seems it is no longer in the App Store. It still works if you had previously downloaded it.

    Edit: options are mazec ($$$) or penscript (free) that both seem to use the myscript engine (make sure they can’t access your data, why do they need that? Don’t give them your permission).  I can sort of understand that developers are loathe to invest in making handwriting keyboards as it is exactly the sort of thing that Apple will eventually get around to doing itself. In the meantime emojis!
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 11 of 24
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    Still no ability to use Apple Pencil 1 with the new iPads - fail.
    williamlondondemotricus
  • Reply 12 of 24
    glee217 said:
    So what is the ONLY difference between the 1st gen pencil and the 2nd gen? Please pinpoint me to the source. thanks
    How 'bout you look it up and report back with sources?  Thanks
    williamlondonStrangeDays
  • Reply 13 of 24
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    mrr said:
    I love the Apple Pencil on the iPad. Now please bring it to the iPhone !
    I wouldn't lose sleep over this...you'll probably never sleep again. 
  • Reply 14 of 24
    Useless Message PosterUseless Message Poster Posts: 11unconfirmed, member
    What nifty keyboard is highlighted in the pictures in this piece? Looks very nice!
  • Reply 15 of 24
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    MplsP said:
    Still no ability to use Apple Pencil 1 with the new iPads - fail.
    How would that work exactly, as there is no Lightning port on the new iPads to synchronize the original Apple Pencil?
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 16 of 24
    Nice, really looking forward to iOS13/iPadOS going public. The new screen shot mark-up feature will be super useful for me for quick mark-ups.

    edited June 2019
  • Reply 17 of 24
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    MplsP said:
    Still no ability to use Apple Pencil 1 with the new iPads - fail.
    How would that work exactly, as there is no Lightning port on the new iPads to synchronize the original Apple Pencil?
    A lightning - USB C dongle/cable would work fine. They already exist (and Apple loves dongles anyway, right?) It would not be as convenient as plopping the pencil on top of the iPad the way you can with the 2nd Gen pencil, but as you generally only need to sync it once it shouldn't be a big deal and it's a compromise to let you continue using your pencil with the newer iPads. You could either use a standard lightning cable or the lightning-USB C cable to charge. It would actually be less unwieldy than the 'digital lollipop' setup they originally had.
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 18 of 24
    Do you know if these improvements apply to the Logitech Crayon? Googling doesn't show any results
  • Reply 19 of 24
    peteopeteo Posts: 402member
    "If you're curious about Sidecar, and how it works in macOS Catalina, we already gave you a detailed look at how this new feature works, so we won't rehash it here."

    ??? Maybe a link to the detailed look would be a good idea Apple insider?
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 20 of 24
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    MplsP said:
    Still no ability to use Apple Pencil 1 with the new iPads - fail.
    Will never happen and is not a fail. The new ipad and pencil use different, better hardware. Unfortunately it isn’t backwards compatible. Happens. But not advancing and staying with the same older hardware because of backwards compatibility is a mistake.
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