The Apple Pencil Pro Makes Scribbling and Doodling a True Delight

Jump ToNew FeaturesBackwards Compatibility This last Related ContentRelated ProductsCan This iPad Replace Your Laptop? CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishRelated ContentRelated ProductsCan This iPad Replace Your Laptop? CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishBarrel roll on apps like Freeform, Goodnotes, and Zinnia does more than offer a fun way to fool around with a highlighter. It makes writing notes with a stylus far more real. A fountain pen in FreeForm or Goodnotes looks more natural than it did on an older iPad. I tested it with the older 2nd-gen Apple Pencil and the new one, and while the feel was pretty much the same, the new gyroscope makes the process surprisingly fun. It’s incredibly accurate without any noticeable lag on the iPad Pro.AdvertisementI’m not an artist by any means, but I have taken the Pencil Pro into apps like Procreate and Procreate Dreams to see what the pencil brings to the party. It’s quite a lot, actually. In Procreate, you can use the shadow on the pencil to highlight different layers of your work. In Dreams, barrel roll lets you easily manipulate the orientation of objects scene, essentially like an easy-to-use keyframe generator.AdvertisementAs for the squeeze function, you’d be surprised how much time this saves in certain apps. If I want to quickly undo something or select a different pen tool, squeezing to bring up the menu and then hitting back is so easy I don’t think I’d want to return to the older style Pencils. There’s a small haptic motor in the bottom haft, but that’s only there to offer a bit of feedback for when you use the squeeze function.Then it has all the fixings, such as pressure and tilt sensitivity, but even the less pressing features are all welcome, such as Find My connectivity. We should also mention the updated “hover” feature that produces a shadow showing the current angle of your pen. Simply put, this is the best Apple Pencil, hands down. It also costs the same as the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, $129. You could also go for the $80 AdvertisementThe Apple Pencil Pro is not Backward-CompatiblePhoto: Kyle Barr / GizmodoAdvertisementI like this stylus so much; it makes it so annoying that I have to tell any folks interested in it that the stylus doesn’t work on older iPad models. For right now, the only iPads compatible with the stylus are the new Pro and Air. Apple said this is due to them reconfiguring the induction coil connectors on the latest iPad, but that’s a lame excuse. Sure, Apple wants to push its new iPads, but I can’t say there’s anything on the new tablets that warrants these restrictions.I’ve used the new iPad Pro for about a week now. That’s enough time for me to have my thoughts about the latest Apple tablet, and suffice it to say, I really like it, but I would like it a lot more if the device’s software was far better at multitasking to take advantage of the M4 chip. Tablets, even the most expensive kind such as Apple’s new iPad Pro, can feel merely like oversized phones, which is why accessories like the Magic Keyboard or some of the many third-party keyboard alternatives feel like a necessity.AdvertisementThere are plenty of styluses, many of which work with Apple tablets like the I don’t make a habit of jotting notes on electronic devices. I carry a journalism notebook around, along with some extra writer’s notebooks. I have a strange laundry list of loose thoughts that need to be scribbled down from time to time. I take joy in pens. I find myself digging through the .5s and .35s of a rare stationery store visit, but if I had the real dream, I’d have my own fountain pen, a bottle of ink, and actual calligraphy skills.AdvertisementThe Apple Pencil Pro has come the closest to making me consider an all-tablet lifestyle for notetaking. Nothing will beat the simple thrill of a Pilot G-2 gel pen on notebook paper, but I wouldn’t feel too ashamed to break out the iPad every now and again to dig into my chicken scratch. If this damn pen were backward compatible, I’d say go out and get it. Since it’s not, only those who really know they could make use of one of the new, more powerful iPads should consider the “Pro” stylus a kind of must-have.

Based on reporting by gizmodo.com.