Apple's upcoming iPad Pro accessory, the Apple Pencil, will now ship with an adapter that will allow it to charge using a standard Lightning cable, reports 9to5Mac. The Apple Pencil, which has a Lightning connector on the end for charging, was originally designed to charge by plugging into the bottom of the iPad Pro.
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With the adapter, which will fit over the Apple Pencil's Lightning connector, it will also be able to charge using a regular Lightning cable. This will expand the number of ways the Apple Pencil can be charged and it will alleviate concerns about potential damage to the Apple Pencil from being knocked or bent while plugged into an iPad Pro.
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The iPad Pro appears to be on track for a launch in the first weeks of November. AppleCare employees and retail staff are currently receiving training on the new larger-screened tablet, with the training completion deadline set for November 6.
Apple's iPad Pro is the company's new flagship 12.9-inch tablet. It includes an A9X processor, 4GB RAM, and according to Apple, is as fast as many desktop class machines. Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model and goes up to $1,079 for a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
The Apple Pencil, which allows for pressure-sensitive drawing on the iPad Pro, is a standalone purchase that will be available for $99. Apple is also selling a Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, priced at $169.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Seriously?
Seriously. The process for charging the Apple Pencil this way is:1. Remove cap from Pencil. Make sure not to lose your cap.
2. Attach adapter to Cable.
3. Connect adapter to Pencil.
Most other products, both from Apple and other companies, generally have a single step:
1. Plug charging cable into product.
A few products (not Apple's) have an additional step:
1. Remove charging cover. Don't worry about keeping track though - it's attached.
2. Plug charging cable into product.
So yes, this is a seriously poorly thought out solution, involving 3-4x as much effort as most other charging solutions, and at least 2x as much effort as even poorly thought out solutions.
How is it known that Apple didn't always plan to include an adapter in the box?
What a poorly thought out solution. Who's bright idea was it to think the primary way we would desire to charge this is by plugging it into the lightning port of the iPad Pro? If Samsung or Microsoft included an "adapter" as a solution, MR members would be howling at their inept planning (or lack thereof).
I imagine the idea is to make it impossible to find yourself in a situation where you have a dead pencil. If you're in the park or on a train or anywhere, but haven't charged your pencil in a while, it's no problem. I don't think this adapter's a 'solution' for anything other than keeping the pencil permanently charged at a desk workstation, and Apple's never shied away from optional desk-based adapters.