Three Things to Know About the New Apple Pencil

Last week, Apple introduced a second-generation Apple Pencil that magnetically attaches to the new iPad Pro. It also features automatic pairing, wireless charging, tap to wake, double-tap to switch drawing tools, a more seamless design with no Lightning connector or cap, and a matte rather than glossy finish.

ipad pro apple pencil 2
As the new Apple Pencil begins to arrive to customers around the world, we've learned some additional details about the drawing tool:

  1. Unlike the original, the second-generation Apple Pencil does not include an extra tip in the box. Apple sells a four-pack of extra tips online and at many of its retail stores for $19 in the United States.

  2. The new Apple Pencil wirelessly charges when attached to the new iPad Pro, but it is not compatible with Qi-based wireless chargers. Not too much of a surprise there, but good to know.

  3. In a memo shared with its retail stores on Wednesday, seen by MacRumors, Apple said customers "may experience the new Apple Pencil as unresponsive after initial setup" and outlined steps to resolve this.

    First, pair the Apple Pencil to the iPad Pro. Once the iPad Pro has an internet connection, it will download an Apple Pencil firmware update and send it to the Apple Pencil via Bluetooth. The Apple Pencil will continue to work normally during the 10-minute transfer.

    The pairing update will begin the next time the Apple Pencil goes idle for 60 seconds, and will take roughly two minutes. The Apple Pencil will be non-responsive during this time. Once it resets, and the update is complete, it will start working normally again.

The new Apple Pencil is compatible with the latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. It retails for $129 in the United States with free custom laser engraving available exclusively for orders placed on Apple.com.

Apple has more details about the new Pencil on its website.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Popular Stories

2007 iPhone

Apple Discontinuing This 18-Year-Old iPhone Feature

Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone. Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched. The home button...
oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches Next Week

Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US. The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
m2 macbook air blue

M4 MacBook Air Release Continues to Appear Imminent

Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip. According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
sequoia

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:04 am PST by
Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple

Apple Increases Mac Trade-In Values for a Limited Time

Sunday February 9, 2025 3:53 pm PST by
Apple today increased its estimated trade-in values for select Mac models in the United States, with the full changes outlined below. Apple says the extra trade-in credit for select Macs is available with the purchase of an eligible new Apple device through April 2. The trade-in values increased by between $10 and $50. Model New Value Old Value MacBook Pro Up to $925 ...
Powerbeats Pro 2 Orange

Powerbeats Pro 2 Given to Customer Early, Expected to Debut Tomorrow

Monday February 10, 2025 7:42 am PST by
Apple's long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally expected to be announced this Tuesday. Ahead of time, one lucky Walmart customer was able to get their hands on the earbuds early, according to a since-deleted Reddit post over the weekend. A leaked image of the Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange "My local Walmart had them in the cage," the Reddit user explained. "I asked if I can buy them...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.1 With Bug Fixes

Monday February 10, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.1 comes two weeks after Apple released iOS 18.3. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 for those still running...

Top Rated Comments

Khedron Avatar
82 months ago
No extra tip. Just how stingy can Tim get.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
82 months ago
Real Apple fans will buy tuns of them, and stick them all over there refrigerator
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ctg7w6 Avatar
82 months ago
So you're thinking that Tim Cook was sitting at his desk thinking how he can boost net income beyond the current 80 billion a year, and his solution was to remove a 25 cent piece of plastic from a product that makes up .001% of Apple's revenue? Yeah that's probably it.
If it is 25 cents per tip and they sell 5 million pencils, that is 1.25 million dollars. Even if they sell one pencil, it is 250k saved. I don't know why you think Tim Cook the financial wizard doesn't think of these things. For instance, stopping giving dongles for head phones, requiring the purchase of dongles for USB-C. These things all add up to millions of dollars for Apple.

Obviously they DO think about things like the tip. First it was there, now it's not. Someone made both decisions. This is precisely why you are not a CFO... You clearly don't think of the things that make companies more profitable.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emulajavi Avatar
82 months ago
$129, another %30 price increase
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Khedron Avatar
82 months ago
So you're thinking that Tim Cook was sitting at his desk thinking how he can boost net income beyond the current 80 billion a year, and his solution was to remove a 25 cent piece of plastic from a product that makes up .001% of Apple's revenue? Yeah that's probably it.
Tim doesn't see it as removing 25 cents he sees it as getting customers to pay an extra $19

We've seen Apple remove extra tips, headphone adapters, SIM card tools... You think someone is going over Tim's head to force these changes?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
82 months ago
Still dislike that Apple will not let us use the original Apple Pencil on this iPad. Charging it is not a problem.



1. Buy an Apple Lightning to USB-C cable (I already had one)
2. Attach Lightning adapter that ships with the original Apple Pencil to that cable
3. Attach the pencil to cable and adapter.

On my 10.5 I can see that the pencil is actually able to charge when connected to the 11 via this method, so it’s clear that Apple is simply blocking it from pairing via BT.

Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)