Apple Ditched Plan for $50 Apple Pencil With iPhone Support at the Last Minute, Claims Sketchy Rumor

Apple planned to introduce a new $49 Apple Pencil this year that was compatible with iPhones, but scrapped the plans at the last minute, claims a sketchy new rumor coming out of Asia.

apple pencil red
According to a Weibo post, shared on Twitter by DuanRui, Apple allegedly intended to release the new ‌Apple Pencil‌, codenamed "Maker" (or, more likely, "Marker") at its September 2022 event, and even went so far as to mass produce over one million units of the accessory, only to can its launch at the eleventh hour for unspecified reasons.

To cut costs, the device allegedly lacked pressure sensing technology or a rechargeable battery, and instead utilized an onboard chip to power the stylus through the iPad or iPhone screen, similar to how Samsung's S-Pen stylus works.

At $49, the unreleased ‌Apple Pencil‌ would have been significantly cheaper than the first-generation and second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ models, which are priced at $99 and $129, respectively.

Unfortunately, the source of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ rumor has no track record, so the claims need to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Furthermore, this isn't the first time we've heard rumors of an Apple Pencil being developed to work with iPhones, none of which have come to fruition.


Still, a battery-less ‌Apple Pencil‌ would pair well with the latest tenth-generation ‌iPad‌, which comes with a USB-C port and requires an ungainly $9 Lightning dongle to work with the first-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌. Again though, why Apple would kill plans for an accessory that had entered mass production is unclear.

If it really was a thing, and so many units were manufactured by Apple, then past history would suggest some units will eventually be leaked. Would you welcome an ‌Apple Pencil‌ for ‌iPhone‌? Let us know in the comments.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Popular Stories

Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
maxresdefault

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around nine months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
maxresdefault

Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

Tuesday January 13, 2026 7:52 pm PST by
Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to… Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner Tell more stories Provide...
fcp pcp iwork creator studio

Some Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive Every New Feature Without a Subscription

Tuesday January 13, 2026 10:50 am PST by
If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features. Apple said some "exciting new intelligent features and premium content" in Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription costs $12.99 per...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

mystery hill Avatar
41 months ago
$50 was the intended price for the case that holds the pencil.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JamonBull Avatar
41 months ago
A “sketchy” rumour indeed…
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akbarali.ch Avatar
41 months ago
Yes, there are times during conversation/discussion with peers I feel like if I had a pencil or something I would've drawn things to explain them better. I use my finger which is very bad for writing/drawing on such a small area.

And yes, Samsung made the write decision to include one with their phone. Its neat.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bmac89 Avatar
41 months ago
$50 Apple accessory… LOL yeah right! ?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
41 months ago
Sorry, don't believe this for a second.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HeavenDynamic Avatar
41 months ago

Again though, why Apple would kill plans for an accessory that had entered mass production is unclear.


Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)