New Apple Pencil's Hidden USB-C Port Demonstrated in Hands-On Video

Tech reporter Jake Krol today shared a brief hands-on video of the new Apple Pencil, which features a USB-C charging port hidden under a sliding cap. The video, shared on Instagram and TikTok, provides a first look at the sliding cap in action.

Apple Pencil USB C sliding cap feature
Priced at $79, the new Apple Pencil is a more affordable option compared to the first-generation and second-generation Apple Pencil models, which remain available for $99 and $129, respectively. It has a similar design as the second-generation Apple Pencil, but it charges with a USB-C cable instead of wirelessly.

The new Apple Pencil will be available to order in "early November," but a specific release date has yet to be announced by Apple. It is compatible with all iPad models equipped with a USB-C port, including the lower-end tenth-generation iPad.


Given its lower price, the new Apple Pencil lacks three key features compared to the second-generation model, including wireless charging, pressure sensitivity, and a double-tap gesture for switching between drawing tools. However, it does support the Apple Pencil hover feature with the latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
26 weeks ago
A fifteen second rapid-cut portrait mode video with unnecessary background music, from TikTok, reposted on Twitter. Thanks modern world, I hate it.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
26 weeks ago
"Demonstrated in hands-on video"?

It's literally a 15-second clip (with a few of those seconds of the footage repeated) ?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tagbert Avatar
26 weeks ago

Can't believe they launched a Pencil without pressure sensitivity. Bet a lot of people won't realize this omission before they've bought one.
Do you think that everyone who uses a pencil is doing sketches and illustrations? A lot of people use the pencil for notes, and simple drawings, and for tapping buttons and such. They don’t have a lot of need for pressure sensitivity.

Really this pencil is aimed at the iPad 10th gen that was released with USB-C so it couldn’t work well with the lightning pencil and without the magnetic mount and charging system of the Pencil 2. This gives those buyers of the cheap iPad a pencil to match. One might wish that Apple had done more with that 10th gen iPad to bring it fully into sync with the Pencil 2 but they didn’t and here we are.

The whole iPad line appears to be doing a slow motion migration from one design world to another but the pieces are slow moving and not all in sync. It makes for some odd pairings.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wokis Avatar
26 weeks ago
Can't believe they launched a Pencil without pressure sensitivity. Bet a lot of people won't realize this omission before they've bought one.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fortimir Avatar
26 weeks ago
The hate for this pencil is absurd. The issue is that they still sell the original Lightning one. No pressure sensitivity? 90% of users don't care or need it. MOST people use it for notes and similar tasks. And like, if you're someone who needs more, they have the one with pressure sensitivity. Having a $79 option is great. It's not like this is the only version that exists. Having an entry level one without pressure and a pro-level one with is just fine.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rychiar Avatar
26 weeks ago
"Cheaper" as we head into Black Friday and the pencil 2 goes on sale for $85 again like it has many times this year...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature 1

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
macbook pro purple february

Best Buy Introduces Record Low Prices on Apple's M3 MacBook Pro for Members

Thursday April 25, 2024 7:41 am PDT by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, this time focusing on the 14-inch version of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a...