Apple Pencils

kah22

I’m starting to study a new language, needless to say there will be writing involved so I’m looking at the feasibility of using one of these pencils that write on tablets, mine is iPad Air 3rd generation. I do quite a bit of other writing as well.

A brief look around the internet tells me that the Apple Pencil 1 is what I need? Like all Apple products they come with a hefty price tag, we’re talking ballpark figure £85

What’s the alternative? I see alternatives described as stylus pens, am I correct in assuming this term covers all of these, including Apple pencils, types of pencils ?

I’d really appreciate your thoughts on these accessories. Is Apple worth it or is there a cheaper alternative if you really only intend to use it for writing?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Kevin

Neil_Jones

Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a notebook and pen from Ryman or something?

debitcardmayhem

As Neil said + then digitise them using the ipad camera

another_casualty

The most annoying thing is if you actually did buy one . Then ..software update renders it useless .

Sandtree

There are two types of pen out there... there is the basic kind that your ipad will just see as if it were your finger and then there are the electronic type like the Apple Pencil where your device knows the input is coming from another device and not your finger.

The former are dirt cheap, I've found they are rather imprecise and have a very strange feel to them when using... tips are normally fairly squishy. Because the device doesnt know what you are using you also have to be careful with false inputs coming from your hand resting on the screen etc.

The later is limited to Apple Pencil when it comes to iPad, as far as I am aware, and they are fairly pricy. The device however knows the pen is being used so ignores your hand resting on the screen. For drawing etc it brings in other functionality like pressure sensitivity and tilt but not convinced as useful for note taking (though some claim to use higher pressure for emphasis on certain notes). 2nd gen introduced tap to change tools so you could easily change between two colours for example but that wouldnt work with your ipad.

We have a 2nd gen pencil plus a paperlike screen cover and it does feel genuinely like writing/drawing on paper however the screencovers show their age after 9 months or so of use. Got ours as the Mrs does a lot of drawing and not convinced I'd have one otherwise but then never been a big fan of using them for note taking.

daivid

I have the 2nd generation pencil (which will not work with your iPad) as it is supposed to be an improvement on the 1st I would be reluctant to the buy the 1st. The writing experience leaves much to be desired, I can only assume its no better if not worse with the first. There are factors to consider though: the neatness of your writing is said to have a big effect and you can buy special films to cover the screen that are supposed to make drawing and writing better.
 

Sandtree

daivid said:

I have the 2nd generation pencil (which will not work with your iPad) as it is supposed to be an improvement on the 1st I would be reluctant to the buy the 1st. The writing experience leaves much to be desired, I can only assume its no better if not worse with the first. There are factors to consider though: the neatness of your writing is said to have a big effect and you can buy special films to cover the screen that are supposed to make drawing and writing better.
 

Are you using a writing to text/OCR type solution or just capturing images of your handwriting?

The changes in the 2nd gen were small when it comes to functionality other than charging... main one is the tap to change tool... the new form factor and matt finish is much nicer to use though