If you’re a writer and tablet owner, you probably know how difficult it is to use the pencil/pen dock on the newest iPad Pro models. This is one of the most frustrating things about the tablet, and especially the Pro models. The problem is that it is just too easy to damage the screen when using a stylus, especially if it touches your screen completely. That’s why Apple is reportedly working on a new dock design for the next iPad Pro models, which will be completely different from the current one.
Apple just unveiled the Apple Pencil, the company’s second ever stylus, and it looks like it has the potential to define the future of the iPad. The Apple Pencil is a stylus that connects to the new iPad Pro tablet via the iPad’s Lightning port, and provides a level of control not seen on any other iPad. In the long run, it might not be the apple pencil that defines the device as much as the iPad Pro itself.
It’s a period of tremendous upheaval at Apple, with the firm announcing new models, severing old connections, and introducing fresh design modifications to maintain its market-leading position in consumer electronics.
New MacBook laptop models using Apple’s exclusive Apple Silicon processors and completely new form factors were recently announced by the firm. Additionally, the aforementioned processors will be used in the new and redesigned Mac Mini models, replacing previous Intel-based versions and implying Apple’s termination of collaboration with Intel.
Another possible innovation is an upcoming design patent that depicts a MacBook with a new input device, the Apple Pencil.
The pictures accompanying the patent clearly show the Apple Pencil docked inside the keyboard, which may indicate that Touch Bar is being phased out in favor of Apple Pencil integration.
However, Apple may opt to retain the deceptively helpful Touch Bar on future MacBook Pro models, albeit in a smaller, more inconspicuous version.
Patent pictures, admittedly, are typically merely schematic renderings that only hint to how actual implementations could seem. They’re still a long way from a completed product, which may not even resemble the original ideas by the time it’s done. Some fan-made concept designs, on the other hand, took inspiration from the patent pictures and rearranged the elements.
The Apple Pencil, for example, might be docked in a space that replaces much of the Touch Bar, according to those ideas. In that scenario, Apple might shrink the Touch Bar to make it more compatible with the Apple Pencil.
Another possibility that won’t force Apple to abandon the Touch Bar is to place the Apple Pencil on the sides of future Mac models. This style is best shown by Samsung’s first Galaxy Chromebook, which was recently reduced in price by $300.
On the Galaxy Chromebook, the stylus (Samsung’s pen) is kept in a built-in silo. The Galaxy Chromebook stylus comes out when the built-in mechanical switch is activated, ready to use. Apple might use such a design, allowing the Touch Bar to remain where it belongs, removing the Function keys.
The Apple Pencil’s dual-use isn’t mentioned in the patent paperwork, but it’s a very likely possibility. It may be used to control the MacBook Pro’s display as well as the tiny Touch Bar. However, given that its claimed docking options remove the Touch Bar, via which users had access to Function keys in the first place, it might be used to replace the Function keys.
Apple would have to offer gestures or high-end lighting systems in order for this to happen. Because most of us utilize gestures on our smartphones, most people are already familiar with the former.
Apple is said to have included this option into the touchpad, allowing users to manage display settings, volume changes, and other features. The latter, on the other hand, is more in keeping with Apple’s reputation for cutting-edge design.
The Apple Pencil retainer would have a high-end lighting system, with the Pencil replacing the top F-key row. The Apple Pencil’s Function key symbols would be lighted, and the system would have full functioning.
All of the above is, of course, pure conjecture about the initial patent draft. By the time the next MacBook Pro is released, Apple may have changed or abandoned the design entirely.
So take these rumors and speculations with a grain of salt, since this isn’t the first time Apple has canceled a previously announced project, much alone one that is still in the works.
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