Apple is cunning; some could argue it’s just good business. Most of us (die-hard Apple fans) want to own the latest, coolest, shiniest gadgets. Apple knows this! To make sure we upgrade our iPad Pros, they made a new Apple Pencil that is not compatible with previous-generation iPad Pros, making us feel left out and irrelevant—even ancient!
The build
The Apple Pencil 2 is beautiful. It looks like a traditional pen. You can fool someone into thinking it is. It is lighter, shorter, and slightly thinner than the first-generation Apple Pencil. The matte finish makes it less slippery, which is a welcome improvement.
Charging
The new charging setup makes more sense. Wireless charging is so 21st century! The double-tap shortcut on the Apple Pencil 2 is great. I turned mine off, though; I am not yet comfortable using it. When writing, I fidget a lot with the stylus, unintentionally activating the double-tap shortcut.
The bad
Not everything about the Apple Pencil 2 is great, though. The flattened side is uncomfortable. The curve and flat combination doesn’t work for me. I am constantly turning the Apple Pencil 2 when writing, trying to find a comfortable position. When I do, it is short-lived. I’ve also found the Apple logo on the stylus distracting. It often gets caught in the corner of my eye.
I’ve been taught that continually charging a battery kills it. Knowing Apple, they probably designed the Apple Pencil 2 to constantly charge, so that I destroy my battery by the end of the year. That way, I would need to purchase a new Apple Pencil.
I could be wrong, but I’m not going to find out because I am keeping my Apple Pencil 2 and the iPad Pro 2018 separate. Until I purchase an Apple Pencil case, it stays in its box. It doesn’t take long to charge anyway, so I doubt I’ll have any trouble with my battery running out while taking notes. I think this always-charged Apple Pencil mantra is a setup! I could just be paranoid.
