At this presentation, Apple did not make any official comment on this matter. Marketing materials provided highlight the Apple Pencil Pro’s “new magnetic interface.” This is the interface that the Apple Pencil uses to charge, pair, and stay connected to your iPad.
But aside from the fact that Apple had to move its placement a bit to accommodate the iPad’s display-side camera, which is now used in landscape orientation, the interface’s specific “newness” ” details have not been disclosed.
The new interface doesn’t offer faster and more efficient charging, faster pairing, or improved magnetic safety. Physically, there is no difference from the existing system.
No “legitimate reason”
Apple Pencil is a stylus pen. It would be easy to make it backward compatible. For example, what’s the point if the “squeeze” action doesn’t work on older iPads? I don’t think it would be difficult to show that a particular new feature is not available on older devices.
Apple already does this with software updates. Certain new iOS features won’t work on older iPhones, even if the hardware still supports them.
That said, at least users who bought an Apple Pencil released a few years ago should be able to use the new model. There is no good reason why the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) is not compatible at all.
This Apple Pencil cannot be used with older iPads.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A possible reason could be the lack of processing power on older devices. However, given that the processing power of Apple’s proprietary chip “M2” installed in the 2022 model of iPad Pro is already unable to handle some of the new features of Apple Pencil, it does not give a good impression of the performance of M2. It’s not what it brings.
It’s just ridiculous. Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil (2nd generation), and Apple Pencil (USB-C) should at least work with all of Apple’s current models, even if certain features aren’t available. To begin with, this is incorrect since there are four options for Apple Pencil.
“It just works,” as Steve Jobs used to say, is the motto that applies to all Apple products. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Apple Pencil.
（Originally published on wired.comedited by Daisuke Takimoto)
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