News JVTech This unexpected Apple project for the iPad is already in the works
While the iPad remains an obvious choice in the tablet market, Apple continues to try to innovate with this new technology which could arrive on the next iPads, or more precisely, on the next Apple stylus, the Apple Pencil .
A stylus that recognizes real-world colors and textures
If for some, the use of a computer is clearly superior to that of a tablet, the latter have undeniable advantages, starting with the stylus. The large touch surface is an ideal playground to show off your creativity or even your productivity. Apple has understood this and while there are tons of compatible styluses via third-party brands, a home version exists: the Apple Pencil.
It is beautiful, it is expensive, but it is very practical. In addition to having a flat side so that it does not roll and a magnetic charging system on the edge of the iPad, its responsiveness of only 9 ms makes it almost as satisfying as a real pencil. Apple does not want to stop there and continues to work on ways to improve their stylus, in particular with this patent discovered by the site Patently Apple.
Concretely, it would bea stylus capable of recognizing the colors placed very close to the tip to capture them and reproduce them in the iPad. For example, if you find a beautiful purple on a flower, all you have to do is put the tip of the Apple Pencil on it and the stylus will recognize the exact color. All that remains is to draw on the tablet with the newly discovered tonality.
To do this, the Pencil is equipped with, among other things, an ambient light sensor and a light emitter. But what is even more interesting is that the patent would also concern the capture of textures. Thus, we could reproduce rough, shiny, wavy effects… that we see around us. Crazy, right?
A patent does not mean that the feature(s) or product(s) will arrive soon, nor even if they will see the light of day. As Mac Rumors clarifies, Tim Cook and his gang had already filed a patent like this in 2020, and nothing has happened since. But it is a possibility that Apple is considering, and it would not displease the many graphic artists, designers and designers who use the iPad daily for their work or their leisure.
What’s next for the iPad stylus(s)?
Even though it is only a patent, let’s not forget that Apple is still keen on its Pencil, with the recent addition of a function on the iPad Pro allowing the user to hover the stylus over the tablet to get a preview of what color will apply and where exactly, in order to gain precision.
First generation behind, second generation ahead
With new features regularly added to the Apple Pencil, we tend to forget that we are talking about the second generation of the brand’s stylus. In effect, it’s 2023 and the first generation is still compatible (and only compatible) with the 2022 iPad, the most affordable version in the range. A somewhat strange decision, especially since this stylus from another time must be plugged into Lightning to recharge, while all iPads are now USB-C… As a reminder, the Apple Pencil is sold separately from the iPads.
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