8 Reasons You Don’t Need an Apple Pencil for Your iPad
Apple markets the Apple Pencil as a need for artists, creatives, and note-takers. And rightly so, as the Apple Pencil unlocks abilities you cannot achieve with your finger alone.
And while the Apple Pencil is invaluable to digital artists, does it really make sense for other creatives, note-takers, and the general public? Let’s check it out.
1. Scribble Isn’t Very Reliable
Handwriting recognition technology has gone a long way, especially with the iPad’s Scribble feature.Scribble lets you convert handwriting to text, so taking notes on your iPad is more natural. Your handwritten notes are automatically converted into characters on any text entry on the iPad.
However, it still isn’t perfect. Since the text is usually smaller than your handwriting, you typically fill the screen before starting the following line. This means you must stop writing and wait for the app to catch up, thus breaking your train of thought.
And if you’re in a lecture, you might need to write quickly and less optimally, making your handwriting less legible and difficult for Scribble to recognize.
2. You Have Poor Penmanship
Scribble might struggle to keep up with you if you don’t have excellent penmanship. And even though you might write clearly when relaxed, your legibility might drop when stressed. So, whether you’re trying to catch up on your professor’s lecture or are simply tired from writing several pages of notes, Scribble might make several mistakes.
Another advantage of just using your raw handwriting over Scribble to take notes is ambiguity. For example, say your lowercase script a, e, and u look similar. If you write, “He lives in a h(a/e/u)t,” since you’re unsure if you wrote hat or hut, you’ll automatically use context clues to determine the correct word. With that, you’ll know you meant “hut,” not “hat” in the sentence.
However, since Scribble converts your handwriting into text, there’s a chance that it’ll record that as “hat.” Since there’s no ambiguity in text, you might get confused—what did you mean by “He lives in a hat?” So, you’ll have to take a few more seconds to understand that there was a typo—it’s supposed to be “hut,” not “hat.”
Because of this, you’ll need to edit your document as you write with your Apple Pencil. But this is easier said than done.
3. It’s Hard to Edit Documents With an Apple Pencil
Apple has added nifty ways to edit with Scribble. For example, you can strike out a word several times to delete it, encircle a word to select it, and write between words to insert text. However, this is prone to errors.
For example, I used my active stylus to take notes several times, and editing on the go was difficult. Scribble deleted letters and words I didn’t mean to delete, and when I tried to insert text in a sentence, it would inadvertently insert it on another line instead.
Because of these issues, I just pulled up the on-screen keyboard and used it instead—it was much faster to work this way.
4. Typing (Even on the Screen) Is Faster
Beyond editing, typing is simply much faster. If you’re used to typing on a keyboard, you’re more likely quicker on it than writing with a pen and paper. This is true even with the on-screen keyboard in iPadOS.
And if you use a third-party keyboard app, like Microsoft Swiftkey, which lets you use features like Flow, you could type on the virtual keyboard even faster. Here’show to add and use a third-party keyboard on your iPadto type faster (instead of writing slower with an Apple Pencil).
Alternatively, you canget an iPad keyboard caseto type even faster. Although Apple’s keyboard cases are more expensive than an Apple Pencil, the productivity you gain from them is well worth the cost.
5. You Can Annotate PDFs and Images With Your Finger
While an iPad keyboard case is excellent for taking notes, the Apple Pencil will go beyond that. Even if you don’t use it for drawing or painting, the Apple Pencil is perfect for making highlights and markups on documents and images. you could also use it for precision controls when you’re video editing.
However, if you don’t do that often, the Apple Pencil’s exorbitant price probably isn’t worth it. After all, you can do all those things with your finger. And if you find that it’s challenging to find the correct text when marking with your index finger, you can zoom in on the screen to help you.
6. There Are Cheaper Alternatives
Yes, the Apple Pencil isn’t the only active stylus on the market. The Apple Pencil is still the best stylus for your iPad and the only one with pressure sensitivity. However, consider other third-party brands if you don’t need that feature.
There are othergreat Apple Pencil alternatives compatible with the iPad. So, if you don’t want to splurge $129 on the Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) or $99 for the Apple Pencil (1st Generation), these alternatives will work just as well.
Furthermore, some third-party active styluses also work with your iPhone. This allows you to use it on both devices, giving you more flexibility.
7. Your Favorite App Might Not Support the Apple Pencil
Whether you choose the Apple Pencil or a third-party active stylus, app compatibility can sometimes be a problem. After all, developers must incorporate Apple Pencil functionality into their apps to take advantage of its capabilities.
For example, the Kindle app does not let you highlight or make notes. So, to take notes and annotations, you should use one ofthe best apps for the Apple Pencilto ensure maximum compatibility.
8. You Won’t Use the Apple Pencil Often
Finally, consider how often you’ll use the Apple Pencil. If you’re a student on a budget and you rarely encounter scenarios where it will give you an advantage, then maybe you could spend it on othergreat iPad accessories for students.
But if you really need it (or want it), consider a third-party Apple Pencil alternative instead and save some money.
The Apple Pencil Isn’t Great for the Average Note-Taker
If you’re a digital artist or make many annotations, the Apple Pencil is the perfect tool for you. But outside of those applications, you might not find it as useful.
So, instead of getting an active stylus, spend your money on other apps, services, and accessories that will turn your iPad into a productivity powerhouse.
Here’s everything you need to get to take your iPad to the next level of productivity.
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