If a newly filed patent by Apple (number 20190324561) ever comes to fruition, we could see an Apple Pencil with a built-in display and scanning capabilties. The patent filing is dubbed “stylus with display.”
It involves an Apple Pencil that sports an on-board display that indicates to a user a color that will be applied when operating the stylus with an external device such as an iPhone or iPad. The display on the Pencil can be positioned to provide an indication of the color.
For example, the display can be provided at or near a tip that is used to contact the external device. What’s more, the Pencil can provide an ability for the user to manually select a color, which can then be shown on the display of the Pencil and transmitted to an iPhone or iPad for application. The Pencil can also include the ability to scan a color from a physical object, with the color being shown on the display of the stylus and transmitted to the external device for application.
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
