The next version of the Apple Pencil may add new haptic features based on a newly granted patent (number 2020012358) for a “touch-based input for stylus.”
One: it could “wake up” or power down based on how it’s gripped. It could change, select, and/or display one or more settings for it or the iPad with which it’s being use. For example, the Apple Pencil’s touch sensor could detect gestures and transmit a signal to iPad to change, select, and/or display one or more settings that affect performance of the stylus and/or the external device. The setting can relate to a characteristic (e.g., color, size, width, thickness, shape, etc.) of a marking produced by use of the stylus with the external device.
The next gen Apple Pencil could respond to sliding or rolling movements by a users’s finger. The latter could be used for such tasks as zooming in and out of images or handwriting input.
Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “Touch-based input devices, such as a stylus, can receive tactile input from a user. The tactile input functions can be performed by a touch sensor, such as a capacitive sensing device. A touch sensor can be integrated into a stylus in a low profile form. Tactile input can be received at the user’s natural grip location. Furthermore, the stylus can effectively distinguish between tactile inputs from a user and disregard sustained tactile inputs that are provided while the user simply holds the stylus at the user’s natural grip location.”
