Future Apple Pencils could work with Macs even if they don’t have touchscreens. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,613,666) for “content creation using electronic input device on non-electronic surfaces.”
In the patent data, Apple notes that styli have become popular input devices for touch-sensitive devices. In particular, use of an active stylus capable of generating stylus stimulation signals that can be sensed by the touch-sensitive device can improve the precision of stylus input.
However, such styli require a touch-sensitive surface in order to generate content. Apple wants the Apple Pencil to work with non-touch surfaces. That would suggest that the stylus could someday work with Mac laptops and desktops
(That said, the patent images do show mock-ups of laptops with a clearly designated touch screen. Perhaps Apple is investigating various scenarios for using the Apple Pencil with a Mac.
Here’s the summary of the invention: “Content can be using an input device without a touch-sensitive surface. In some examples, touch-down and lift-off on a non-touch-sensitive surface can be monitored by a force sensor of the input device. The position and/or motion of the input device can be tracked according to various methods including one or more of a motion and orientation sensor, a camera, or an electromagnetic- or sound-based triangulation scheme.
“The force data and position/motion data can be processed to generate content, including textual character input and three-dimensional objects. In some examples, the content can be generated based on tracking position and/or motion of the input device without requiring contact with a surface.”
