Future Apple Pencils May Sample Real-World Colors And Textures

It's been nearly a decade since Apple first introduced the first generation Apple Pencil. A stylus designed to work with Apple's iPad Pro models, the "original" iPad Pencil was a simple product that featured two buttons. The Apple Pencil has multiple use cases, but is primarily used to write, draw, and annotate documents on the iPad. The introduction of the Apple Pencil has also spawned an entire library of apps built around this accessory. The Apple Pencil is notable for its precision and low latency, adding to its appeal.

Apple has periodically added features to the product since the first generation Apple Pencil launched in 2015. Three years later, in 2018, Apple launched the second generation Apple Pencil in 2018 — and hasn't updated the product since then. The second-gen model added support for new gestures and tap commands, while also gaining the ability to charge wirelessly. The latest Apple Pencil model supports wireless charging using iPad's Smart Connector, and can attach itself magnetically to the side of the iPad. It is also compatible with the newest iPad models, including the fourth generation iPad Pro and the fourth generation iPad Air.

While Apple is expected to launch the next-gen Apple Pencil in the future, we were largely in the dark about the new features expected to come with the new product. A recent report by Patently Apple gives us a glimpse of the new features that could make it to the next generation Apple Pencils.

Apple could be working on a feature that would let the next generation of the Apple Pencil sample colors from the real world. A groundbreaking feature if implemented, it would make life easier for graphic artists and designers who often need to work with real-world colors and incorporate those colors into their designs.

According to Patently Apple, the next-gen Apple Pencil could feature a color sensor attached to its tip to enable this feature. In addition to this, the product is also likely to feature a light emitter and a light detector that will be used to sample the texture of an object. The patent description gives readers a basic idea about how the light emitter works, and reveals that the light emitter uses adjustable light spectrum to make color-sensing measurements.

Before getting all-excited about this feature, keep in mind that the appearance of the color sensing feature in a patent document doesn't necessarily mean that Apple could bring the functionality to the Apple Pencil anytime soon. Additionally, this is not the first time Apple has filed a patent for a similar feature. According to MacRumors, Apple had first filed for a similar color sampling feature more than two years ago — in June 2020 — and the feature is yet to make it to the Apple Pencil.

However, given that Apple hasn't updated the Apple Pencil since 2018, there is a good chance that the product may get a fresh upgrade soon. Whether or not the company adds this color sampling feature to the next-gen Apple Pencil is something we will have to wait and see, but it would be a unique addition.