Apple should update the Apple Pencil. I’ve been using it as of late and enjoy it with the iPad Pro, but it needs a few things to make it a lot more useful. Basically, we need to add an eraser, copy, paste, undo and redo to this thing. Here’s a simple demo of how it might work.
For copy we could add a swipe gesture. Single tap and then drag your finger upwards along the flat pencil edge. Then for cut, we could repeat that gesture twice, i.e., conveying: “I really want to get this selection off the page.” Then the reverse of copy for the paste gesture: single tap, and then push your finger downwards towards the pencil point.
For undo, a double tap and swipe up. For redo, double tap and push down.
For the eraser, Apple needs to cave and make the back of the pencil behave like an eraser so you can flip it around, and use the back end to erase. Maybe texture the back of the Apple Pencil a bit to feel different when you use it on an iPad. Perhaps this could also double as a broad brush in some apps. But the standard behavior should be an eraser just like in the real world.
Then leave single tap and double tap gestures as-is (to be application assignable).
I know this would make my work flow worlds more productive. What do you think? Register your votes or comments below, or better yet, vote in this Twitter poll we posted.
UPDATE: This article was updated changing the cut gesture from a triple click to doing the copy gesture twice instead.
Another good gesture would be “squeeze the pencil” would begin dictation and text can pour out from the pencil tip onto the page where you have the pencil.
Are You out of your freaking mind, John? Were you on the Apple Remote design team? I’d never be able to get this pencil you describe near the screen without it messing up my whiteboard, turning the lights off, locking the doors and putting the iPad into a state that needs a factory reset to recover! …So nice to hear you again, John. I’m your biggest fan. You’re an island of don’t-hold-back-tell-me-what-you-really-think in a sea of others making excuses for Apple’s every head-scratching decision. HOWEVER… What’s wrong with tap an object to get a pop-up menu (cut, copy, paste, move,… Read more »
Hey grant, so great to hear from you! I hear your point and it’s a good one. To add to your point, try this. Resize a column in the finder with the option key down. It will resize all columns to be that new size from then on. How could you possibly learn how to set that setting with absolutely no UI clue? You can’t. It used to be a setting in preferences in the NeXT workspace (finder equivalent). Now it’s a “use the force” feature. So yea, when more than half the UI includes hidden conjuring, adding more hidden… Read more »
Very nice TDO podcast today on the topic:
https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/tmo-daily-observations-2021-03-10/
Great podcast, and you redeemed yourself in style, going off about other topics… except this one. Good to hear from you again. You’re still the best Apple commentator, despite this minor slip. );
This is an excellent idea John. Unfortunately my own handwriting is horrible so typing is my preferred means of writing but I know many who would love this.
This is an excellent idea John. Unfortunately my own handwriting is horrible so typing is my preferred means of writing but I know mayn who would love this.
Maybe a touch sensitive, or button, on the side towards the tip.
Lee, there is already a touch sensitive area towards the tip with the Pencil 2. So this would be a function of making that area recognize swipe gestures. Currently it recognizes a double tap.
Also been thinking about it, and perhaps a better gesture for cut would be to do the tap and pull copy gesture twice. So you’re kind of saying, I REALLY want to pull this selection off the page.
I do not yet have a Pencil 2. I still have some life in my older model iPad Pro and Pencil 1.
“Hey Siri, copy highlighted text”