Rumor has it that Apple is going to release a new Apple Pencil 3–which would actually make it the fourth Pencil but who’s counting? But this new Pencil 3 will stand out from the quartet because it could support a new “squeeze” gesture.
According to a report by 9to5Mac, the iPadOS 17.5 beta that was released on Tuesday includes code for an Apple Pencil squeeze gesture. Squeeze would be used for “quick interactions such as adding shapes, signatures, stickers, or a text field.” The code doesn’t explain how the gesture works, but presumably, it would work by squeezing the Pencil.
The three Pencils that Apple currently offer don’t have pressure sensors in the body where the user holds it, so this new gesture suggests that Apple is going to release a new Pencil 3. If a new Pencil 3 does arrive, it could replace a current one in the lineup, probably the 2nd-generation Pencil, which is the most expensive model at $129/£139/€149 and works with the iPad Pro, iPad mini, and iPad Air. The 1st-generation Pencil ($99/£109/€119) would likely stay since it works with the 9th- and 10th-generation iPad. The USB-C Pencil could also stick around as Apple’s most affordable Pencil at $79/£79/€95.
(Or Apple could keep all the Pencils in its lineup and offer four of them, which would accomplish the goal of making the Pencil lineup more confusing than it already is.)
Apple also introduced a new version of the PencilKit API with iPadOS 17.4, but we haven’t seen any reports about any new features the API provides.
About a year ago, Apple filed a patent application for acoustic resonators in Apple Pencil. This seemed to indicate that Apple is working on Find My support for the device–the resonators would be used to alert a user to its location. None of the current Pencils are outfitted with resonators, so a new Pencil 3 could have this feature. A recent rumor also suggested the new Pencil could work as an input device for Apple Vision Pro.
Apple is expected to announce new iPads soon. The latest report said that the new iPad Pro and iPad Air won’t arrive until May. Macworld theorizes, based on Apple’s release history, that Apple will make an iPad announcement sometime this month–perhaps Apple 23 or around that time. For more about the possible new iPad, check out our iPad Air and iPad Pro rumor roundups.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.