Apple seems to have big plans for the next generation of its Apple Pencil. At least, this is reflected in a new patent seen and shared by patently apple. The company has invented a new design of its digital pen capable of detecting the colors of any surface in the real world, to later reproduce exactly that same tone on the iPad. That’s how it works.
The Apple-patented Apple Pencil, in particular, has different built-in optical sensors capable of not only detect surface colorsotherwise also the texture. To do this, Apple would use a color sensor that would work thanks to a light detector, which, in turn, would use different photodetectors to collect the respective color channels. The Apple Pencil would also have a light emitter with an adjustable light spectrum, so that color detection measurements could be adjusted.
On the other hand, the patented Apple Pencil would include a unit of inertial measurement. It would be used “to measure the angular orientation between the pen and an external object during color measurements,” the patent describes. It is precisely a necessary component to be able to measure and sample the texture of the surface.
The capture of color and texture, as well as the different “measurements of the appearance of the object”, would be done wirelessly. The user, therefore, would only have to point the tip of the Apple Pencil at the desired object – for example, the cover of a book – so that the device can detect the color and, later, interpret it on the iPad.
Will we see a 3rd generation Apple Pencil with this feature?
We must not forget, of course, that it is a patent, and not a device under development, so it is likely that we will not see something final for a few years or that we will never even see a device with these characteristics. However, the ability to sample colors from the real world and then interpret them on the iPad would certainly be a very nice feature for a highly anticipated 3rd generation Apple Pencil.
Apple, in fact, has been keeping two very different Apple Pencils in its catalog for years and with very good specifications. These, however, may be a bit behind considering the significant advances in the iPad. The first generation modelFor example, it keeps the Lightning port for charging and initial setup, forcing 10th-generation iPad users to use additional accessories.
The second generation Apple Pencil, on the other hand, boasts wireless charging and more advanced features than the basic iPad-compatible model. However, it has not been renewed since 2018. Therefore, it is time to see a new version with more news.