After debuting the Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro two years ago, the company is reportedly considering making its iPhones compatible with some form of stylus as early as 2019, The Investor reports. While Steve Jobs was famously against introducing a stylus with his touchscreen devices, Apple released the Apple Pencil aimed at artists and designers to mostly warm reviews.
Apple also added handwriting and markup functions in iOS 11, making the Apple Pencil more useful across a wider variety of apps. The source claims Apple engineers are currently working on an iPhone that would work with a digital pen and is “also in talks with a couple of stylus makers for a partnership,” which could mean the stylus that comes with a future iPhone could be different from the Apple Pencil — possibly more compact.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note has had a stylus since 2011, based on an expensive electromagnetic resonance technology.
The sources said Apple would likely adopt a supercapacitor type of stylus that is “cheaper to make compared to the EMR stylus” and also “offers a more pen-like feel.” The company might have to make other updates under the hood as well, with the current A series chips needing a big upgrade to support smoother handwriting functionality. “Apple had to compromise on some touch performance of the latest iPhone X largely due to the less advanced chipset,” the source claimed.
