Apple Pencil 2 might be coming this spring, along with a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro

The new Apple Pencil could work on your iPad, your iPhone, and even on your new MacBook Pro.

Apple will reportedly unveil the Apple Pencil 2 in March, alongside a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, according to Chinese website  Wei Feng. The Apple Pencil was first introduced in late 2015, and there hasn’t been an iPad Pro update since March 2016, when Apple unveiled the 9.7-inch model. 

The report does not disclose any details about the new features on the Apple Pencil 2, but according to Mashable, it’s possible that the improved stylus could incorporate magnetic connectors so that it will easily attach to the side of the iPad Pro. This rumor stems from a patent that Apple first filed back in 2015.

In addition, the Apple Pencil 2 might somehow get integrated into the Smart Connector to enable wireless charging. Apple might also launch new Smart Covers with a designated place to attach the Apple Pencil.

USPTO

The Apple Pencil 2 could also launch as an accessory for the iPhone and MacBook. We’ve seen heavy speculation before about the iPhone getting Apple Pencil support, but this seems to be the right time. Messages in iOS 10 came with an option for “Handwriting,” and rumor has it that the next iPhones will have even bigger screens.

As far as MacBook compatibility, Apple has already been granted a patent for a stylus that works on the Magic Trackpad. The trackpad on the MacBook Pro is noticeably larger, and using the Apple Pencil on the new Touch Bar could enable more refined controls. This patent also gave Apple the option to turn the Apple Pencil into a motion-sensor joystick to be used in iOS games. 

The story behind the story: Bloomberg first reported about this second-generation Apple Pencil back in August. According to that report, Apple was planning to expand the list of native apps that were compatible with Apple Pencil so that we could annotate in Maps, Mail, Messages, and Safari.