When people hear the words “Apple Pencil,” they tend to think about how the device is an expensive stylus designed for use with the iPad.
While it’s true that the Apple Pencil is expensive, there are reasons why this is so. Here’s what I found out about the matter!
Why Are Apple Pencils So Expensive?
The Apple Pencil is expensive because it is being designed and produced by Apple, a brand known for its expensive product offerings. Aside from this, design, innovative new features, and improvements to existing technologies play a part in the Apple Pencil’s hefty price tag. Moreover, expensive parts also affect the stylus’ price.
Keep reading to learn more about the Apple Pencil, from its design to its features!
1. Apple Influences Apple Pencil Pricing
Since Apple is a famous luxury tech brand, its product offerings tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum.
Naturally, people have gotten accustomed to spending hundreds of dollars on Apple products, and it’s no different for the Apple Pencil.
For example, Apple sells the Apple Pencil 2 in stores for $129, which is more expensive than other similar styluses on the market today.
2. Wireless Charging Makes The Apple Pencil Easy To Charge
Apart from the Apple name, wireless charging is an integral feature of the Apple Pencil 2.
Further, this is a change from the first version of the Apple Pencil, which needed to be plugged into the lightning port to charge.
Moreover, the wireless charging function makes it such that an Apple Pencil will automatically begin charging once placed on the sides of an iPad.
As a result, integrating these components to support wireless charging contributes to what makes the Apple Pencil expensive.
3. The Apple Pencil Enhances User Experience On The iPad
Aside from the convenience of wireless charging, the Apple Pencil also contributes significantly to the user experience on the iPad.
For instance, using the Markup feature with the Apple Pencil makes it easier to perform tasks like taking notes and signing documents.
Additionally, you will find that the Apple Pencil makes it easy and convenient to complete your work, whether it be digital art or creating a mockup on rendering apps.
Overall, the Apple Pencil makes working on an iPad fuss-free, which is something people would gladly pay more money for.
4. Gesture Controls Make Changing Brushes Easy
Another feature introduced in the Apple Pencil 2 is Gesture Control.
At its core, Gesture Control is a feature where a user can switch between brushes with a double-tap gesture on the stylus body.
For example, if you make a mistake while annotating a document, a double tap on the Apple Pencil can switch from the writing brush to the eraser without putting down the stylus.
That said, this new feature requires sensors to be placed in the Apple Pencil’s body, which adds to the already high price of the Apple Pencil.
5. Apple Pencil Design Combines Form & Function
The previous Apple Pencil had a round body that was quite thick and did not feel comfortable to use.
Fortunately, Apple addressed this in the Apple Pencil 2 by changing its shape to have corners like a pencil and making it slimmer and lighter to emulate the feel of using an actual pencil.
Therefore, the Apple pencil’s slim body and light weight result from collaboration between design experts and engineers, which makes the Apple Pencil more expensive.
6. The Apple Pencil Tip’s Design Is Top-Notch
Aside from the body’s design, the tip of the Apple Pencil is also an example of sophisticated but functional design.
For example, compared to other styluses that utilize rubber tips, the Apple Pencil uses plastic that glides across the iPad screen without dragging.
Additionally, the tip of the Apple Pencil is more rounded, protecting iPad screens from surface scratches that can occur from using a stylus with a tip that ends at a sharp point.
Further, this feature makes the Apple Pencil expensive because it takes time and resources to develop a tip that provides the proper amount of feedback without damaging the iPad.
7. Precise Instant Strokes & Force Sensitivity
On top of the physical design of the Apple Pencil, other features contribute to its high price.
First, the Apple pencil has low latency; as soon as the tip of the Apple Pencil touches the iPad screen, it makes a mark on the canvas—as fast as nine milliseconds on newer iPad models.
Second, the Apple Pencil can detect how much pressure is being used, resulting in an appropriate line.
For example, lightly pressing on the screen would result in a fainter line, while pushing harder would result in a more vivid, darker line.
Lastly, these features are supported by expensive parts that add to the price of the Apple Pencil.
8. Palm Rejection Feature Improves On Existing Technology
Aside from the features above, the Apple Pencil also has a feature called Palm Rejection.
For example, this means that the device will only detect the pencil’s tip and not palms resting on the iPad when an Apple Pencil is connected to it.
Overall, this feature requires changes to identify whether it’s the Apple Pencil or a hand on the iPad screen; therefore, it contributes to the cost of the Apple Pencil.
9. Higher Duties And Regional Taxes
Depending on where you live, the Apple Pencil may be more expensive than the prices listed on Apple’s website.
That said, this is due to shipping items across the globe, which incurs import taxes that bring up the price of the Apple Pencil.
Additionally, governments may impose other regional taxes that can make Apple Pencils more expensive.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why Apple watches are so expensive, why Apple monitors are so expensive, and why iPads are so expensive.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why Apple Pencils are expensive, and among these are brand image and the features of the Apple Pencil.
Additionally, the enhancement of the user experience when using the Apple Pencil with the iPad makes it a gadget that many want to own despite its price.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Apple Pencils are expensive.