A patent application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suggests that the third-generation announcing the second-gen model with the third-gen iPad Pro in 2018. The stylus is aimed at creators and power s, with the company highlighting its drawing capabilities in Adobe Photoshop and document-annotation capabilities in Microsoft Office apps.
As reported by an actual Apple Pencil, it will likely make it the most advanced stylus around, ahead of devices from Wacom, Microsoft (Surface Pen), Samsung (S Pen), and others.
New Apple Pencil Patents
Apple has filed and received several other patents related to the Apple Pencil, but most of these features have yet to make it to the market. One such patented feature is interchangeable nibs that could allow s to swap out tips based on the color, shape, thickness, size, brightness, or opacity of the writing surface. A few years ago, Apple also filed a patent application to include a biometric security feature in the Apple Pencil.
Another notable Apple Pencil-related patent includes an input feature that will actuate the copy, paste, undo, or redo functions based on the number of times the pencil is tapped on the screen. Apple has also patented technologies that could add a speaker, a rotary input device, a microphone, an on/off button, a mute button, a biometric sensor, a camera, and a touch-sensitive trackpad to the Apple Pencil.
The Apple Pencil's potential ability to sample color and texture from external objects could make the device even more desirable to artists and graphic designers. However, as with most patents, there's no telling when these features will be commercially-available. If they ever make it to market, these features could change the very concept of a stylus and see other companies scrambling to offer something similar with their products.
Source: Patently Apple