iPad Pro finally supports cheaper Apple Pencil alternative

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Save big by getting a Logitech Crayon for your iPad Pro instead of an Apple Pencil 2.
Save big by getting a Logitech Crayon for your iPad Pro instead of an Apple Pencil 2.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

AiPad Pro owners no longer have to pay $129 to get a high-quality stylus. The Apple Pencil 2 isn’t the only option any more.

Apple is changing course by allowing the Logitech Crayon to work with more of its tablets, and this accessory is about half the price of the Pencil 2.

You get a Crayon, and you get a Crayon…

One of the drawbacks of the Logitech Crayon when it launched was that this more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil only worked with the iPad that debuted last spring. The recent release of the iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 5 added two more models that could use the Crayon, but all others were shut out.

This left many people scratching their heads. There is nothing special about those tablets’ displays, so why should the Crayon work with them but not iPad Pro models? There were suspicions that Apple was limiting this third-party stylus just to prop up sales of its own Pencil.

And that is apparently what was happening, but Apple has now relented. According to a report rom Six Colors, many additional devices can now use the Logitech Crayon, as long as they are running iOS 12.2. Cult of Mac tested this on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro from last fall running the latest beta and can confirm that this tablet now accepts input from this accessory.

That said, it’s not yet clear how many older models will also get access. The now-discontinued 10.5-inch iPad Pro supposedly didn’t make the cut.

The full version of OS 12.2 isn’t out yet, but could debut soon after Apple’s press event on Monday.

Logitech Crayon vs. Apple Pencil

>Logitech’s stylus doesn’t offer all the features of the first- or second-generation Apple Pencil. It includes tilt detection but not pressure sensitivity. Lines can be made thicker or thinner by angling the stylus, not by pressing harder. Read our Logitech Crayon Review to see how this plays out in the real world.

On the other side of the coin, the Crayon resists tampering: Logitech designed it for kids, and it can’t easily be disassembled by bored students. That’s not true for the Pencil.

But the biggest advantage of the third-party alternative is price. As discussed, the Apple Pencil 2 — the only version supported by the 2018 iPad Pro — costs $129. The Logitech Crayon is $69.95, and that price changes to $49.99 when purchased through Apple’s Education channel.

The Crayon gets power through a built-in Lightning port, An iPad Pro can charge this accessory with a USB-C-to-Lightning cable. Or it can be charged with an iPhone cable.

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