Antonio Manaytay Tech 10.28.2022 12:Oct PM EDT

Apple Orders Selected US Stores Not To Sell First-Gen Apple Pencil | Here's Why It Is Bad News

Apple ordered selected US Apple Stores not to sell the first-gen Apple Pencil until the arrival or until stock improves of the updated charger, Lighting Adapter - wireless charging through a magnetic attachment.

The sale suspension came after the Cupertino tech company rolled out its third-gen iPad Pros in Brooklyn on Friday. Oct. 28.

The company announced the new iPad Pros along with an upgraded Apple Pencil, The Verge reports. It was not immediately known if the suspension of the sale of Apple Pencils was announced during the Brooklyn event.

Compatibility

The compatibility of the 10th-gen iPad with the Apple Pencil, equipped with a USB-C port, is exclusive. And charging the pencil with the iPad requires the user to use a USB-C to Lightning Adapter.

Apple, MacRumors reports, will make the USB-C to Lightning Adapter available in the box with the old Apple Pencil.

The decision considers the interest of the users. That is to ensure that the users of the new iPad are not without a charger for their Apple Pencil.

Why It Is Bad News

While the upgrade is a good sign the company keeps on improving its products, it is also a bad news for the users.

Here are three takeaways why it is bad news:

1. Waiting for the arrival or until stock improves for the USB-C to Lightning Adapter is not a problem for the customers.

The question is this: when will the stock improve?

Unfortunately, if MacRumors is correct, Apple is going to ship the USB-C to Lightning Adapter in a week or two.

But that is subject to changes. Earlier reports indicated that the adapter is facing a three- to four-week shipping delay in US Apple Stores.

2. Apple has vastly improved the process of charging the Apple Pencil by doing away with the charging port. The Verge observed that the change comes without a cost.

Switching to USB-C made the first-gen Apple Pencil lose its functionality on the new iPad Pros.

To have the new iPad Pros requires the user to order the new Apple Pencil, too. The old Apple Pencil, the user, had will become irrelevant.

3. To wait for another week or two is not an eternity. But users have to think about this: the cost of the new Pencil is $30 more expensive than the old Pencil.

And if the users already have an Apple Pencil, it will cost them another $9 to have the adapter.

Is this extra cost worth the benefit a user gets from the new Pencil? For those who have ordered or are still to order, Apple is offering free laser engraving on the unit.

Funny Side

Too much with the hard stuff. Think of the lighter side of the announcement.

MacRumors tried to figure out how the new setup would look. A user will plug the Apple Pencil into one end of the adapter while the USB-C cable is plugged into the other end, plus the iPad.

The humorous setup has already inspired a meme on social media following the rollout of the new iPad.