You choose the paper-type and then have choices of pen types, colours, and highlighting options to create notes. Nebo is an Apple Pencil optimised note taking app. I use the monster Anker PowerCore+ model, which is bulky but can also charge up my Macbook Pro. That said, the battery life of the iPad has been stellar so far, but you never know. (Which I guess means the iPad could be my desktop replacement, even if it’s not my primary use-case.)Ī battery pack makes sure I never get caught without power. I use Google Docs a lot, and the app works great with a keyboard.
I do, however, have a cheap ’n’ cheerful external Bluetooth keyboard, so I can type directly into the device when I need to.
It props up the iPad perfectly and keeps the Pencil in a ready-to-write status: iPad Pro Case with Apple Pencil Holder.īecause I don’t intend for the iPad Pro to be a bona fide desktop replacement, Apple’s keyboard case didn’t appeal to me. I went for this one and can highly recommend it.
Surprisingly, Apple doesn’t produce one of its own. To avoid losing the Pencil and to give the pen and iPad together as buddies (because I’m like that), I looked for an iPad case that incorporated a Pencil holder. You’ll need to get the Pencil separately. The iPad Pro is the only category of iPad that works with the Apple Pencil.
(I’m looking at you, Livescribe.) iPad Pro accessories to consider It’s not like writing with a sausage which some digital handwriting options feel like. It’s as long and as thin as a normal pen or pencil. Writing with the Pencil feels like writing with a normal pen I don’t have the impression that I have to make any compromises to my handwriting technique to make it work. I previously used a Wacom Bamboo Stylus, which did the job – I edited most of my PhD with one – but it didn’t give the responsiveness, the tactility of a real pen.
It’s why I went for an iPad Pro over an older model without Pencil support.įirst of all, the Pencil is much more responsive than a non-Bluetooth enabled stylus. Multiple studies have shown that you recall information more accurately and elevate comprehension when you take handwritten notes.įor that reason, I really wanted the Apple Pencil to replicate the handwriting experience. Writing with the Apple PencilĪs a step in the writing process, taking notes – and handwritten notes in particular – is crucial. If I could get this best-of-all-worlds workflow set up without a dozen apps and multiple exports/imports each time I make a note, I’d be delighted. I have also dreamed of credible handwriting recognition, so I can search across my notes without having to manually type them up ( which I used to do). I value the tactility of writing with a pen: The slowness, the deliberateness, the freedom of writing on the page and making marks wherever I want.īut I also want the benefits of going fully digital: Having my notes synchronised and backed up in the cloud, ready to read across devices and easily shareable with others. My goal for my tech setup and writing workflow over the last few years has been to find a way to take the best bits from the analogue and digital worlds. Should writers buy an iPad Pro and Pencil?
The iPad Pro has been in my toolkit for just under a year now, so I thought I’d discuss my experience with it so far from a handwriting perspective. I’ve seen a lot of opinions from designers and artists on the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil combination, but not much from writers. Here’s a quick write up of using the iPad Pro for handwriting.