It’s that time of year again – the time when sketchy rumors claim that this year’s iPhone will adopt stylus support, but for once could we actually see the next-generation iPhone support the Apple Pencil?
An analyst from Citi Research has shared a note which suggests the iPhone 11 will be the first iPhone to add Apple Pencil support, a report which follows several years of speculation that Apple would forget Steve Jobs’ famous “Who wants a stylus?” rant on stage during the unveiling of the original iPhone, and add a secondary input method to the iPhone asides from multi-touch.
The research note claims Apple will add “support for iPhone pencil/stylus” this year within a list of new features expected by the firm, many of which match up to our earlier predictions on what to expect from the iPhone 11.
Renowned industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously said Apple was exploring the possibility of adding Apple Pencil support to the iPhone, although those claims never came to fruition. Additionally, leading up to the launch of the iPhone XS last year, Asian supply chain sources hinted at Apple Pencil support for the new line of iPhone hardware.
Apple Pencil – iPhone
One would presume that Apple will release a smaller, pocket-sized version of the Apple Pencil if the next-generation iPhone models do indeed gain support for the stylus, and Apple could possibly release a new range of iPhone cases with Apple Pencil holders, however that is just speculation.
Apple has expanded Apple Pencil compatibility to its entire iPad lineup after initially being exclusive to the iPad Pro. It doesn’t seem completely unreasonable to imagine Apple could add, or at least has experimented adding Apple Pencil support to the iPhone, but it seems unlikely the 2019 line of devices will gain support given the lack of rumors.