The Next Apple Pencil Might Come in Black, and I’m Waiting to Upgrade Now

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I have a 2016 iPad Pro with a 9.7″ screen. It’s a bit old, I was thinking of upgrading. I’ve had the new iPad in my cart on Apple.com for weeks now. But a new rumor has me thinking I’ll hold off on upgrading. I can wait another year or so.

Seriously, it’s that important.

I actually almost ordered a Slickwraps Apple Pencil wrap, before remembering that it would likely be awful and I’d be risking my personal security.

Apple’s “pro” accessories are still, annoyingly, white plastic. To this day I think this looks cheap. Apple, for one reason or another, believes it’s “on brand,” but there’s a reason the most popular plastic MacBook design was the black one. Black with that reflective sheen just looks so good. Plus, the bezel around your iPad is black. The back of it may be a dark gray. The white with it just offers unnecessary contrast.

A new rumor states Apple may finally bring black to their Apple Pencil, and I think it’s worth waiting for.

“Pro” Accessories

When Apple introduced the iMac Pro, they also introduced new “Pro”  accessories for it. These were just new versions of their keyboard, trackpad, and mouse with a black color scheme. However, they oozed class. They’re the exact same products as before, just darker. That’s it. And yet, when Apple introduced it, a few Slack channels in my office began talking about “Forget everything else, get me that black keyboard and trackpad!”

Apple’s “Magic Keyboard” in “Space Gray” is $20 more than its already absurdly expensive counterpart, the silver aluminum version for $129. Still, it’s worth it. The $20, that is. For $149, you could go get yourself a good mechanical keyboard and never look back at overpriced membrane keyboards. The Magic Trackpad is the same. $129 for the boring silver version, $149 for the nice “Space Gray” one. You shouldn’t even hesitate, the darker ones will look better on a desk and look better for longer. Again, that is, if I can’t convince you to get a mechanical keyboard instead.

These accessories just feel “pro.” It’s not that they cost more, it’s that the dark gray on black with white lettering just looks crisp, professional. The silver version looks like something you’d find in a public school library, but the space gray? That’s at an executive’s desk.

So why is this the only accessory Apple gives the real pro treatment to?

Apple Pencil, AirPods Pro

Currently, if you want a black Apple Pencil or AirPods Pro, you’re out of luck. They come in white. A glossy, cheap plastic white. Why? Why would the products Apple uses for their “Professional” products, the iPad Pro and the AirPods Pro be the same cheap-looking glossy white as the EarPods, old MacBooks, and their lousy and flimsy cables? Apple’s white gloss products just don’t look as good as their silver, space gray, or black counterparts. So why does Apple keep using this?

“Branding”

It’s part of Apple’s brand at this point. That white plastic was made famous by the iPod. The iPod was one of Apple’s most iconic devices. It was that white plastic. The headphones were infamous. That white cable and white earbuds made them stand out. Other manufacturers used black cables and black earbuds, to make them less noticeable. But Apple’s stood out. From then, that white plastic became part of Apple’s brand identity.

But it just doesn’t look as good.

Now, appearance is subjective. You might be sitting here screaming at your screen, saying, “Don’t let the mean lady take away my white plastic!” To those people, don’t worry, you’re free to be wrong. Joking aside, white shows dirt and grime and the dark products just seem far more popular. In the offices I’ve worked in since Apple introduced “Space Gray” MacBooks, nearly everyone at the company has opted for those when ordering a new MacBook. I had one coworker order a silver one, “Just for something different.” He knew everyone had the dark ones and because his was the silver one, it stood out. Maybe that’s why you’d still want Apple’s iconic white plastic. But for me? Paint it black.

So yes, this is subjective, but it still seems to be the majority opinion: dark accessories look better.

What’s the Wait Time?

Apple could update the iPad in the fall. However, we could see a black version of the Apple Pencil 2 as early as this summer, released as part of new iPad features in iOS 14. It’s possible, however, that Apple could wait to release a black Apple Pencil either with a new iPad in the spring of 2021, or as an Apple Pencil 3. Perhaps with a secondary input on the end to use as an eraser or other tool? Perhaps! Either way, the latest iPad offered only a small, almost imperceptible bump in speed over the outgoing 2018 iPad Pro model. Based on that alone, you may want to wait for the next iPad. It seems this one was just to gather LiDAR for future AR projects at Apple, either the iPhone, Apple Car, or Apple’s AR glasses. If you’re thinking of buying an iPad Pro right now, your best bet is to wait, even if you’re not obsessed with black Apple accessories.

And, hey, maybe with the new Apple Pencil they’ll also finally offer some decent iPad Smart Folio case colors? That’s worth waiting for! I mean, pink sand? Could it be any more bland?

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Sources:

• Ed Hardy, Cult of Mac
• Mike Peterson, AppleInsider