“Apple Pencil takes colors from the real world”
Apple is exploring a technique that would allow the Apple Pencil to take real-world colors or surface textures for use in drawing applications. This is evident from a new patent discovered by Patently Apple.
Read on after the ad.
Apple Pencil with color recognition
Under the title ‘Electronic Device With Optical Sensor For Sampling Surfaces’, Apple describes a possible third-generation Apple Pencil in the patent.
The tip of the pencil contains a sensor with several photo detectors. The sensor can measure light for different color channels, allowing it to detect the color of an object or the texture of a surface. The new Apple Pencil would then send these readings wirelessly to a connected device, the iPad, of course.
This is how color recognition should work
In practice, users would simply hold the Apple Pencil up to an object. With a tap on the Pencil, the sensor could then detect the color. It then sends the color information to an app on the iPad. From here you can use the color and save it for later use.
Not only can you quickly add a new color to your artwork, but you can also build a library of true-to-life colors of grass, plants or even existing art and much more.
Also read: The Apple Pencil 2 is still my product of the year in 2022
Will the patent become reality?
Although the existence of such a patent application indicates interest in the relevant research and development field, it is no guarantee that the described concept will actually become reality. When it comes to the Apple Pencil, Apple engineers like to spend a lot of time coming up with new ideas to bring the experience even closer to drawing with a real pen. For example, Apple has already worked on haptic feedback and separate attachments for a more realistic brush stroke.
The patent in question sounds very interesting and could be built into the Pencil with relative ease. Many artists are certainly happy with such a feature. As for when Apple might update its stylus, it’s unlikely to happen before 2024. While the current second-generation Apple Pencil launched in 2018, the company will likely pair the next stylus update with the first OLED iPads, expected in 2024.
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