Apple is reportedly planning to refresh its Apple Pencil accessory for iPad and Vision Pro, potentially with user repairability at the forefront of considerations.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the company will debut two new models with new repairability options. That’s likely to infer the batteries will be user-replaceable in the next generation of hardware.
To date, Apple Pencil models have been charged via USB or wireless by magnetically attaching to a companion iPad. There have been no reports of widespread issues with battery degradation over the years. In cases where the charging capacity is diminished the whole thing must be replaced. If the Apple Pencil is in warranty, it’ll be a free replacement. If it’s out of warranty there may be a discount on a replacement.
It’s not a bad system. However, new EU repairability regulations require batteries of smartphones (and associated mobile products) to be easily replaceable by their owners.
In the case of the Apple Pencil, it would require a complete reworking of the (currently glued) internals to enable users to disassemble and reassemble the Pencil with a new battery. That’s going to take some serious thought and possibly expense. Gurman doesn’t specify whether there’ll be other changes to the models, aside from the improved repairability.
It’s becoming a reality for several tech firms that the days of hard-to-replace batteries must come to an end for products sold in the EU. Nintendo, for example, is producing new Switch 2 models and accessories to abide by the law change and is discontinuing the original Switch range entirely rather than faff around with revamping the internals.
The EU’s catch-all mandates mean well, but they’re not always particularly helpful. The money Apple spends on having to completely redesign the Apple Pencil could, for example, be used to keep down prices.
And when it applies to devices like the Apple Pencil, which historically have seen very few problems with bad batteries, it all seems a little pointless.
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