Apple Ditched Plan for $50 Apple Pencil With iPhone Support at the Last Minute, Claims Sketchy Rumor - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Ditched Plan for $50 Apple Pencil With iPhone Support at the Last Minute, Claims Sketchy Rumor

Apple planned to introduce a new $49 Apple Pencil this year that was compatible with iPhones, but scrapped the plans at the last minute, claims a sketchy new rumor coming out of Asia.

apple pencil red
According to a Weibo post, shared on Twitter by DuanRui, Apple allegedly intended to release the new ‌Apple Pencil‌, codenamed "Maker" (or, more likely, "Marker") at its September 2022 event, and even went so far as to mass produce over one million units of the accessory, only to can its launch at the eleventh hour for unspecified reasons.

To cut costs, the device allegedly lacked pressure sensing technology or a rechargeable battery, and instead utilized an onboard chip to power the stylus through the iPad or iPhone screen, similar to how Samsung's S-Pen stylus works.

At $49, the unreleased ‌Apple Pencil‌ would have been significantly cheaper than the first-generation and second-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ models, which are priced at $99 and $129, respectively.

Unfortunately, the source of the ‌Apple Pencil‌ rumor has no track record, so the claims need to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Furthermore, this isn't the first time we've heard rumors of an Apple Pencil being developed to work with iPhones, none of which have come to fruition.


Still, a battery-less ‌Apple Pencil‌ would pair well with the latest tenth-generation ‌iPad‌, which comes with a USB-C port and requires an ungainly $9 Lightning dongle to work with the first-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌. Again though, why Apple would kill plans for an accessory that had entered mass production is unclear.

If it really was a thing, and so many units were manufactured by Apple, then past history would suggest some units will eventually be leaked. Would you welcome an ‌Apple Pencil‌ for iPhone? Let us know in the comments.

Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Apple Facing One of Its Worst Leaks Since the iPhone 4

Thursday July 2, 2026 9:53 am PDT by
Apple supplier Tata Electronics recently suffered a cyberattack that resulted in thousands of confidential files being published on the dark web, and this reportedly included some photos and documents related to the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. We have elected not to share any of the leaked photos in this story due to the illegal nature in which they were obtained, but they can easily be found...
American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...

Top Rated Comments

47 months ago
$50 was the intended price for the case that holds the pencil.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JamonBull Avatar
47 months ago
A “sketchy” rumour indeed…
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akbarali.ch Avatar
47 months ago
Yes, there are times during conversation/discussion with peers I feel like if I had a pencil or something I would've drawn things to explain them better. I use my finger which is very bad for writing/drawing on such a small area.

And yes, Samsung made the write decision to include one with their phone. Its neat.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bmac89 Avatar
47 months ago
$50 Apple accessory… LOL yeah right! 🤣
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
47 months ago
Sorry, don't believe this for a second.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HeavenDynamic Avatar
47 months ago

Again though, why Apple would kill plans for an accessory that had entered mass production is unclear.


Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)