Slip a Real Pen Clip Onto Your Apple Pencil and Thank Me Later
Last week, I wrote, swiped, and drew on Apple’s 10.5-inch iPad Pro. As a fan of my old iPad Air 2, the more capable iPad Pro seems like a step in the right direction, save for one problem: that damn Apple Pencil. By focusing on form over function, the company has created a delightfully sleek object that doesn’t take full advantage of its form factor. Here’s how to do something that Apple, for some reason, didn’t do.
Why cut a pencil
There is a fairly simple reason why you should attach the clip to your Apple Pencil: it allows you to treat it like a traditional writing instrument. Apple Pencil’s fully rounded design means it’s more likely to roll across your desk or straight off your desk to the ground. Plus, adding a clip allows you to, of course, clip it anywhere you would glue a regular handle. This means you can store it in your pants or shirt pocket, clip it into your folio pocket, or attach it to the iPad Pro case itself. This is a simple addition and a slightly curious omission in the original design.
Get the right clip
New Orleans attorney Jeff Richardson , whose website is geared towards lawyers using iOS devices, suggests purchasing a Fisher Chrome clip to attach to your Apple Pencil. The clip is silver and matches Apple’s chrome accents on the Apple Pencil. You can attach the clip to the pencil by removing the Lightning port cover and sliding it from the top, or sliding it up the pen, starting at the narrow nib. Fisher itself sells the pen for $ 2 on their site, although you’ll have to shell out a minimum of $ 5 for shipping. The price is well worth the increased functionality and is certainly another reason to keep the pen close at hand rather than stuffing it wherever you put the rest of the cables and keys until you need them.
There are other ways to stabilize and modify the Apple Pencil, though they’re not as elegant (and don’t attach directly to the pencil like the Fisher clip). You can place your Apple Pencil in a magnetic rubber case from Moxiware so you can attach the pencil to the magnetic body of your iPad, protecting it with a bright rubber case (available in six colors, including white and black).