Apple unveiled Logitech’s Crayon stylus for the iPad during its “Let’s take a field trip” media event this week. Here’s what you need to know about this new stylus that’s based on Apple Pencil.
Who is Crayon for
Logitech designed Crayon for kids in the classroom woking with an iPad. That doesn’t mean everyone else won’t like the stylus. Instead, it’s built for the abuse it’ll likely face in school.
Does Crayon Offer the Same Features as Apple Pencil
Apple says Crayon uses Apple Pencil technology. That doesn’t, however, mean it has all the same features. Crayon is recognized as if it’s an actual Apple Pencil in apps, and for the most part is interchangeable with Apple Pencil.
Crayon suports palm rejection and stylus tilt, just like Apple Pencil. It doesn’t include pressure sensitivity.
How Does Crayon Connect to iPad
Instead of bluetooth, Crayon uses single frequency pairing. You press a button on the stylus to make the connection, and start writing or drawing.
Is Crayon Compatible with my iPad
Since Crayon uses single frequency pairing to connect to your iPad, you need a model that supports the feature. So far, that’s limited to the 9.7-inch iPad Apple introduced at its “Let’s take a field trip” media event.
How Does Crayon Charge
Charging Apple Pencil is incredibly awkward because you have to plug the stylus into your iPad’s Lightning port. That’s a recipe for disaster because someone is bound to accidentally hit their stylus while charging and break off the connector.
Crayon, on the other hand, has a Lightning port for charging. Just plug in the same cable you use to charge your iPhone or iPad to juice up its battery.
How Long Does the Crayon Battery Last
Logitech says the Crayon battery lasts for eight hours of use between chargees. It automatically powers off if you haven’t used it for 30 minutes to save battery.
You can check the battery status py pressing the stylus on/off button. If the charge is above 10% the light is green, if it’s below %10 it’s red. The light flashes red if the charge drops below 5%.
Is Crayon Going to Break
The guts in Crayon are pretty similar to Apple Pencil, but the body is aluminum with rubber bumpers. Logitech designed the stylus to hold up in a classroom environment, so it’ll take a lot to break one.
Is the Crayon Stylus Tip Replaceable
Logitech says the Crayon stylus tip will last through 1.24 miles of writing distance. The nib is replaceable, but requires a special tool. That’s so kids don’t pull the tip out and lose it.
Who Can Buy Crayon
Unfortunately, not everyone can buy Crayon—at least not yet. For now, it’s available only to students and teachers through the Apple Education channel. That means you can’t buy one in a store, and if you see one on Craigslist or Ebay it’s probably stolen.
How Much Does Crayon Cost
Crayon is priced at US$49, so half the price of Apple Pencil.
I’m hopeful this a sign of things to come, Apple working again with vendors to improve the overall experience. I want a Logitech Crayon that looks like a carpenter’s pencil. Maybe Paper will get in on the Apple cooperation.
So they gave it an OFF button and a proper Lightning port.
That’s two things they got right that Logitech got right that Apple didn’t.