Hints that Apple Pencil might be coming to the iPhone 7

The Phone 7 rumors out there are now fairly well known, but Apple always hides one trick up its sleeve, and I've got a guess at what it might be: the Apple Pencil coming to the iPhone 7.

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All signs point to such a development, however, there's been surprisingly little chatter about the possibility. Therefore, for the non-Apple conspiracy theorists out there, we'll paint the picture of just how this all adds up.

First, let's go back to June, when Apple showed off the new features in Messages for iOS 10. Yes, the "smart emojis" were amazing. Invisible ink? Incredible. But what really stood out about the Messages demo? The drawings. These weren't smiley faces and hearts you draw on your Apple Watch with your finger, these were, at least in one case, fairly detailed graffiti drawings.

Sure, Snapchat has taught some of us to become experts at drawing on screens with our fingers, but some images (like the ones shown at WWDC) are more detailed than most fingers are capable of.

A demonstration of Messages in iOS 10 at WWDC.Credit: apple

That was the first time I felt sure the Apple Pencil was coming to the iPhone. In fact, I'd be surprised if the person on the other end of that demo wasn't already using the Apple Pencil on the iPhone.

The other major clue is found in an interview Apple CEO Tim Cook sat for back in May with NDTV. During the interview, Cook said, perhaps accidentally, "If you've ever seen what can be created with that Pencil on an iPad or an iPhone, it's really unbelievable."

That interview (the relevant part begins at the 29:15 minute mark), highlighted last week by John Gruber, is the clearest indication that Apple intends to bring the Apple Pencil to the iPhone.

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Or, maybe Cook just misspoke. Because Cook has a habit of alwaysmisspeaking and dropping massive clues about future products during public appearances, right?

Nope.

"If you've ever seen what can be created with that Pencil on an iPad or an iPhone, it's really unbelievable." -Tim Cook

The Apple Pencil coming to Apple's smartphone should really come as no surprise to those who have been watching the trajectory of the iPhone closely. The company's decision to finally join the phablet party with the iPhone 6 Plus wasn't just about more screen real estate for photo viewing, it was also designed to push us further into full-fledged mobile computing as iOS becomes ever more robust versus OS X.

Adding the Apple Pencil to the equation (a device Cook insists is not a "stylus") would turn Apple's largest iPhone into a kind of mini iPad Pro, that other device Apple wants you to think of as a full-fledged computer.

Over the past few weeks I've used the Apple Pencil heavily, and I love it. It's lightweight, has great battery life, feels less like a stylus and more like a "pencil" (with super powers) and transforms the iPad Pro into an even more powerful device.

Now that Apple has field tested the Apple Pencil and allowed us to get used to the idea, it only makes sense to bring that same functionality to Apple's phablet-level device (which may be called the iPhone 7 Plus and/or Pro).

However, at $99, not every iPhone user will be eager to snag an Apple Pencil. That said, if you're willing to shell out for the top tier, largest-sized iPhone, you'll probably also be willing to spend the extra cash for a device that will help you get those Snapchat-style Messages in iOS 10 picture perfect.

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