Apple seems to be planning something big for the iPad this year. Not only is the company expected to finally add full-fledged trackpad support to the iPad, but it could also introduce some new Apple Pencil features to rival the Surface line.

According to a new report from MacRumors, Apple is working on a new feature called PencilKit for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 that will introduce some new features for the Apple Pencil.

The main feature being support for the pencil being able to turn handwritten text into actual text on iOS text inputs. Microsoft’s Surface Pen has supported this feature for years, thanks to the modern keyboard in Windows 10, and it looks like the Apple Pencil will soon support something similar.

The new feature would allow users to write handwritten content on a floating interface that pops up whenever a text field in iOS is tapped with the pencil. It apparently works with any text input field available in iOS, and Apple could also enable third-party apps to use this feature.

Apple is also working on a new “Magic Fill” feature that will help users with drawing shapes, which sounds like a feature that lets you draw a rough shape that’s automatically polished and improved by iOS. Microsoft’s Whiteboard app has a similar drawing feature for shapes and tables.

Although these new features do sound exciting for those with an iPad, they may not show up on iOS/iPadOS 14 as Apple’s plans are yet to be finalised.

Tagged with Apple Pencil, iOS 14, iPad, iPadOS, iPadOS 14