Macworld (2019-06)

JUNE 2019 MACWORLD 85

Apple Pencil still doesn’t allow for the nee-

dle-like lettering you can get with a real pen

or pencil, especially when the fifth-genera-

tion iPad mini doesn’t support the ProMotion

technology in iPad Pros that makes the

strokes of an Apple Pencil more true to life.

I’m not complaining that the iPad mini has

Apple Pencil support. Any time the famously

choice-resistant Apple gives us an extra

option should only be celebrated. Indeed,

Pencil is wonderful for highlighting PDFs.

Apple even made the iPad mini with a

laminated display, which means the glass sits

more closely to the pixels and so better

recreates the sensation of writing on paper.

The Pencil certainly enhances the experi-

ence for some uses, and I wish Apple would

start including the $99 peripheral in the box.

Indeed, there’s nothing really wrong

with the iPad mini. It’s not the tablet you

basically pass for small tablets and when the
iPad Pros outperform a huge swath of
Windows laptops.
The last few days, though, have
reminded me that the iPad mini still has its
place. The 7.9-inch display is almost as tall
as that on the iPhone XS Max, but it’s also
much wider, which means it’s better for
both playing games and watching movies.
I was especially astonished to discover
how much I loved using Apple Books with
it. The size is almost perfect for capturing
the screen size of a regular paperback (or
a Kindle Paperwhite) and Apple’s TrueTone
technology makes it a little more satisfying
to read white pages in darkened rooms.
It’s not, however, the best display for
using the Apple Pencil. The 9.7-inch iPad is
the low end for comfort when writing or
drawing something with the Apple Pencil.
You can do
either of these
things on the
iPad mini, but at
best I find it
feels like
scribbling
something on a
hotel memo
pad with a
Sharpie.
Even with its
admirable
precision, the

You can write a lot

smaller than this,

of course, but this

gives you an idea

of how much room

you have to

work with.