Apple Pencil 2 Tipped to Launch Alongside New iPad Pro Models This Year.

• Apple expected to give its Pencil a refresh this year
• Pencil stylus was launched in 2015
• Apple is rumoured to launch three new tablets this year

Apple back in 2015 introduced its first active stylus which the company referred to as Pencil. The Apple Pencil needed charging and it was based on pressure sensitivity which meant users needed to press harder to draw thicker lines. Now, the Cupertino-based giant is gearing to launch the second-generation of its Pencil, if a new leak from Chinese supply chain is to be believed.

According to rumours, the Apple Pencil 2 will feature a magnetic system which will let users attach the stylus to the iPad. The new stylus is said to launch alongside the new iPad Pro models expected to be showcased late in 2017. The Chinese report also suggests that the alleged Apple Pencil 2 may include standard open clip mimicking pens so that users can carry it around without much difficulty.

Of course, as with all rumours and leaks, we advise readers to take the above information about the Apple Pencil 2 with a pinch of salt, as Apple has yet to make any announcements about its new stylus and the credibility of the sources cannot be independently verified.

Considering that the Apple Pencil is now over a year old, it's not implausible that Apple will give it a refresh this year.

Apple is widely expected to refresh its iPad lineup this year with new iPad Pro models. A recent report citing KGI Securities' analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, suggested that Apple may unveil three new tablets in the second quarter of 2017. The company is said to launch new 12.9-inch and 10-10.5-inch iPad Pro versions which will ship with an Apple A10X SoC. Another iPad model rumoured is the 9.7-inch version which is said to come with the Apple A9 SoC.