GoKawiilBloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple is developing a new lineup of Apple Pencil stylus accessories, set for launch next year alongside new iPad Pro models in spring 2027.
This would mean new generations of Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the wireless-charging Apple Pencil Pro. Bloomberg suggests that these new stylus could feature new battery systems, which would make them more easily user-replaceable in order to comply with upcoming EU regulation.
The current Apple Pencils are essentially not user-replaceable. The battery recharges either via the USB-C port, or by magnetically the stylus to the side of an iPad to enable wireless charging. But if the internal battery health degrades, it is not really possible to replace the component.
The current Pencils are manufactured with lots of internal adhesive sticking everything together, and simply not designed to be taken apart and put back together.
The EU regulation Bloomberg references is Article 11 of the EU Batteries Regulation, which came into effect in 2023 but is not legally applicable until February 2027. The new law requires that portable batteries are readily removable and replaceable by the end user, during the lifetime of the product.
Obviously, the first intended target of the law is smartphones (of which Apple may be in compliance already due to the availability of the Self Service Repair program). But it applies more widely, including accessories like rechargeable styli, keyboard and mice, headphones and more.
It remains to be seen exactly what changes Apple will have to make across its products to be in compliance. AirPods are a particularly challenging example where there isn’t an obvious way Apple could manufacture miniaturized wireless earbuds that allow for the battery to be easily replaced. Compare that complexity to the pathway for a user-replaceable battery inside an Apple Pencil, which feels a bit more obvious.