Apple and Microsoft offer optional styluses for their high-end tablets: the Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro and the Surface Pen for the Surface Pro 7. And now we have learned that Apple may be planning to pull away from Microsoft on stylus technology.

The patent, found by Apple Insider, was filed with the USPTO on February 18, 2020 and details a "touch-based input device with haptic feedback."

According to the patent, the technology adds a deformable portion to the user-held portion of the Pencil's casing. When the user presses down on this portion, the assigned function is activated and the software can display how the Pencil is being held.

This area can also be transformed outward to subtly alert the user to something without having to shake the pencil and ruin what they are working on. This warning would help the user feel like they are pressing a button or determine where the edge of the workspace is.

Since this is only a patent, it may be a drastically reshaped version if it ever comes to market. However, one can dream of something like this being included in a future Apple Pencil. While styluses are great for certain tasks, they are not always intuitive for navigating the desktop or home screen. With such tactile feedback, Apple's tablet would theoretically have a significant advantage over Microsoft's tablet by allowing users to use the stylus instead of their hands and fingers in a more natural way.

Perhaps this has convinced you to choose the iPad Pro over a comparable Surface model. the iPad Pro is a great tablet and can often be found on the web at a small discount.