EU rules are forcing Apple to redesign its notoriously unrepairable Pencil. The company is developing two new stylus models with replaceable batteries for a spring 2027 launch alongside next-generation iPad Pros, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
New versions of both the lower-end Apple Pencil with USB-C and the higher-end Apple Pencil Pro are in development. The current models launched in November 2023 and May 2024, respectively.
The driver is Article 11 of the EU Batteries Regulation, which took effect in 2023 but becomes legally enforceable in February 2027. It requires portable batteries in consumer electronics to be readily removable and replaceable by the end user during the product's lifetime.
That's a problem for Apple's current Pencil design. The stylus is assembled with extensive internal adhesive, essentially a plastic unibody with no seams, screws, or separation points.
Batteries recharge via USB-C or magnetic wireless attachment to an iPad, but if the internal battery degrades, replacement is virtually impossible.
Gurman believes the new models will ship with "new battery systems," though the exact redesign remains unclear. The lower-end USB-C model may be easier to adapt, its sliding USB-C cap already introduced a seam that could be leveraged for battery access. The Pencil Pro's smooth body presents a tougher engineering challenge.
The law applies beyond smartphones and tablets to accessories including rechargeable styluses, keyboards, mice, and headphones. Apple's AirPods present an even harder problem, miniaturized wireless earbuds offer no obvious path to user-replaceable batteries.
