Before Apple's iPhone-7 event in September there was a little hope that we could see Apple introduce the ability to use the Apple Pencil with iPhone. Tim Cook was on record saying "And if you've ever seen what can be created with that pencil on an iPad or an iPhone, it's really unbelievable." Apple certainly has the patents supporting such a development and this week we got another look at what could be coming to the iPhone in regards to the use of Apple Pencil.

This kind of drawing tool is coming to the iPhone and iPad. Apple's patent titled "Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Providing and Interacting with a Virtual Drawing Aid" shows us that the virtual drawing Aid is in fact a virtual ruler.

Apple notes in their patent background that computer-programs that provide virtual design and drawing tools have wide applicability in both industrial and personal use settings. Some applications provide free-hand sketching capabilities that allow a user to draw lines and objects based on free-hand movement of a contact (e.g., a contact made by a finger or stylus) on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a trackpad or touch-screen display). In addition to selecting the color and texture for a drawing tool (e.g., pen, brush, pencil, etc.) used, a user may wish to employ certain conventional drawing aids, such as a straight-edge ruler, a template, a protractor, an angle ruler, etc. It is inconvenient and difficult to use a real-world drawing aid with a virtual drafting environment. Thus, providing virtual drawing aids in computer programs that provide sketching capabilities will improve the functionality of the computer programs. It is challenging to provide virtual drawing aids in a way that are functional, efficient, and ease to use.

Apple's invention provides electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for providing and interacting with a virtual drawing aid. Such methods and interfaces optionally complement or replace conventional methods for providing and interacting with a virtual drawing aid. Such methods and interfaces reduce the burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface.

Apple filed patent application 20160357430 back in Q3 2015. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

Source: patentlyapple