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Why the iPhone Ultra might not get an Apple Pencil

Reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggest Apple considered a special Apple Pencil for the upcoming iPhone Ultra but decided against it, citing reasons such as awkward holding, unsightly marks on the display, and a desire to avoid conflicting with Steve Jobs' anti-stylus vision. The decision comes as Apple prepares for its September 9 event, where the foldable iPhone is expected to debut.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Aug 31, 2026 Published 1h ago

Reports suggest Apple shelved an Apple Pencil for the iPhone Ultra

As Apple prepares for its September 9 "Surprise and shine" event, where the company's first foldable iPhone is widely expected to be unveiled, reports have indicated that a companion stylus will not be part of the launch. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple considered making a special version of the Apple Pencil for the upcoming iPhone Ultra but ultimately decided against it.

The stylus, as described in the reports, was set to be "stubbier" to match the iPhone Ultra's height. It would have magnetically attached to the side of the phone for storage and charging, similar to how the Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad. However, unlike the iPad, which has the stylus affixed to the top of the device, attaching it to the side of the phone would make holding the device while charging the pencil more uncomfortable, according to Gurman.

Three reasons behind the decision

Gurman outlined three reasons for Apple's decision. First, the Pencil would have made the device awkward to hold. Second, it would have conflicted with Steve Jobs' view that a stylus is a poor substitute for a finger. Third, it would have left "unsightly marks" on the iPhone Ultra's delicate inner screen.

9to5Mac, in its coverage, suggested that the display concerns were likely the decisive factor, noting that Apple reportedly waited a long time to launch its first folding iPhone because of concerns about the appearance and longevity of the display. Allowing an Apple Pencil to be repeatedly scraped across it would have put both at risk.

Tom's Guide similarly reported that Gurman said the stylus would leave unsightly marks on the screen, calling it a potential deal-breaker.

Steve Jobs' legacy and Apple's flexibility

The second reason, aligning with Steve Jobs' famous anti-stylus stance, has drawn scrutiny. 9to5Mac noted that Jobs' objection was not to the use of a stylus per se, but rather that existing smartphones required one. The original iPhone was designed to be practical with a finger, which was the breakthrough.

Furthermore, as 9to5Mac pointed out, Apple has shown it is not afraid to contradict its co-founder's positions. Jobs famously rejected touchscreens on Macs due to poor ergonomics, yet Apple is expected to release a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen in the near future.

Samsung's Galaxy Note precedent

For context, Samsung introduced the S-Pen stylus with its Galaxy Note phablets in 2011. The Note was marketed as a device that could partly substitute for a paper notebook, and it maintained a dedicated fanbase for a decade before being discontinued in 2021.

What this means for the iPhone Ultra launch

The reports do not rule out the possibility of a stylus for the iPhone Ultra in the future. They suggest that Apple most likely won't have a stylus ready for the device's launch. Whether the company will revisit the idea remains uncertain, but for now, the iPhone Ultra is expected to launch without an Apple Pencil.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

9to5Mac

Framing: The headline suggests the article will reveal the likely reason the iPhone Ultra won't get an Apple Pencil. — analytical and speculative

as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC

Facts Included:

A report yesterday suggested that Apple considered making a special version of the Apple Pencil for the upcoming iPhone Ultra before deciding against it.
Bloomberg suggests that there are three reasons behind this decision, one of them being a desire not to conflict with the position adopted by Steve Jobs when launching the original iPhone.
Samsung gave its Galaxy Note phablets an S-Pen stylus when the device was launched back in 2011.
The thinking was that this was a device that would in part substitute for a paper notebook, and it survived for a decade with a definite fanbase before being discontinued in 2021.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman lists three reasons Apple decided against the idea in the end: It would have made the device awkward to hold, with a Pencil on the side rather than the top; It would have conflicted with Steve’s view of a stylus being a poor substitute for a finger; It would have made unsightly marks on the display.
Steve also famously rejected touchscreens on Macs because he felt the ergonomics were terrible, but we’re still expecting the upcoming MacBook Pro model to incorporate one, so clearly Apple isn’t afraid to contradict the positions once taken by its co-founder.
Apple reportedly waited a long time to launch the first folding iPhone precisely because it was concerned about both the appearance and longevity of the display, and allowing an Apple Pencil to be repeatedly scraped across it would have put both at risk.

Read the source article →

Tom's Guide

Framing: The headline emphasizes the last-minute report disputing the Apple Pencil rumor, while also hinting at how the Pencil could have worked. — excited but measured

as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Apple is holding its "Surprise and shine" event on September 9.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the new Apple Pencil probably won't be announced.
The iPhone Ultra Apple Pencil was set to be "stubbier" to match the iPhone Ultra's height.
The Pencil would magnetically attach to the side of the phone for storage and charging.
Gurman said the stylus would leave "unsightly marks" on the iPhone Ultra's delicate inner screen.
Apple isn't launching an Apple Pencil for the iPhone Ultra to avoid conflicting with Steve Jobs' anti-stylus vision.

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimApple considered making a special version of the Apple Pencil for the upcoming iPhone Ultra before deciding against it.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC, Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC
ClaimBloomberg's Mark Gurman says a new Apple Pencil probably won't be announced for the iPhone Ultra.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC
ClaimApple is holding its 'Surprise and shine' event on September 9.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe iPhone Ultra Apple Pencil was set to be 'stubbier' to match the iPhone Ultra's height.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC
ClaimThe Pencil would magnetically attach to the side of the phone for storage and charging.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC, 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimAttaching the Pencil to the side of the phone would make holding the giant phone while charging uncomfortable.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC
ClaimGurman said the stylus would leave 'unsightly marks' on the iPhone Ultra's delicate inner screen.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC, 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimApple isn't launching an Apple Pencil for the iPhone Ultra to avoid conflicting with Steve Jobs' vision for the original iPhone, which was anti-stylus.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets) via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC, 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimSamsung gave its Galaxy Note phablets an S-Pen stylus when the device was launched back in 2011.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimThe Galaxy Note was a device that would in part substitute for a paper notebook, and it survived for a decade with a definite fanbase before being discontinued in 2021.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimSteve Jobs famously rejected touchscreens on Macs because he felt the ergonomics were terrible.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimApple is expected to release the upcoming MacBook Pro model with a touchscreen.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimApple reportedly waited a long time to launch the first folding iPhone because it was concerned about the appearance and longevity of the display.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimAllowing an Apple Pencil to be repeatedly scraped across the folding display would have put both appearance and longevity at risk.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via 9to5Mac as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC
ClaimApple most likely won't have a stylus ready for the iPhone Ultra launch.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Tom's Guide as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:16 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles consulted: 9to5Mac, Tom's Guide 15 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-31