November 1, 2025
Sketchy supply-chain tea
The Suppliers Behind the Apple Pencil Pro
The 'magic' comes from Bosch, TI, and friends—commenters ask: why not Wacom
TLDR: Apple Pencil Pro is built from parts by big-name suppliers like Bosch, TI, and Nordic, showcasing Apple’s outsource-and-integrate strategy. Commenters are split: some mock the marketing and forgot it existed, others beg for Wacom-style compatibility, while a few note Europe quietly supplies much of the tech.
Apple’s shiny Apple Pencil Pro is riding high, but the comments section is where the real show lives. The article says the “magic” is a team effort: Bosch sensors for pressure and tilt, Texas Instruments for power, SiTime to keep timing tight, STMicro running the brains, Nordic for Bluetooth (the wireless link), Cirrus for those clicky haptics, ON for charging, NXP for security, and chips made by TSMC. The community? Absolutely feral. One camp is cackling at Apple’s marketing—several joked it reads like an SNL skit—and some literally forgot this thing was real. Another camp is grumbling: why didn’t Apple just use Wacom’s EMR stylus standard so one pen could work across everything?
Key Points
- •Apple Pencil Pro launched in May 2024 and relies on a network of specialized suppliers for critical components.
- •Texas Instruments provides power management ICs; Bosch supplies pressure/tilt/motion sensors.
- •SiTime delivers MEMS timing solutions; STMicroelectronics contributes microcontrollers or ICs for core functions.
- •Nordic Semiconductor enables Bluetooth communication; Cirrus Logic supports haptic feedback; ON Semiconductor manages charging.
- •NXP Semiconductors and TSMC illustrate Apple’s outsourcing strategy for secure communication and chip manufacturing.