Black Spots on Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and IPad Air 4

Its been 6 months since i got my IPad Air 4 and my Apple Pencil 2. These black dots appeared on my Apple Pencil and the same black spots are on the place where you put the apple pencil. Does anybody know if/how i can remove them?

Posted on Jun 30, 2022 6:14 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 30, 2022 7:00 AM

The marks that you illustrate on the iPad is localised surface wear of the anodised finish of the iPad. The dark patches on the Apple Pencil body correspond with the magnetic contact points of the Pencil to the iPad inductive charging dock. Any abrasive dust or grit that is present when docking the Pencil can abrade the anodised finish of the iPad. 


Basic material science tells us that any hard/abrasive material will embed itself in the surface of the softer material (in this case, the body of the Pencil) - and this can abrade the surface of the harder material (the anodised coating) as the Pencil slides on/off of the iPad charging pad.


Keeping these surfaces clean and dust free can reduce the possibility of cosmetic surface damage.


The anodised surface finish on your iPad, where damaged, is now a missing surface layer. For the Pencil, as the contamination is embedded in the body of the Pencil, it will likely be difficult to remove. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to use any abrasive material to clean the Pencil body, as this material will itself be embedded in the softer plastic of the Pencil.


In summary, prevention is the only remedy for this type of cosmetic surface damage.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 30, 2022 7:00 AM in response to sofiaraintime

The marks that you illustrate on the iPad is localised surface wear of the anodised finish of the iPad. The dark patches on the Apple Pencil body correspond with the magnetic contact points of the Pencil to the iPad inductive charging dock. Any abrasive dust or grit that is present when docking the Pencil can abrade the anodised finish of the iPad. 


Basic material science tells us that any hard/abrasive material will embed itself in the surface of the softer material (in this case, the body of the Pencil) - and this can abrade the surface of the harder material (the anodised coating) as the Pencil slides on/off of the iPad charging pad.


Keeping these surfaces clean and dust free can reduce the possibility of cosmetic surface damage.


The anodised surface finish on your iPad, where damaged, is now a missing surface layer. For the Pencil, as the contamination is embedded in the body of the Pencil, it will likely be difficult to remove. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to use any abrasive material to clean the Pencil body, as this material will itself be embedded in the softer plastic of the Pencil.


In summary, prevention is the only remedy for this type of cosmetic surface damage.

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Black Spots on Apple Pencil 2nd Gen and IPad Air 4

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