For those who came in late, Apple invented the pencil for its Surface Pro tablet, er new iPad. Like many Apple gadgets, the pencil will spend most of its life on recharge and it will cost an absolute fortune.

IKEA's marketing department has pointed out that Apple's new pencil can't measure up to one of its in-store pencils, which don't need charging and are totally disposable.

The flat-pack furniture emporium has took to Facebook to promote "the IKEA pencil for everyone" in a mock advert that apes Apple's style.

The Swedish firm points out that its brand of pencil is "absolutely familiar" and "entirely free", unlike that new-fangled Apple Pencil with its $99 price tag.

We expect that Apple will be issuing writs soon.  After all it has no sense of humour and it did invent the pencil, the rounded rectangle, the wheel and fire (when the first Apple II's caught fire).