Mike Wuerthele
Apple didn't release all the accessories it plans for MagSafe for the iPhone 12 family, as it reportedly has a battery pack planned — if it can work through the engineering issues.
An obvious addition to Apple's MagSafe accessory line is a first-party battery pack, with the integrations that Apple's Smart Battery Case provides. Reports from Wednesday suggest that Apple has been working on one, as there are hints of software support in the iOS 14.5 beta.
A new report from Bloomberg on Friday morning discusses the peripheral. Apple reportedly has one in the engineering phase, but is hitting some problems, which are said to be mostly in software. It is reportedly only a battery that connects with MagSafe, and is not a complete protective case.
Internal testing is said to be underway. MagSafe charging functionality appears to be functioning fine by itself, but software issues are said to have cropped up.
Specifically, the peripheral is reporting to the iPhone that the pack is overheating, erroneously. The report claims that Apple is also trying to "mend issues' related to use of the device with and without a protective case.
The report goes on to claim that Apple has discussed producing other MagSafe accessories. Specifically named is an in-car attachment, but it appears that the car peripheral has not made it to development as of yet.
Several third parties have MagSafe-compatible battery packs. They are generally a ring of magnets oriented to take advantage of the MagSafe mount, with an integrated Qi charger in the device, sidestepping Apple's MFi program for the most part.
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4 Comments
Bloomberg is also the publication that now just makes up stories, so perhaps take their reporting with a grain of salt.
A wirelessly connected battery pack is a pretty dumb idea, since ~40% of the power is wasted in the transfer. Doesn't really matter so much when on the mains.
I hope they work out all of the glitches before they release anything to the public. Apple's Smart Battery Case for iPhone Xs Max is the most problematic Apple product that I've ever owned. I had all kinds of charging related issues with it, including the case discharging the phone's battery and totally neutering the phone's compass. My hopes rose when Apple issued a recall on most of the original units, including mine. I took advantage of the recall, crossed my fingers, and got a replacement unit with the expectation that it would finally work as intended. Unfortunately the replacement unit was just as bad as the original (recalled defective one). I've given up on the product and it was a total waste of my time and money. The only thing positive about the (Not So) Smart Battery Case was that it turned me on to Apple's silicone iPhone cases, which I've now grown to love because of their "just right" amount of grip & slip for confident handling and effortless pocketability.
If you could mark Bloomberg-sourced stories in the title then that would save me a click.
The Internet.