Malcolm Owen
Apple will refresh many iPhone accessories as it shifts to USB-C, a prominent leaker insists, with the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo on the docket.
The "Wonderlust" Apple event on Tuesday is widely expected to introduce a USB-C iPhone 15 as Apple continues to shift away from its use of the Lightning connector. With the iPhone making the migration, it is reckoned a number of other connected accessories will do so as well.
According to Mark Gurman speaking to MacRumors, the move over to USB-C will impact more than its main device lines, as it will also be performed on accessories within each ecosystem too. The change from Lightning to USB-C will be fairly quick, reminiscent of Apple's change over to Lightning in 2012.
Gurman proposes the Apple is "going to need to do a new MagSafe Duo with USB-C," and that the company "certainly can update the MagSafe Battery Pack." Furthermore, the discontinued Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock could be brought back with USB-C too, he offers.
While change is a must for the accessories, Gurman doesn't expect "any curveballs or any brand new types of accessories" to be introduced in Tuesday's event.
The MagSafe Battery Pack update is under development by Apple but won't be arriving soon, Gurman adds. The updated version could offer new features, such as stacking units to daisy-chain multiple battery packs together, or to charge multiple items at the same time.
Though Apple's accessories are expected to change over to USB-C at some point, rumors have claimed that an AirPods charging case with the connector is on the way.
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18 Comments
This really sucks because USB-C connectors are known to not stay connected. Lightning is just fine for phones, especially because this is a really good connector that actually stays connected. I continue to have issues with USB-C cables staying connected to external storage and my iMac. The connection keeps dropping, even after I tape the connector to the SSD enclosure. Move it a tiny bit and it disconnects. I've never had this problem with Lightning except when the cable has been damaged. It really upsets me that an inferior "standard" is being forced on Apple. Intel has never provided the computer market with a good connector.
The day the gauge changed;
the history guy the day they changed the rail gage
Some 11,000 miles of southern railway was changed to STandard Gage in the span of about 36 hours.
Needles to state, the railroads pocketed the efficiencies rather than passing them on to customers.
Good move. Everything else in the world is moving to USB-C.