MagSafe is coming to Qi

MagSafe is truly one of the wonders of the modern world.

It makes wireless charging way better and easier, and it's great for accessories like car mounts. There's a range of useful and interesting gewgaws that can be clamped magnetically to the back of your iPhone.

And now it's coming to Android -- and everything else that's charged wirelessly.

The Wireless Power Consortium says Apple's MagSafe will be built into the next-generation Qi charging standard, allowing a range of devices to benefit from the magnetic system.

This is a win for everyone, and it's great to see a good idea like MagSafe get the widest possible distribution throughout the product world by becoming a standard.

Kudos to Apple for letting this happen.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

MagSafe is headed for non-Apple handsets. The Wireless Power Consortium is making Apple’s wireless charging system for iPhone into an industry standard dubbed "Qi2." The first Qi2 devices are expected to be on the market by the end of 2023.

The months-long slide in the value of Apple shares reached the point Tuesday that the company is now worth less than $2 trillion. In an ironic twist, this happened exactly one year to the day after Apple's market cap surpassed the $3 trillion mark.

JBL revealed several new wireless earbud models Wednesday, including the new flagship Tour Pro 2 with a touchscreen for additional control via its "smart case."

If you have an iPhone 11, 12 or 13 series handset, you can now get 40% off all SwitchEasy cases for those lineups in the Cult of Mac Store. So, if your iPhone 11, 12 or 13 case is getting old and worn — or if you just want a fresh look — don’t miss the SwitchEasy Flash Sale. We’ve extended this end-of-season sale for a limited time. Dress up your old iPhone for the new year!

Belkin is switching to make its top-selling mobile power products out of 73% to 75% post-consumer recycled plastics. The change will make no difference to the appearance or price of the accessories, but will significantly reduce the company’s carbon emissions.

Plugable just launched a dock with an eye-popping number of ports. The 16-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Quad Dock offers nearly every type of port a Mac can access, like HDMI, DisplayPort, six USB-A ports and Ethernet. It can be part of a really tricked-out setup.

After Apple killed Dark Sky on January 1, many fans found themselves lamenting the loss of the groundbreaking weather app that offered hyperlocal forecasts. Luckily, you can re-create Dark Sky’s main features using a competing app called Carrot Weather. Alternatively, you can quickly tweak Apple’s built-in Weather app so it acts more like Dark Sky.

The new case offers drop protection for an iPhone, plus a built-in handle. And all this comes without interfering with MagSafe wireless charging. The product is a CES Innovations Award honoree.

The new Lululook Foldable Laptop Stand props up your MacBook at a range of angles, and also can lift the computer to a variety of heights. As a bonus, it also rotates so the notebook can be easily spun around. I tested Lululook’s latest stand in my home office, and it’s an outstanding addition to a MacBook-centered setup.

On January 4, 1995, Apple signed a deal with third-party Mac accessory-maker Radius, allowing it to build Macintosh clones.

Some computer setups are simply music to our ears — almost literally, in some cases. Today’s featured setup sees (and hears) an M1 MacBook Pro playing frontman to a band that includes a few pieces of key audio hardware and software, as well as dual curved, ultra-wide external displays.

Tweet o' the day

One more thing ...

"The only purpose for me in building a company is so that it can make products. Of course, building a very strong company and a foundation of talent and culture is essential over the long run to keep making great products. On the other hand, to me, the company is one of humanity's most amazing inventions. It's totally abstract. Sure, you have to build something with bricks and mortar to put the people in, but basically, a company is this abstract construct we've invented, and it's incredibly powerful." -- Steve Jobs, 1998.

Reply

or to participate.