Apple just revealed the $40 MagSafe charger, a brand new wireless charging pad for iPhone 12
- Apple revealed the brand new iPhone 12 on Tuesday afternoon during its annual iPhone event.
- Alongside the new phone, Apple announced a new $40 wireless charging mat named MagSafe — a nod to the beloved charging port that appeared on Apple laptops for years.
- The new charger is Apple's second attempt to break into wireless charging. The company previously revealed — and almost launched — a product named "AirPower" that was eventually cancelled in a rare move from Apple.
Apple is making a second attempt at wireless charging with a new product named MagSafe — a nod to the beloved charging port that was part of every Apple laptop for years.
The new $40 device enables Apple's latest iPhone, the iPhone 12, to wireless charge. The phone magnetically snaps onto the charger, and Apple has a variety of new accessories to go alongside the new device — from cases to stands, both made by Apple and from third-parties like Belkin.
In addition to the MagSafe charger, Apple also introduced the MagSafe Duo. Instead of charging just an iPhone, the charger can be opened to charge two devices at once.
Here's what that looks like in action:
Notably, the MagSafe wireless chargers aren't Apple's first attempt to break into wireless charging.
Back in 2017, Apple announced a device named AirPower that was intended to serve the same purpose. But two years later, despite the product being announced and its name even appearing on related products, Apple killed the device in a rare move for the smartphone giant.
"After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch," Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering Dan Riccio said in March 2019. "We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward."
MagSafe appears to be the next step in Riccio's promise to "push the wireless experience forward."
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