
It took time for wireless speeds to catch up with wired options. iPhone batteries are roughly 10 times larger than Watch batteries, and their data needs are as different as night and day. But cutting the iPhone’s power and data cords wouldn’t be as easy.

Wall plug for mac chargers Bluetooth#
Subsequent innovations enabled the Watch to charge faster using its magnetic puck, as well as sending and receiving data faster with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth updates - all performant enough that complaints about these facets of the Watch have become relatively scarce. No one thought too deeply about the fact that Apple hadn’t used USB or a proprietary all-in-one connector as a replacement, and the only obvious consequences were less-than-ideal recharging and data speeds. Announced in 2014 and released in 2015, that device used a Magnetic Charging Cable for power and a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer data. While it seems easy to look back at the 2006 MacBook version of MagSafe to see where this all started, Apple actually began testing the waters for fully wireless charging and data with the original Apple Watch. Consequently, smartphone users will soon care less about fidgeting with cables than finding charging plates, but the transition to fully wireless charging won’t necessarily be smooth for any company, least of all Apple. My informed belief is that MagSafe’s late 2020 release has set the stage for iPhones to move away from traditional connectors in 2021, a move that rivals will likely mock before following suit in subsequent years.

Now there’s a MagSafe Charger for the iPhone - a surprisingly large metal and plastic puck that promises a similar mix of speed and convenience for certain iPhones, under specific conditions, at premium prices. For computer users concerned about tripping over their power supplies, MagSafe was a bona fide sensation, promising the full-speed charging of a traditional power plug with the instant detachment of a magnet. Last week, Apple announced the return of MagSafe, its trademarked name for the magnetic charging connectors found in MacBook laptops before USB-C unceremoniously replaced them.
