Plugable is out today with a new USB-C NVMe SSD enclosure that offers solid performance, a slim, tool-free aluminum design to swap SSDs, and an affordable price point. Read on for the details including our thoughts after some hands-on time with this new NVMe SSD enclosure.
Vonmählen is a new company claiming to have the world’s first 5-in-1 compact keyring charging cable and is currently seeing success with two crowdfunding campaigns. With a sharp and slim magnetic design, the “High Five” includes Lightning, USB-C, USB-A, and Micro-USB to offer 2.4A fast charging for iPhone, iPad, and many other devices.
There are a handful of USB-C portable monitors on the market, but a lot of them have mediocre reviews and include questionable trade-offs. A new Kickstarter campaign is looking to offer two compelling 15-inch USB-C portable monitors, a 4K model, and a 1080p touchscreen model which have hit over 700% funding in the first two hours.
Last year we learned that Apple would be opening up its MFi program to USB-C/Lightning cables so third-parties can expand the options on the market (and offer cheaper alternatives). After seeing a preview of Belkin’s upcoming cables, Anker is out today with details about its options that will be arriving in March. Also, a lesser-known brand has just successfully met its funding goal on Kickstarter for a line of durable, braided nylon USB-C to Lightning cables and is promising to ship them by April.
Satechi has announced two new USB-C PD chargers at CES 2019. The 30W and 75W travel chargers feature both USB-C and USB-A for convenience to charge any device. Notably, the 75W charger offers two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, perfect for simultaneous charging of a MacBook, iPad Pro, iPhone, and more.
Ahead of CES next week, Mophie is today out with two new portable chargers, the Powerstation PD and Powerstation PD XL. Both feature USB-C and USB-A ports and offer 18W output to charge iPhones up to 50% in just 30 minutes and will fast charge compatible iPads as well. Mophie has also announced a new Powerstation Plus line with integrated Lightning and micro USB chargers.
An upgrade to the USB-C standard allows cryptography to be used to authenticate connected devices. It will ensure that devices are properly certified, but can also be used to enhance security …
Hyper, the prolific third-party Apple hardware maker, has created a new device that addresses one of the biggest issues with the 2018 iPad Pro — the sheer amount of dongles needed for basic connectivity to external devices.
Apple makes several dongles, including the USB-C to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter, USB-C to SD Card Reader, USB-C to USB Adapter, and USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. A single 6-in-1 HyperDrive USB-C Hub can replace all of those dongles, and look much better in the process.
Today marks the beginning of Hyper’s Kickstarter campaign to launch its USB-C Hub for iPad Pro. Early backers can score a space gray HyperDrive hub for $49. The company sent over a couple of units for some much-anticipated early hands-on time.
Is this the definitive peripheral that all iPad Pro owners should have their eye on? Watch our first look video walkthrough for the details.
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The new iPad Pro is the first iOS device to make the switch from Lightning to USB-C. Popular Apple accessory maker, Hyper, has now revealed the first iPad Pro USB-C hub along with a 50% promotion.
Alongside the new clear case for iPhone XR, Apple is also making the 18W USB-C power adapter bundled with the 2018 iPad Pros available as a separate purchase. This adapter offers a more cost-effective entry point to fast charging for iPhone X, XS, and XR.
According to documentation by Chinese battery website ChargerLAB, Apple is planning on shipping the necessary Lightning components required to assemble USB-C to Lightning cables to hardware manufactures in as soon as six weeks. This news is in contrast to a previous report which said these cables wouldn’t be launching until mid-2019.
iPad Pro switching from Lightning to USB-C unlocks new capabilities like charging your iPhone or importing photos and videos directly, but only if you have the right cable with you. My go-to solution is a USB-C to Lightning cable that lives on my keychain and will always be with me when I’m away from home.
Macworld has a wishlist piece on the 2019 iPhone. Some of it is uncontroversial and very likely to happen – things like a better neural engine and improved Face ID (including landscape operation, like the new iPad Pro).
But the site’s Jason Cross also proposes something Apple is extremely unlikely to do: making the 2019 iPhone a little thicker …
Apple already makes USB-C to Lightning cables that you can buy separately, and the iPhone XS lineup is expected to include the cable in the box in place of USB-A to Lightning. Now Macotakara reports that MFi (Made for iPhone) accessory makers have been told that Apple will soon approve MFi USB-C Lightning cables as well, but a higher cost of production is coming too.
Apple’s decisions to remove the headphone jack starting with iPhone 7/7 Plus and going all in on USB-C with the MacBook and MackBook Pro have caused a lot of commotion. But no matter how you see the changes, an interesting result has emerged, we’ve made Apple’s dongles the best-selling products at Best Buy.
In theory, all USB-C cables should be the same: that’s the whole point of having a standard. In practice, there are different versions of the standard. More worryingly, many cables being sold as USB-C don’t fully conform to that standard – and that can be seriously bad news …
While the tech industry is still in the middle of a transition to USB-C, it can be easy to wind up with lots of various charging bricks and adapters. Leviton’s Type A & Type C USB Charger/Receptacle caught our eye as a way to simplify our digital lives, so we went hands-on with the handy wall outlet.
If you were hoping to benefit from fast charging of this year’s iPhones, that may not be possible with many third-party chargers …
If you thought it was annoying having to buy MacBook/MacBook Pro dongles, spare a thought for owners of Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface Laptops …
In an odd move, Apple has now replaced its 29W USB-C power adapter with a new 30W variation.
If you’re not familiar with the idea behind our new Change My View opinion format, please check out our guide. The tl;dr version is that we invite you to take an active interest in opposing views, and to discuss in a respectful way.
Last time you succeeded in changing my view that MacBook Pro keyboard issues were overblown, and this time I’m going to tackle an issue where I suspect you’ll have even more to say.
My argument is it’s time for Apple to migrate iPhones and iPads from Lightning ports to USB-C ones …
iPhone 8 and iPhone X support fast charging via a Lightning to USB-C cable, but Apple opted not to ship fast charging accessories in the box. Instead, iPhone customers have to fork over nearly $80 for a charging cable and brick that offers fast charging. That may change with the next flagship iPhones…
Ugreen released its new USB-C Multiport 8 in 1 Adapter earlier this year and it quickly sold out with an affordable price tag of about $50. Now, we’ve gone hands on with the accessory that packs about every I/O you could need. We’ve also got an exclusive 25% off for 9to5Mac readers who want to grab this adapter for $40. Read on for our full review and coupon code.
Akitio’s SK-2520 U3.1 is a portable diskless enclosure that can be populated with two SATA SSDs. It results in a relatively quick RAID-enabled drive that can be powered directly via USB-C. Should Mac users give it a look? Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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