AirPods Max 2 review: Familiar features & design, but needs more
AirPods Max 2 finally got an actual update. They're still excellent, but the added features aren't really anything new.AirPods Max 2 review: What's old is new againApple half-heartedly updated the AirPods Max in September of 2024. It was such a meager update that it removed a prior feature — wired lossless — and didn't get a new name.Thankfully, Apple at least brought back wired lossless audio via a software update. That update delivered nothing else, and was months later just to restore a feature that the Lightning version had. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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AirPods Max 2 review: High-end adds modern features at last
After a five-year wait, AirPods Max 2 have officially arrived. They aren’t a dramatic rethink of the product or the form factor, but they bring some much-needed modernization courtesy of the new H2 chip inside. I’ve been wearing AirPods Max for the last 6 days, here’s what I think. Buy AirPods Max 2: $529 (Reg. $549) more…

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The new adaptive Apple Music design draws complaints from dark mode users
The new Apple Music album and playlist design introduced with iOS 26.4 has a lot of fans, but is drawing the ire of some hardcore dark mode users. Now that the colors of the interface adapt to match the album art, screens can be very bright at night if you tap on an album that features mostly white or other light-colored backgrounds. For users that rely on dark mode to keep the phone screen dark at night time, these interface ‘flash bangs’ are triggering frustrations. more…

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Apple continues to roll out age verification around the world; more UK methods
Tech trends aren’t always easy to spot at an early stage, but there’s a very clear exception right now: the age verification requirement a growing number of countries and US states are introducing. Apple is impacted by at least some of this legislation as certain apps are rated as suitable only for adults, and the company has so far introduced age verification in three countries … more…

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Macs last nearly twice as long in the enterprise as Windows PCs
A new analysis of computers used in the enterprise finds that Macs and iPhones last much longer and have far fewer problems. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Ollama is supercharged by MLX's unified memory use on Apple Silicon
Machine learning researchers using Ollama will enjoy a speed boost to LLM processing, as the open-source tool now uses MLX on Apple Silicon to fully take advantage of unified memory.Ollama has been boosted by MLX on Apple SiliconAnyone working with large language models (LLMs) wants results as quickly as possible. There are techniques to do this using multiple Macs, working in a cluster to increase the amount of processing at hand, but one method made by Apple also provides an extra bit of assistance.This has been undertaken by the developers working on the open-source model management and execution tool Ollama. In a March 30 update, it announced that it is previewing a version of the tool for Apple Silicon that takes advantage of MLX. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Last Day: All of the best Big Spring Sale Apple deals – AirPods Pro 3, MacBook, iPad, accessories, more
The final 24 hours of Amazon’s 2026 Big Spring Sale is now well underway. Alongside the ongoing holiday pricing AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off, we are also tracking gigantic lineup of discounts on M5 MacBook models at new Amazon all-time lows, M4 and M5 MacBook Air configs, the new AirPods Max 2, the new M4 iPad Air, official Apple accessories, and much more. Those deals join a massive collection of price drops on smartphone and Mac accessories, smart home gear, power stations, and much more. Scope it all out down below before the sale ends tonight. more…

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Here’s how to backup your Apple devices on World Backup Day
There’s a saying that there are two types of people in the world: those who have experienced major data loss and those who will experience major data loss. World Backup Day is a good time to ensure that you’re protected against falling into the second category. Fortunately, Apple devices make it very simple to keep them automatically backed up, but it is still worrying how many people fail to do so … more…

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The top 50 people who built Apple, ranked
Macworld April 1 marks Apple’s 50th anniversary, a milestone it couldn’t reach without the help of some very talented people. So we decided to put together a list of the 50 people who made Apple the company it is today. Some worked there for just a year or two; others for almost the entire half-century, while others never actually worked for the company at all. But all influenced Apple’s journey in some profound way. This is all, of course, deeply subjective. It is very unlikely that every reader will agree with the author’s selections, far less with his rankings. Which is fine, we welcome the conversation. Our only rule is that if you complain about someone’s exclusion, tell us who you would cut to make room. The list is presented in reverse order and will be expanded with 10 new names each day across this week. Who do you think will make the top 10? Drop us a message on Bluesky or Threads. 50-41 50. Katie Cotton Apple PR legend Katie Cotton joined Apple in 1996, shortly before the return of Steve Jobs, and worked closely with him for the next 15 years. For better or worse, she was instrumental in shaping the company’s communications strategy and famous culture of secrecy, fiercely controlling Apple’s portrayal in the press. As we wrote upon her retirement in 2014, she “largely turned public relations on its head.” Cotton sadly passed away in 2023, but like Jobs himself, her legacy lives on in Apple Park.

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Best Apple Watch chargers, stands, power banks & docks 2026
Macworld Apple ships a simple but effective charging cable with the Apple Watch that will fast-charge an Apple Watch Series 7 or later (Watch 8/9/10/11, Watch Ultra 1/2/3). You won’t find a faster charging accessory but you can also choose from a wide range of stylish and practical charging stands, docks and power banks for your Apple Watch—including some that can also charge other Apple devices such as your iPhone and AirPods. Here, we round up the best Apple Watch chargers, docks and charging stands—some of which can charge your other Apple devices at the same time. Most should be compatible with all generations of the Watch, but be sure to check compatibility before buying. See below the product chart for more on Apple Watch fast-charging, including the expected charging times of each Apple Watch. There are simple charging cables, multi-device chargers that can power up your Apple Watch plus your iPhone and AirPods, chargers that are built for portability and travel, designer models that look great at home or in the office, and handy Apple Watch power banks. While battery life has improved with the most recent Watch launches, particularly the Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, you will still find yourself in need of recharging between one and two days. We’ve tested a lot and selected our favorite Apple Watch chargers here. Best simple Apple Watch chargers Best 2-in-1 Apple Watch/iPhone chargers Best 3-in-1 Apple Watch/iPhone/AirPod chargers Best 3-in-1 Apple Watch travel chargers Best Apple Watch power banks Simple Apple Watch stands Best simple Apple Watch chargers Every Apple Watch comes with the company’s Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable. At $29 / £29 it’s not overly expensive to buy a spare or replacement, but there are more able multifunction Watch chargers available, as well as much cheaper simple cables that we would steer clear of but which we have investigated to see if we can find one we can recommend. First we start our best Apple Watch charger roundup with these simple models, and then we test the more functional and better-designed alternatives. Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable – Best Apple Watch charging cable Pros Fast charge Watch Simple Price When Reviewed: $29 Best Prices Today: Retailer   Price Check on Amazon Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Watch fast charge: Yes Size: 3.3ft (1m) cable Weight: 2.6oz (73g) Colors: White USB-C charger: Not included (20W charger required) Apple ships its Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable with its Watch Series 7 and later models, including the Watch Series 8/9/10/11, SE 3 and Watch Ultra. (Earlier Apple Watch SE models and Series 6 and earlier Watches shipped with the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable that lacks the fast-charging function.) Both charging cables are Apple white and a meter long. The latest version features an enhanced charging puck that also works with the case of the AirPods Pro 2 & 3 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. The 7.5W Fast Charger Cable can charge 33% faster than the older 5W cable—charging a compatible Watch battery from 0-80% in just 45 minutes. An eight-minute charge will support eight hours of sleep tracking. Without fast charge, it takes about 1.5 hours to charge an Apple Watch to 80%, and about 2.5 hours to 100%. Fast charging requires at least a 20W USB-C charger, like you’d use to charge an iPhone; find our recommended best iPhone chargers for a wider choice that the plain Apple 20W charger. While you can still buy the older Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, there’s little benefit as the newer Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable is backwards compatible with older Watch models, looks the same, and is the same price. You can use the old cable on a later Watch but obviously without fast charging.

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macOS Tahoe 26.4 breaks Time Machine network backups
macOS 26.4 appears to break Time Machine backups over NAS, leaving users unable to complete backups. A workaround exists, but it’s not a simple fix. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Dear Apple, I have two wishes for World Backup Day
Macworld Happy World Backup Day! Wait, you didn’t know it’s World Backup Day? Well, it is! And you know how you can celebrate? By making a backup copy of your important files. That’s all you need to do! So easy! But don’t keep them on the same storage device as the original, because that’s defeating the purpose. Put it somewhere like an external drive or in cloud storage, such as your iCloud account. I’m sorry, what did you say? Your iCloud storage is full? Well, of course it is! Because Apple hands out a measly 5GB of iCloud storage free with each Apple account. 5GB was a lot in, say, 2011, when iCloud was introduced. It’s now 15 years later, and the free allocation is still at a 2011 level. I’m not the only one: We’ve been calling for Apple to raise the free allocation for too long now. Times have changed, and it’s extremely easy to fill 5GBs. How easy? Well, my own 60-minute 4K video track for the recent Macworld Podcast is 3GB–you can add another 10GB for the tracks of my podcast colleagues. I can’t store these tracks in a free iCloud account, so I need to pay for extra storage or find another way to move the files. That’s a hassle for just one project. Now, you’re probably thinking that a person working with 4K video is already going to shell out for more cloud storage, and that’s probably true. But think about the MacBook Neo user, someone who might not be working on long-form 4K videos, but is dabbling in high-resolution video production and learning the ropes with their iPhone 17. This is their first experience with a Mac, and it should all just work without being nickel-and-dimed. After all, these are the type of people Apple is targeting with the Neo–just look at the concerted effort in Apple’s newly populated TikTok channel. Video, as prevalent as it is now, is just one example of why 5GB in 2026 is too small. Photos are another. Lossless music files. Be a hero, Apple, and bump the free iCloud tier to 50GB. It only costs a buck a month anyway–Apple’s iCloud pricing is surprisingly affordable–so why not just give everyone a free boost. While you’re at it, how about granting the other Mac wish I’ve longed for: iCloud Mac backups. A lot of users would love to select iCloud as their Time Machine destination. Then I could even back up my laptop when I’m on the road in my hotel room, sleeping. That would be awesome. Make it happen, Apple. Announce it at WWDC26–the cheer from the audience might be the loudest you’ll ever hear (probably because I’ll be screaming at the top of my lungs in joy). If you’re ready to turn to a non-Apple solution for backups, check out the Macworld guide to best Mac backup software.

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Success has changed you, Apple
Macworld Happy birthday, Apple! You don’t look a day over 49. As with any big birthday, it’s time to take a look back and marvel at how far you’ve come. The Apple of today is not even the Apple of 15 years ago, let alone 50. If anyone still harbored any illusions about it, it is way past time to ditch two long-held ideas about Apple. First, the company is not beleaguered, doomed, or in danger of going out of business in any conceivable way. Mercifully, pundits seem to have finally accepted the fact that Apple is doing just fine, thank you, and is not going away anytime soon, so the Macalope no longer has to rail against this weird idea. It only took a decade. He’s not bitter about it. He’s just glad we’re all on the same page that Apple is and has for some time been doing better than almost any company in history. Second, and relatedly, Apple isn’t the scrappy underdog anymore. Sorry. Last week, you may have seen a video of Steve Jobs addressing Apple employees in the summer of 1999 making the rounds that shows the company’s attitude after his return. How does it compare to other things that aired in 1999, such as “Strange World,” “Harsh Realm,” “Seven Days,” or “The Magnificent Seven”, the TV show?! What the heck even are these shows? Was the Macalope off-world in 1999? Was he in a medically-induced coma? He has no recollection of these at all. Anyway, like these shows, the video of Jobs is not necessarily must-see TV, but it sure does present a different Apple than we see today. It’s about 13 minutes of Jobs being Jobs, talking about Apple’s great products, who the company’s customers are, and taking fun pot shots at Microsoft and the other companies Apple goes on to sprint past in the next 15 years. The nut graph of the talk is this: We’re the last people in this business who give a sh*t about making great computers. Jobs’ evidence of that was that Apple was the only one who made the whole computer, software and hardware. And, regardless of what you think about Apple’s software quality of late or its ability to come up with new designs that surprise and delight, what Jobs said is still true. Apple Silicon is one of the greatest innovations in hardware design of the last 10 years. Are they the most powerful chips out there? Not necessarily. But their performance per watt not only sets an industry standard, it enhances the user experience immeasurably. This is what Jobs was talking about. That said, it’s hard to look at some of Apple’s software and think the company is executing at the same level it used to. Sometimes it’s hard to look at Liquid Glass at all. It’s a cruel irony that as long-time Apple fans are approaching an age where they might have to start worrying about glaucoma, Apple has delivered Glaucoma, The Operating System. If you’d like to receive regular news and updates to your inbox, sign up for our newsletters, including The Macalope and Apple Breakfast, David Price’s weekly, bite-sized roundup of all the latest Apple news and rumors.Foundry It’s become a bit of a running joke to post an error in an Apple product and comment, “It just works.” The truth of the matter is it never just always worked. Maybe things worked a little better back when we were plugging iPods into Macs to sync things physically, but what really happened was that when it worked, it worked so magically that you were more willing to forgive the times when it didn’t. That seems less the case these days. (Some are also less willing to forgive the company when some of its corporate decisions seem so unforgivable.) Like an aging rocker who only wants to play his edgy new synth techno material at a concert, Apple also sometimes seems less attuned to what people want these days. The Vision Pro, for example, is a nice product that few could afford. And when was the last time you used Image Playground? The day after it came out? Same. The one thing people do want, a more conversational Siri, is the one thing the company hasn’t been able to deliver. The Macalope still believes the company’s big mistake was joining the chorus of people declaring AI the next big thing rather than working on more tangible products people actually want. Apple seems less like a company that is ready to murder its darlings than it used to be, too, unless you count murdering them by neglect. It’s matured (not said as a compliment), and Grandpa Tim would rather be on a fixed income generated by Services revenue. This is the company that can’t even bring itself to push apps that create non-consensual sexual material off the App Store. Apple is not the same company it used to be. That said, it still makes a better product than any of its competitors and just in the way Jobs described back in 1999. Some other company will have to answer the question of whether it’s possible to be fabulously successful and still a scrappy underdog.

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Apple’s trailblazing years without Steve Jobs: 1986 to 1995
Macworld With Apple turning 50 years old, there’s been plenty of reminiscing about all the great things people are doing with Apple products around the world. But the times haven’t always been so rosy at Apple. Just 10 years after the company’s founding, in fact, founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were out of the picture as the company struggled and nearly slipped into bankruptcy. Yet despite its troubles, Apple still launched some incredible products that had a lasting impact on the company and the PC landscape. Take a look at some of the innovative new products Apple launched between 1986 and 1995. January 1986: Macintosh Plus Apple The original Macintosh changed the face of computing when it touched down in 1984, and Apple knew it had its work cut out to follow it up. But before a true successor arrived, the company rolled out the Macintosh Plus in early 1986. It wasn’t as flashy as the original Macintosh, but the Macintosh Plus left a lasting legacy of innovation. It was the first Mac to come with wide range of features that later became mainstays among Apple’s computers: a SCSI port that paved the way for CD drives and hard disks; a double-sided 800KB 3.5-inch floppy drive and user-upgradeable SIMM memory; and an expanded keyboard with a number pad and directional arrows. It was such a consequential Mac that it stuck around unchanged until October 1990, a total of 1,734 days, one of the longest-running Macs ever. Combined with frequent discounts, it remained a favorite of Mac users for years. March 1987: Macintosh II Apple While the Macintosh Plus was something of a stopgap product, the Macintosh II was the true heir to 1984’s Macintosh. It marked a radical departure from its predecessor, both in form and function, and was intended to address key complaints with the first-gen model. While the original Macintosh was a compact all-in-one, the Macintosh II separated its computer and display into modular elements, the first Mac to do this, in fact. That modular design allowed users to supply their own screen, but to entice users to stick with Apple, the Macintosh II offered a color display, as well as internal slots for extra hard drives, a feature originally opposed by Jobs. But with him out of the picture, Apple was free to take new risks. January 1988: LaserWriter II Apple In the mid-1980s, printing documents at home was well out of reach of most people. Apple’s LaserWriter helped kickstart the desktop publishing revolution. The original LaserWriter launched in 1985 and was an immediate success. The LaserWriter II followed in 1988, and it was intended to expand upon its predecessor and cement Apple’s advantage in this area. It did just that by offering more models at a variety of price points, helping to expand desktop publishing to a wider audience. The LaserWriter IISC, for example, saved on costs by omitting PostScript compatibility, meaning Apple didn’t have to pay a license fee to Adobe. The premium LaserWriter IINTX, meanwhile, added a SCSI controller for users who wanted to store printer fonts. These products ensured Apple could continue to ride the printer wave and closely link itself to creative individuals and companies – an association that continues today. September 1989: Macintosh Portable RR Auctions These days, Apple excels at packing high-end power into thin and light laptops, but that wasn’t always the case. After all, back in the late 1980s, the technology simply didn’t exist to make desktop computers truly portable, but that didn’t mean Apple wasn’t willing to try. The result was the Macintosh Portable, and it proudly took its place as one of the industry’s first-ever laptops. Its name might have been a little misleading, though, at least by modern standards – this “portable” product tipped the scales at 16lbs, almost six times the weight of the latest M5 MacBook Air. As the first battery-powered Mac, Apple claimed it would last about 10 hours before needing to be charged, but it drew so much power, it needed the battery to start up even when plugged in. Still, it was an undeniably ambitious machine. The Macintosh Portable came with a built-in trackball for mouse usage on the go, a high-end active-matrix fold-down display, and a low-power hard drive in an attempt to save battery life. Yet its big, bulky, heavy battery – coupled with its eye-watering price tag that topped $7,000 – doomed it to poor sales and ignominy. October 1991: PowerBook 100 series Apple The failure of the Macintosh Portable only proved that there was a market for on-the-go Macs. Really, the company was just getting started, and it followed up with the PowerBook 100 series in October 1991. Comprising entry-level, mid-range and high-end models, the PowerBook 100 learned the lessons of the Macintosh Portable and got Apple’s laptop range on the right track. Indeed, the PowerBook range was everything the Macintosh Portable was not. The PowerBook came in a sleek new dark gray color scheme and clocked in at around a third of the weight of the Macintosh Portable. It also sweated the small stuff: one of its well-received innovations was the fact that it included a built-in palm rest below the keyboard, something that’s standard on almost every laptop today. The initial selection of PowerBooks was an incredible success for Apple and reportedly captured around 40 percent of the laptop market in its first year. The PowerBook 100 was innovative and groundbreaking, and is still hailed as one of its most influential PC laptops ever. May 1992: Newton MessagePad 100 RR Auctions The Newton MessagePad doesn’t have the greatest reputation. However, while Apple’s first PDA was far from perfect, it paved the road for many of Apple’s iconic products. For instance, it was considered one of the most exciting products on show at Apple’s August 1993 Macworld Expo and sold 50,000 units in its first three months of availability. In the burgeoning world of PDA devices, the Newton MessagePad 100 was a visionary product that introduced many of the tools we use today, including handwriting recognition, screen rotation, and adaptive virtual keyboards. Still, Newton’s initial handwriting system drew criticism for its inaccurate interpretations of users’ words (although later updates vastly improved its abilities), while the MessagePad 100’s use of AAA batteries was also sub-optimal. But it remains that it had a sizable impact on the tech landscape. February 1994: QuickTake 100 Apple During the 1980s and 1990s, Apple was more than just a Mac maker, as evidenced bt the LaserWriter II and Newton MessagePad 100. Another product to take Apple’s interests outside the Mac was the QuickTake 100, one of the first consumer-oriented digital cameras and a trailblazer in the field. As is still typical for Apple products today, the QuickTake 100 was focused on ease of use as a key selling point, and early reviewers commended its strides in this area. By today’s standards, though, the QuickTake 100 feels somewhat primitive. It could store up to eight photos at 640×480 resolution, had no focus or zoom controls, and didn’t even offer a way to preview or delete individual images after capture. Despite its early promise and positive reception, the QuickTake range was discontinued – along with other product lines such as the LaserWriter and Newton ranges – when Steve Jobs returned to the company in 1997. However, its brief outing showed what was possible when Apple ventured into the world of portable consumer gadgets. March 1994: Power Macintosh 6100 Apple Since its inception, Apple had long collaborated with Motorola as its main chip supplier for Apple’s computing lineup. But by the early 1990s, however, Apple was getting frustrated at Motorola’s inability to keep up with Intel. To address the situation, the Apple-Motorola pairing enlisted the help of IBM, with the resulting AIM partnership birthing the PowerPC processor and the first Mac to feature these chips: the Power Macintosh 6100. Named for its 60MHz PowerPC 601 CPU, it dramatically boosted performance over the Quadra. As Macworld wrote at the time: “Not only has Apple finally regained the performance lead it lost about eight years ago when PCs appeared using Intel’s 80386 CPU, but it has pushed far ahead.” A year after launching, the Power Macintosh line had almost completely replaced all other Mac offerings, while the market for add-in “accelerator” cards was made redundant due to the reasonable pricing of Apple’s own booster card. It was, in other words, a revelatory product. The Power Macintosh’s success underlined Apple’s confidence in its decision to shift to PowerPC processors. It was just the first of several major architecture shakeups to come, but the Power Macintosh and its PowerPC chips showed that change—and chip transitions—didn’t have to be painful.

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Apple @ Work Podcast: Meeting Owl Pro 5 is built for IT
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple. In this episode of Apple @ Work, Frank Weishaupt joins the show to talk all about the new Meeting Owl Pro 5 and its IT focused features. more…

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Best MagSafe and magnetic wireless chargers for iPhone
Macworld We’ve rounded up the best MagSafe, Qi2, Qi2.2 25W, and MagSafe-compatible magnetic chargers, from the plain pad to multi-functional stands (up to six devices charged), and even the most colorful—from snap-on chargers and modular stands to foldable power banks and full charging desk mats. Apple’s MagSafe technology, supported by all models of iPhone since the iPhone 12 (except the iPhone SE and 16e), presents a more efficient way of wirelessly charging compatible iPhones. MagSafe is the ring of magnets around the iPhone’s internal charging coil that senses compatible accessories and magnetically snaps securely into the most efficient charging position with the right accessories. With MagSafe, you’re less likely to wake up to find your phone wasn’t correctly placed on the wireless charger so didn’t charge at all! Testing the best for you We have tested a lot of magnetic chargers—MagSafe, Qi2 and Compatible—and here inform you which one will work best for you. There are simple magnetic wireless chargers, multi-device chargers for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, travel chargers, car chargers and more. Best simple MagSafe chargers Best 2-in-1 MagSafe chargers Best 3-in-1 MagSafe chargers Best 4-in-1 MagSafe Chargers Best travel MagSafe chargers Best MagSafe charging stands with power banks Best MagSafe car charger Best wireless charging desk mat Best wireless charging sleeve Offering up to 25W power output in the right configuration, MagSafe charging is much faster than basic 7.5W magnetic wireless charging. The similar magentic Qi2 standard, supported by the iPhone 13-17 families (and unofficially the iPhone 12 but strangely not the latest 16e) offers similar 15W speed charging. Qi 2.2, also known as Qi2 25W, meets MagSafe at 25W for iPhone 16/17 series. MagSafe or Qi2 certification Apple certifies MagSafe accessories to ensures that the output charging is 15W for most iPhones, and up to 25W for iPhone 16 and 17 (with Apple’s latest MagSafe charger or chargers certified for Qi2 25W). Non-certified magnetic but “MagSafe-compatible” chargers are usually just 7.5W with a ring of magnets to hold your phone in place. Certified MagSafe chargers also have a single-wire NFC antenna that allows the iPhone to identify the device and a built-in magnetometer to prevent compass interference while you are using your iPhone while it’s charging. In our tests, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 chargers are evenly matched for charging speeds. 7.5W MagSafe compatible chargers, as you might expect, take around twice as long—certainly in the early stages of charging. But don’t rule out 7.5W chargers as they are often high quality, nearly always noticeably cheaper and just take a while longer to fully charge an iPhone. The king of the hill is Apple’s new MagSafe charger and chargers based on the new Qi2 25W technology that are definitely faster at 25W, but only with iPhone 16 or later. Foundry Simple vs multi-device magnetic chargers The most basic form of MagSafe or magnetic charger is the simple pad that latches on to the compatible iPhone. Some pads feature a pop-out arm so the iPhone can be propped up while charging. There are also products that can simultaneously charge an iPhone plus other Apple devices, such as an Apple Watch or wireless AirPods charging case. Note that the AirPods case must be of the wireless variety, and the original AirPods case lacked this functionality. The base of a multi-charger could also be used to charge a second iPhone but mostly not magnetically and at 5W rather than 7.5W, 15W, or 25W. Also see our round up of the Best Apple Watch chargers and stands. Best simple MagSafe chargers A simple MagSafe charging pad is the cheapest route to wireless iPhone charging. If you are going to the bother of connecting this product to a wall charger, why not just use a Lightning (iPhone 14 or earlier) or USB-C (iPhone 15 and up) cable direct to the iPhone? You can fast-charge an iPhone to 50% battery in under 30 minutes using a cable and just over that using a 25W charger, while it takes around 50 minutes to wirelessly charge iPhone from 0 to 50% using even 15W MagSafe. That said, there are interesting options to choose from. After these we’ll look at more multi-functional MagSafe chargers. Apple MagSafe Charger – Best simple MagSafe charger for fastest wireless Pros Fast 25W for iPhone 16 and up 15W for Qi2 and most iPhones Cons Expensive, especially at 2m 25W only for iPhone 16 and 17 series Price When Reviewed: $39 Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $32.99 View Deal $32.99 View Deal $39 View Deal $39 View Deal $39.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide View more prices Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Output charging: 25W (MagSafe), 15W (Qi2) Cable: 1m (3.3ft), 2m (6.6ft) Wall charger: Not included Colors: White The most obvious MagSafe Charger to buy for your Apple iPhone is, of course, the Apple MagSafe Charger. It’s the charger that Apple would have shipped with the iPhone if it did such things anymore. It’s as minimalist a design as you’d expect from Apple–it looks a lot like a giant Apple Watch Charger. You can also use it to charge your AirPods. Apple’s latest version of this charger offers 15W Qi2 support and, more importantly, a faster 25W charging speed with iPhone 16 and later. It also added a 2-meter length option for $10/£10 more, which is very welcome. At least a 30W USB-C power adapter is required for 25W charging. In our tests using the Apple MagSafe Charger we wirelessly powered up an iPhone 16 Pro from 0% to 50% in just over 30 minutes. It can also charge your AirPods case (AirPods 2 or AirPods Pro), although not at the same time as the iPhone—for that, you’ll need at least a 2-in-1 wireless charger. The standard 1m cable is too short to comfortably charge and use your iPhone at the same time, or maybe stretch from a power socket to a nearby table, so we recommend the 2m upgrade. Don’t forget that this Apple charger still requires a USB-C power adapter—at least 20W if you want 15W charging and at least 30W to enable 25W charging.

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Your iPhone storage is a mess—this $20 fix is a huge win
Macworld TL;DR: Cleaner Kit uses AI to clean up photos, videos, contacts, and more—grab lifetime access for $19.97 through April 12. iPhones don’t usually slow down overnight—it happens gradually. A few duplicate photos here, a handful of large videos there, and suddenly you’re staring at that dreaded “Storage Almost Full” notification. Cleaner Kit is designed to fix exactly that, without turning cleanup into a time-sucking job. Instead of manually scrolling through thousands of photos or digging through contacts, the app uses AI to identify what’s actually taking up space. Duplicate images, blurry shots, and oversized videos are flagged automatically, so you can clean things up in just a few taps. There’s even a swipe feature that makes the process feel more like organizing than deleting. It goes beyond photos, too. Cleaner Kit can merge duplicate contacts, tidy up your inbox, and even store sensitive files in a secure vault. Everything runs locally on your device, which also means your data stays private. Rather than doing one big cleanup every few months, you can keep your phone running smoothly all the time with minimal effort. Keep your iPhone organized, fast, and frustration-free. Get lifetime access to the iOS Cleaner Kit for just $19.97 (MSRP $104.97) through April 12. Cleaner Kit for iOS Premium Plan: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Opera Neon doubles down on agentic browsing with MCP support
Opera’s agentic browser now lets users connect AI tools directly to their live browsing session, enabling them to access tabs, interact with pages, and take actions in real time. Here are the details. more…

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iOS 26.5 beta 1: All the new features and changes
With Apple shifting its attention to iOS 27, iOS 26.5 beta 1 only brings a handful of minor changes to your iPhone. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

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Apple introduces privacy rules for third-party access to notifications and Live Activities
Apple has updated its Developer Program License Agreement with new rules on how third-party accessories must handle forwarded notifications and Live Activities. Here are the details. more…

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