Apple May Finally Bring USB-C to Its Magic Mac Accessories
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Over the past year, Apple has gone nearly all-in on USB-C, finally ditching the Lightning port on the iPhone and, more recently, its entire AirPods lineup. Nevertheless, the company has yet to update one very odd set of outliers: its Mac accessories.
While Apple has never used a Lightning port on an actual Mac, its Magic Mice, Magic Keyboards, and Magic Trackpads have sported Lightning ports for years. These exist primarily for charging, although the keyboards and trackpads can also make wired connections to a Mac. The Magic Mouse is the exception only because of Apple’s bizarre choice to put the charging port on the bottom (making it possibly the weirdest of Apple’s products).
Those Lightning ports arguably made sense in an era when iPhones, iPads, and AirPods also charged via Lightning — and even more so when folks regularly plugged their devices into their Macs. The Lightning port meant you had one cable to rule them all.
When Apple began adopting USB-C on the iPads in 2018, it seemed the end was nigh for Apple’s Lightning Mac accessories. Yet, they remained as-is, even after the 2022 iPad and 2023 iPhone 15 lineup drove the final nail into the Lightning era of Apple’s mobile devices. Rumors of a refresh for these accessories began circulating not long after the iPhone 15 launch, and many were surprised when Apple launched an updated M3 iMac at its Scary Fast event in October with the same old Lightning accessories in the box.
Of course, Apple arguably had bigger fish to fry, and keyboards and mice weren’t necessarily at the top of its list. The second-generation AirPods Pro had been refreshed with a USB-C case and a few minor tweaks, but it wasn’t until last month that Apple brought the USB-C treatment to the rest of its AirPods lineup.
Meanwhile, Apple quietly discontinued other Lightning accessories, such as the MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo, with no replacements in sight.
Still, there’s little doubt that Apple plans to rectify this situation eventually, and this year’s impending launch of new M4-powered Macs could present another opportunity to leave Lightning behind once and for all.
As 9to5Mac reports, new code found in yesterday’s iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 Release Candidates suggests a new set of “Magic” accessories is coming, but it also indicates we shouldn’t expect much beyond a port change.
That’s because the references aren’t for a “Magic Mouse 3” and “Magic Trackpad 3,” but rather the same “version 2” devices that arrived in 2015, when Apple made the switch from disposable to rechargeable batteries and added the Lightning port for charging. While the code in iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 points to new devices, the icons are identical, and the only indication of any change is a “.usb” suffix.
This means we may not see any redesign of Apple’s keyboard, trackpad, or mouse except for a port switch. That may be enough for the Magic Keyboard 2 and Magic Trackpad 2, which are arguably fine products. We’re still hoping Apple has at least decided to abandon its silly charging port arrangement on the USB-C Magic Mouse 2, but it’s still one of the most ergonomically awkward mice out there, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
