USB-C

After ignoring wireless charging for so long, it seems that Apple is embracing it more than most other smartphone makers. Except for Huawei and Samsung. It has been rumored for quite a while now but famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is giving his vote of confidence with his latest forecast. According to his sources, this year's iPhones will take both wireless and wired charging to the next level, including the ability to charge AirPods and maybe even an Apple Watch with reverse wireless charging.

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The USB Implementers Forum has had a busy week. At the tail end of February, it seemed to go to great lengths to make USB 3.2 as confusing as humanly possible, and today, it announced the upcoming release of the USB4 specification. At the moment, we've only got a draft specification for USB4, with the final spec to be delivered in the middle of 2019.

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If you've tried to plug your phone into your laptop over the past couple of years, or to charge your tablet with your phone's charger, you'll probably have run into USB confusion. Now, things are set to get even stranger, with the USB-IF announcing the USB 3.2 specification and a shake-up in consumer branding.

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For years now, Apple has relied on its proprietary Lightning connector for iPhone and iPad charging, but when the company started shipping modern MacBooks that support USB-C, that led to a lot of speculation that Apple's mobile devices were next. In the case of the iPad, that turned out to be true, as the latest iPad Pro features charging and over USB-C. That leaves the iPhone as the next in line for a USB-C makeover, but a new report suggests that such a change won't be coming anytime soon.

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Apple might finally be learning how to give oldies but goodies some love. Late last year, it finally updated the Mac mini, turning the little computer that could into a “mini PC” to reckon with. This year, if not the next, it might be giving the venerable iPod touch a refresh as well. That’s according to supply chain sources who also say that the iPhone will finally ditch Lightning in favor of USB-C though can’t really say when.

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Joining its newly launched laptops are a series of new accessories from Lenovo, including a pair of speakers and a new USB-C hub. The latter of the three, the powered USB-C Travel Hub, will be available starting this month, though the speaker models won't be launching until later this spring. Each model offers features targeting professionals, including portability and support for Lenovo's PCs.

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This week the folks at the USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) announced the launch of their own USB Type-C Authentication Program. With this program, manufacturers may implement and be certified for the USB Type-C Authentication specification. For the end user - you - that means you'll soon be able to know immediately if a new USB-C cord is able to cryptographically authenticate - that is, give a secret handshake to your phone or PC before it's able to supply power or transfer data.

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It seems like Apple is making more dreams come true today. It has just finally made available its promised and long-awaited official clear case for the colorful iPhone XR and it has pushed an iOS update that fixes a long-standing annoyance for FaceTime users. And now on top of that, it is making available a standalone USB-C charger so that you can just have one adapter to quickly charge your iPhone and charger your iPad Pro too.

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This week the folks at Leica revealed the Leica D-Lux 7, the latest in their Lux lineup of "Swiss Army knife of Leica compact cameras." This latest model is small, has a high-resolution image sensor, and has a number of current-generation features we usually only expect of smartphones. That includes a touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-fi, and USB-C charging.

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This week we're taking a look at the OnePlus 6T, the second of the company's yearly smartphone duo. The OnePlus 6T isn't the same as previous "tock" phones in the OnePlus "tick tock" strategy. Instead of refining the phone they've released earlier in the year, this device is a bit more of an extreme departure. As far as smartphones go, this device is significantly different from its most immediate predecessor.

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The Satechi "Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro Hub Adapter" is the company's newest release, aimed directly at iPad Pro. This USB-C hub works with a wide variety of devices, and can extend the abilities of devices other than the iPad Pro. But the intent, here, today, is to make the iPad Pro connect to all the different devices which have thus far been allowed to work with iOS by Apple.

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The iPad Pro 2018 in both sizes uses USB-C instead of Lightning for the first time in the product's history. The accessory-makers at HYPER just revealed one of the first USB-C hub accessories that's made specifically for the iPad Pro 2018. They call it their HyperDrive for iPad Pro. This USB-C hub plugs in to the iPad Pro's singular USB-C port and expands to a wide variety of ports, all in one pocketable accessory.

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