MAGFAST Chargers Update 73: Your VOTE needed re: #USB-C
This week’s update is an important one – and we’re asking for your specific input in the form of a YES or NO vote on an important decision. Please read this in full… then VOTE!
Remember – MAGFAST fully supports ALL major charging standards: USB-A, Micro-USB, USB-C, Lightning and Qi wireless. (And of course MAGFAST magnetic charging between our family members.) This is just a discussion about how we can serve you even better in light of an important shift in the industry.
Because it is so important to vote this week – literally a choice between faster gratification and a more thoughtful investment in the future (!) we’re writing out the issue in full.
You may have seen that earlier this week Apple announced a bunch of newly upgraded products. While Apple is only part of the market, their commitment to a standard is very, very important, and is generally the ‘inflection point’ at which a standard becomes universal. A year ago they committed to Qi, and while it was in widespread use before, it became the industry standard on that day.
This Tuesday Apple announced that the new iPad Pro tablets will now use USB-C, instead of Apple’s own Lightning connector.
USB-C is vastly superior to any connector that has come before. It’s significantly better than Apple’s own lightning standard of the last half decade and incomparably better than the old Micro-USB, that small, fiddly connector we’ve all put up with on so many products for the last decade or more.
USB-C can be inserted either way round (that alone makes it a lot nicer to use) and allows lots of power for much faster charging. It can stream video at really high resolutions and move data way, way faster than before. It’s been appearing on laptops over the last 3 years and slowly on tablets and phones from a variety of manufacturers.
What’s important about this week’s announcement from Apple, however, is that until now they had not put USB-C onto a tablet or phone. But at Tuesday’s introduction of the new iPad Pro they confirmed what we’ve expected for a while:
The new iPad Pros use USB-C instead of Lightning. This means that the non-Pro iPads will also get USB-C at the next update… and almost inevitably iPhones will follow, now they’ve figured out how to fit USB-C into super-thin enclosures.
So what does this mean for you?
For you it means that, essentially, all the kit you accumulate over the next 10 years or more will use USB-C as its wired connection. You’ll love it. One good easy-to-use cable will serve all functions. While the old connectors will be around for a while, all the momentum in wired connections will be with USB-C.
What does this mean for MAGFAST?
Possibly nothing. We already support USB-A, USB-C, Lightning and Qi wireless. And because of our modular design we can easily add any new standard that comes along. (You may have heard of ‘Wi-Fi’ type charging across the room. If it takes off, we’ve got it covered).
But we feel very strongly that while until now we’ve given all the standards equal billing, USB-C is now so clearly the most important standard there may be some simple changes we can still introduce that will make your MAGFAST system even better, even more capable for years to come.
It will only take an extra week or so to review the options with our engineering teams. If we’ll then decide to make upgrades for you we’ll do so at no extra cost (to you) but some extra time. And we’ll only go ahead and do that if we really do agree that it will be worthwhile.
So please vote. (Now and on Tuesday!)
Our strong recommendation is that you vote YES and we take a little extra time. This is the final leg of a 6 year journey. We think it’s worth making sure the premium products you will get are the very, very best they can be in this new world.