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Customers who order one of Apple's lower-cost Apple Watch SE devices will now receive an upgraded USB-C charging cable in the package, rather than the previous USB-A charging cable.

apple-watch-charger-s7.jpg

Apple is changing the cable in the box as it continues to transition away from USB-A and for consistency across the Apple Watch lineup.

The Apple Watch SE will apparently ship with the same USB-C Fast Charger that's available with the Apple Watch Series 7, but fast charging is limited to the new models. Though the cable is the same, the Apple Watch SE will charge at standard speeds.

With the fast charge cable, the Series 7 is able to charge 33 percent faster than with a standard Apple Watch charging puck thanks to new charging architecture that is not built into the Apple Watch SE.

The Apple Watch SE's product page confirms the upgrade and lists the device as shipping with a "1m Magnetic Charger to USB-C Cable" rather than the standard Magnetic Cable that used USB-A. Apple previously had a non-fast charging version of the USB-C Apple Watch cable, but it has been discontinued and is no longer available.

While the Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch SE will ship with a USB-C Apple Watch charging cable, the Apple Watch Series 3, Apple's lowest cost option, still continues to feature a USB-A charging cable.

Article Link: Apple Watch SE Now Comes With a USB-C Charging Cable
 
Awesome. Personally I’ve been getting all USB C charging blocks and corresponding USB C to Lightning cables. I find the cables to be much more reliable.
 
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Looks like Apple discontinued the previous USB-C Watch charge cable and now sells only the "fast charger" version? I assume some electronics were updated in the charge head. The shorter version of the cable is gone, too. Maybe we'll see an updated version of that, too, soon.
 
So now i have to get another power adapter to charge my watch +$20...
Now if only Apple would let us trade-in our old adapters.
If you have another adapter you could just use it to charge your new watch, no need to trade it in.

but… I understand what your saying, they should defiantly include a power brick.
 
One thing that annoys me is Apple seems to be full steam ahead on USB-C, so why don't they put it on their phones too?

I would so love to have one single universal charging cable for EVERYTHING Apple and even many non-Apple devices too!
Agree…
And to make things better, don’t add legacy ports to new MacBooks! I’m serious about that one…
 
So now i have to get another power adapter to charge my watch +$20...
Now if only Apple would let us trade-in our old adapters.

Yeah. For those saying awesome they just asked the majority of their customers to spend another 20 bucks because most won’t have a usb charging adapter. And their environmental czar says it’s a good thing they don’t include it. Gee thanks Apple.

Too bad I own 0 (zero) usb-c charging bricks. But good thing I have tons of USB-A ones from years of getting them from Apple. Thanks a lot!
It's been 6-1/2 years since Apple released the 2015 MacBook with a single USB-C port. Quit bellyaching, pry open your wallet and buy something with a USB-C port on it. Good grief, 6-1/2 damn years.
 
Really wish they would just selling it as a bundle for that price, watch + Brick + cable. If you do not need a brick, remove 30$. If you don't need a cable remove 35$. Instead, keep the same price, but remove stuff the user probably needs right now. They should have at least thrown in a USB C to A dongle to use with all their old bricks even if it does charger slower.
 
Just bought a Watch SE through Verizon today. I'm guessing I won't get this new charger.
 
Has anyone tried plugging the puck into an iPad and charging your watch from that? I’ve charged my AirPods that way with usb-c to lightning and it seems to register as charging my phone.
 
Now I've just spend almost $2K on a phone and watch...and I have nothing to charge them with! Why can't Apple at least offer the adapters at a reduced price when ordered along side their products? Greedy buggers!

Do the math: At $19 per adapter (that Apple no longer puts in the box) it profits in extra $19 million for every million devices sold.
 
One thing that annoys me is Apple seems to be full steam ahead on USB-C, so why don't they put it on their phones too?
There may be a few things getting in the way of that:
  • Accessory makers. Apple needs a story to plan such a move well in advance to ensure accessory makers can respond. There are a lot of products out there using Lightning as a connector today, including an ultrasound device I never knew existed that was shown during the event. An easily lost Lightning to USB-C adapter would help with the transition, though.
  • Cable makers. Apple makes some amount of revenue from licensing Lightning.
  • Going entirely wireless. If Apple plans to go entirely wireless in a couple years, I imagine a switch to USB-C in the meantime is kind of pointless. That said, accessory makes have an even bigger problem if that were to happen, as would consumers!
I'd love to see USB-C on the phone as well but I'm not holding my breath.
 
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