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It’s nice to have the option in a pinch, but if Apple really wants to be green, it should actively work to educate people on how wasteful (and therefore unenvironmentally friendly) wireless charging really is.

Apple do make wireless charging environmentally friendly though. Their extortionate pricing of lightning cables means if you have to replace just one of them you could have helped replant 10% of the rainforest instead.
 
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Reverse wireless charging can be a useful feature sometimes even though it drains the phones battery. Use it occasionally on my Samsung Note 10

For me the best use case would be travelling with no or minimal chargers e.g. public wireless chargers to keep your phone topped up and use your reverse charging to keep your watch topped up.
 
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I have acquired a new top model every year since iPhone 4. My wife gets the prior model. Her current 11 Pro Max then goes to one of her four daughters who then pass their iPhone on to a sibling.

I did keep my 2018 iPadPro 11 until this year. I traded it in for the 2TB storage and faster processor. I was able to reuse the Brydge keyboard with trackpad.
 
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For me the best use case would be travelling with no or minimal chargers e.g. public wireless chargers to keep your phone topped up and use your reverse charging to keep your watch topped up.
Exactly. If it could be used to charge my Apple Watch (without some other sort of adapter) it would be a useful feature to me. Without that I'd probably never use it.
 
Am I wrong to think that MagSafe was introduced to keep iPhones compatible with other wireless standards/chargers? The whole thing could have been implemented using a Smart Connector-like interface without those constraints.
 
Not every iPhone users have iPhone 12. Many are still on the X, 8, 7, or even 6s and 6. Someone coming from an iPhone 6s or 7 will see the iPhone 13 as a huge upgrade.
but whats stopping them from buying 12, verizon and other carriers every year throw really nice discounts towards previous generation iphones.
 
but whats stopping them from buying 12, verizon and other carriers every year throw really nice discounts towards previous generation iphones.
That's what I've been thinking. The 11 has been really popular this year and it looks like discounted previous-generation non-Pro's is increasingly becoming a better value proposition than current-generation non-Pro's. This is probably a result of Apple handicapping the innovation on non-Pro models to upsell the Pro models, which of course makes sense for the company.
 
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So I guess I can sync my offline iTunes library to the phone for another year. But at some point, I will not be able to do so. It kinda is a good thing to get used to carry iPad around. I love ports and local data access.

Besides, I’m iPhone XS Max user. But if a random dude taking a random mid to low light photo from iPhone 12 Pro Max and it has little to no detail, I highly doubt what upgrade iPhone 13 would bring to the table. ProMotion? A15? Or playing game in landscape and keep turning on and off guided access because of that annoying non removable home bar?

Apple can say whatever they want, but they still have a whole lot to improve, especially In the camera department.
 
It’s not great.

But imagine when Apple remove the port how much waste is going to be saved in the manufacture of that part.
And then more waste will generated when people can’t restore their iOS and need to visit apple store in person to restore their devices. Remember, bug free software will never exist.
 
Doesn’t MagSafe already go edge-to-edge on the mini? How are they going to do this without messing up the entire MagSafe ecosystem after one year?
MagSafe 2.0 will be out and will only work on the new models so all new MagSafe needs to be purchased because "environment" lol
 
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And then more waste will generated when people can’t restore their iOS and need to visit apple store in person to restore their devices. Remember, bug free software will never exist.
eh, you can already restore from iCloud backups (and not have to go in-store) so not really sure how it is going to generate more waste.
 
If the hypothetical no port iPhone gets hung up, then what does the owner do with no way to mechanically interject some sort of “stimulus” to get it unstuck? First answer I guess is throw it at a trash can and if gets unstuck great, or it stays stuck, leave it in the trash can…
 
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eh, you can already restore from iCloud backups (and not have to go in-store) so not really sure how it is going to generate more waste.
By that I mean bugged software, frozen iOS, locked out by system (not by activation lock). Plus people living in remote area is still a thing, and apple removing charging ports will disadvantage those should an issue arise. Also their wireless personal hotspots are still garbage, just more secure (WPA3).

I know, I know, apple is a premium brand and android manufactures are going to follow like crazy. Small cost to pay to move the tech forward.
 
I can definitely see the use cases for reverse charging because in theory it sounds great to need to bring less chargers/cables when going on short weekend trips, but I feel like I would need to charge my phone more or bring my power bank, which kind of defeats the purpose of bringing less stuff with me. I could use it to top off my watch when I forget to charge it, but not something I think I'd really use much.
 
Wireless charging is one of those things that I just don't get. The phone has to be placed pretty carefully on most charging pads. I can plug it just as fast, and with a similar amount of effort. It's slower, takes up extra room, extra cost. Why are we interested in this?
 
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Wireless charging is one of those things that I just don't get. The phone has to be placed pretty carefully on most charging pads. I can plug it just as fast, and with a similar amount of effort. It's slower, takes up extra room, extra cost. Why are we interested in this?
Because Apple hates ports, buttons and any moving parts. Simple.

Then, everyone else feels obligated to follow, and defend their positions at all costs.

I always consider all current “wireless” technology wired charging, because there’s still a wire connecting to power point or a battery of some sort. The true wireless charging must be the one where you walk in, and your phone gets recharged as long as you are in that room. No cable required.

Don’t tell me “putting the phone on a pad is easier than plugging”. Alignment is required for it to work, while magnet can help it has its own limits. Wake me up when my phone will charge itself without pad, wire, nothing.
 
If there really is going to be a Magsafe 2, it should include data transfer. Imagine if the MagSafe USB C adaptor carried data for wired CarPlay and data transfer without having to connect a cable. If this happened, lightning could go away forever, IMO.

For those complaining about how inefficient wireless charging is: MagSafe was an answer to that very problem. By perfectly aligning the coils, much less of the energy transfer is lost to heat. Cables will always be more efficient, but MagSafe is a lot closer to the ideal wireless charging solution.
 
If there really is going to be a Magsafe 2, it should include data transfer. Imagine if the MagSafe USB C adaptor carried data for wired CarPlay and data transfer without having to connect a cable. If this happened, lightning could go away forever, IMO.

For those complaining about how inefficient wireless charging is: MagSafe was an answer to that very problem. By perfectly aligning the coils, much less of the energy transfer is lost to heat. Cables will always be more efficient, but MagSafe is a lot closer to the ideal wireless charging solution.
How close it could be for the true wireless charging that “I walk in, charge, walk out, stop charging”? Theres still a cable.
Also, apple will never add data transfer into MagSafe. They hate wired transfer with dedication, and I bet their motto includes “destroying wire with extreme prejudice” and treat wire as their mortal enemy.
 
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Because Apple hates ports, buttons and any moving parts. Simple.

Then, everyone else feels obligated to follow, and defend their positions at all costs.

I always consider all current “wireless” technology wired charging, because there’s still a wire connecting to power point or a battery of some sort. The true wireless charging must be the one where you walk in, and your phone gets recharged as long as you are in that room. No cable required.

Don’t tell me “putting the phone on a pad is easier than plugging”. Alignment is required for it to work, while magnet can help it has its own limits. Wake me up when my phone will charge itself without pad, wire, nothing.

Charging stands are better than pads. Just place the phone on the stand and it aligns the same way every single time. And the angle is better for viewing and using while it’s on the stand.

There is some extra convenience to “wireless” charging, but it’s minor. Yes you still have to plug something into a cord, but you only need to do that once. Then you can tuck the cables away behind your nightstand or whatever and not have to trip over them or fumble for them or look at them. Nothing life changing but it is a slight convenience all the same.

The biggest issue is the poor efficiency that flies in the face of all the environmental gains Apple likes to brag about. It will be interesting to see how they spin that, or if they even address it at all.

But Apple is definitely heading in the portless direction. That is clear with the MagSafe tech being pushed and improved as well as the fact they have stuck to Lightning all this time vs USB-C. Why bother changing the iPhone to USB-C when you know you’re getting rid of the port all together soon. That would just get people mad because they would have to switch to USB-C accessories for a year or two then not be able to use them in a portless phone shortly after. iPads and MacBooks can switch because they don’t charge wirelessly and are far behind the iPhone in gaining that functionality so the USB-C port has a longer shelf life on those devices.

If Apple goes portless in the near future I’ll be keeping my iPhone 12 for quite a while I’d say. I use wireless charging more often than not but I also like having the option of plugging in to a fast charging brick for quick top-ups.
 
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Unless it means I can charge my Apple Watch by plugging my phone in, placing it face down on my nightstand and then placing my watch on top of it then this means nothing to me.
 
The only thing that will make me upgrade is the the return of Touch ID. If the 12S does not have it I'll keep my 11 Pro Max then I don't want her. I don't wireless charge as it so so so slow.
 
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