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All iPads Why no Magic 'Stand'?

blairh

blairh

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 11, 2007
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Any idea why Apple doesn't offer a wireless charging stand for the iPad? (Think Magic Keyboard without the keyboard.)

I really don't understand why not. Not everyone wants/needs the keyboard portion. But it's hard to argue that magnet charging isn't awesome.

It's also strange how no third parties offer one either. I'm assuming it's because Apple won't license the tech to them. I know Pitaka has the MagEZ Stand but that requires you to use their specific case as well.
 
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What is the advantage of magic charging? I have had Magic Keyboard since they came out, use it everyday, but have only used that charger on it when I needed the cord on that side, otherwise not at all.
 
blairh said:
Any idea why Apple doesn't offer a wireless charging stand for the iPad? (Think Magic Keyboard without the keyboard.)

I really don't understand why not. Not everyone wants/needs the keyboard portion. But it's hard to argue that magnet charging isn't awesome.

It's also strange how no third parties offer one either. I'm assuming it's because Apple won't license the tech to them. I know Pitaka has the MagEZ Stand but that requires you to use their specific case as well.
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I recall there being one that charged the iPad via the Smart Connector pins, but it came out pretty late, was quite expensive, and apparently didn't sell well.
 
blairh said:
It's far more convenient to dock a device to charge it versus having to plug in a cord each time.
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Sure, but the Magic Keyboard doesn't act like that either. Just a matter of where you plug it in.

But I guess you could just leave the Magic Keyboard connected all the time and remove the iPad from the keyboard. I do take it off, but 90% of the time connected to it.
 
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Lobwedgephil said:
Sure, but the Magic Keyboard doesn't act like that either. Just a matter of where you plug it in.

But I guess you could just leave the Magic Keyboard connected all the time and remove the iPad from the keyboard. I do take it off, but 90% of the time connected to it.
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I’m going to dock my M4 iPad Pro to the MK every night to charge. If Apple simply offered a charging dock for the iPad Air and Pro many people would love that option.
 
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I actually would like the same kind of MagSafe charging that the iPhone has. You could dock it to a stand that way, but it would also be really convenient to be able to use a MagSafe battery pack when you need it. I sometimes have to use my iPad away from any outlets for long stretches and it would be really nice to be able to recharge without any wires.
 
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boston04and07 said:
I actually would like the same kind of MagSafe charging that the iPhone has. You could dock it to a stand that way, but it would also be really convenient to be able to use a MagSafe battery pack when you need it. I sometimes have to use my iPad away from any outlets for long stretches and it would be really nice to be able to recharge without any wires.
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That was hinted at this year, but didn't happen. Would love that as well.
 
I want this but with always on display. They don't need MagSafe for the 'magic stand' because the three pins on the back can supply up to 60W of power to the iPad. I would like my iPad to dock into this magic stand on my desk or next to my bed with home controls and widgets ready to go, always on and always ready to interact with -- the iPad equivalent of the new 'nightstand mode' or whatever it's called on iPhone.

Maybe we'll get this with the next generation of iPads or maybe Apple will reserve such functionalities for the long rumored HomePod with a screen. I'm disappointed we didn't get it with this generation of iPad.
 
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Duh,
Lobwedgephil said:
What is the advantage of magic charging? I have had Magic Keyboard since they came out, use it everyday, but have only used that charger on it when I needed the cord on that side, otherwise not at all.
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Same as with the keyboard: you can use your Thunderbolt port for something else.

Yeah yeah ‘buy a hub’. But that requires you to buy a stand and a hub.
 
blairh said:
Any idea why Apple doesn't offer a wireless charging stand for the iPad? (Think Magic Keyboard without the keyboard.)

I really don't understand why not. Not everyone wants/needs the keyboard portion. But it's hard to argue that magnet charging isn't awesome.
Click to expand...
The fact it doesn’t exist either from Apple or Third Party perhaps suggests the demand would be small and not worth it for anyone to produce.
 
Abazigal said:
I recall there being one that charged the iPad via the Smart Connector pins, but it came out pretty late, was quite expensive, and apparently didn't sell well.
Click to expand...
Yeah that would have been the Logitech Base Stand. It was designed for the older 9.7" and 10.5" iPad Pro models that still had the "smart connector" on there side instead of back and iirc it really was quite expensive.
 
ukms said:
The fact it doesn’t exist either from Apple or Third Party perhaps suggests the demand would be small and not worth it for anyone to produce.
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I don't think that's true. From what I gathered online, third parties cannot make them without Apple's permission. So really this boils down to Apple not making one and not wanting others to as well.

Because the new iPads did not get MagSafe this year (wired or wireless, as rumored by journalists) it's especially frustrating.
 
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blairh said:
I don't think that's true. From what I gathered online, third parties cannot make them without Apple's permission. So really this boils down to Apple not making one and not wanting others to as well.

Because the new iPads did not get MagSafe this year (wired or wireless, as rumored by journalists) it's especially frustrating.
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There are many things that Apple don’t make that are made by third parties …… how do you know Apple don’t want others to make this ?
 
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ukms said:
There are many things that Apple don’t make that are made by third parties …… how do you know Apple don’t want others to make this ?
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Apple has to license their own tech. A third party could not legally make a smart connector charging stand without Apple's blessing.

I had a private conversation with someone online who works for a third party accessory maker and he told me some pretty interesting things. Essentially it boiled down to Apple not loving the idea of people exclusively charging their iPads via passthrough due to the wattage. This may change now that the new Magic Keyboard is rumored to charge at 60w via passthrough (so says MKBHD).
 
blairh said:
Apple has to license their own tech. A third party could not legally make a smart connector charging stand without Apple's blessing.

I had a private conversation with someone online who works for a third party accessory maker and he told me some pretty interesting things. Essentially it boiled down to Apple not loving the idea of people exclusively charging their iPads via passthrough due to the wattage. This may change now that the new Magic Keyboard is rumored to charge at 60w via passthrough (so says MKBHD).
Click to expand...
three dots for charging can’t be a patent thing. Then again, Apple might have proprietary software that would block charging unless…
 
blairh said:
Apple has to license their own tech. A third party could not legally make a smart connector charging stand without Apple's blessing.

I had a private conversation with someone online who works for a third party accessory maker and he told me some pretty interesting things. Essentially it boiled down to Apple not loving the idea of people exclusively charging their iPads via passthrough due to the wattage. This may change now that the new Magic Keyboard is rumored to charge at 60w via passthrough (so says MKBHD).
Click to expand...
I realise products can’t simply be made ….. perhaps there is good reason rather than Apple simply being difficult. That’s all I’m saying. How practical and how popular would such a stand be ? Reality is you and I don’t know.
 
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alecgold said:
three dots for charging can’t be a patent thing. Then again, Apple might have proprietary software that would block charging unless…
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One of the three dots is the data line with a serial protocol, through which voltages and currents for charging are negotiated. It wouldn’t be surprising if the handshake also has a component where the OS has to approve the peripheral, similar to how it had been with Lightning. In addition, accessory makers probably aren’t allowed to use the term Smart Connector without Apple’s permission.
 
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As a workaround I’m using magnetic USB-C connectors (search for it on Amazon), which give you an experience similar to Mac-style MagSafe. It’s not as convenient as a stand would be, and it’s only practical if you don’t use TB4 on the iPad, but otherwise it’s an improvement over having to plug the cable into the finicky port each day.
 
alecgold said:
three dots for charging can’t be a patent thing. Then again, Apple might have proprietary software that would block charging unless…
Click to expand...
I would imagine there’s some sort of “handshake” protocol such that if those spots are jabbed with appropriately spaced tines on a fork, nothing happens AND nothing happens if you plug in the keyboard and make a connection to all the pins with aluminum foil.
 
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