Tripp Lite's new Thunderbolt 4 hub supports dual 4K displays. Photo: Tripp Lite
Tripp Lite, known for its power strips and surge protectors, released its new Thunderbolt 4 hub, the MTB4-Hub3-01. Capable of 8K video support, it can run two 4K displays in addition to other devices and power your computer.
Kensington's new 8-in-1 hub turns one port on your machine into eight. Photo: Kensington
Kensington brought out two new USB-C hubs this week featuring up to 100W passthrough charging and as high as 4K 60Hz HDMI connectivity along with other features.
The Anker PowerWave 3-in-1 charging stand lets you take power on the go. Photo: Anker
Anker’s first announced its new PowerWave Go 3-in-1 Stand for charging iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods back in January. Well, it just came out. The cool wrinkle here is a removable power bank to charge devices on the go.
The Anker Apex Thunderbolt 4 dock has a whopping 12 ports. Photo: Anker
Anker’s new Apex Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, available July 1, sports a familiar design but packs an usually high number of ports for the maker’s typical consumer wares — 12. They include a 90-watt power pass-through slot and legacy options.
Charging -- not just about cables any more. Photo: Cult of Mac
Charging an iPhone used to be so simple. You’d grab your 30-pin dock connector cable, the one that was almost as big as an AirPods charging case, and you’d jam it into the huge slot on the bottom of your iPhone. Then you’d wait.
Today, the kids don’t know how easy they have it. They can plug in a svelte, skinny Lightning cable to charge their iPhones, but they can also opt for several other ultra-modern (and probably fashionable) charging methods. Hell, even the olde worlde cable method has some high-tech, high-speed alternatives.
Let’s get right into it. Here are six different ways you can charge your iPhone.
Assemble your tools for a fun hack attack Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
USB is dirty. Just like you’d never stick your body parts into a mysterious public hole, neither should you plug your iPhone into a public charging station. iOS is pretty good at rejecting unknown connections from USB, but why take the risk?
There are a few ways to make public iPhone charging safe. One is to plug into a power outlet using your own plug and cable. But what about on a plane or train, or other public spot where only USB outlets are available? Or a friend’s computer, one that might be riddled with malware? Then you need a custom USB cable, one that only passes power, and not data. The good news is that, if you have an old Lightning USB cable laying around, you can easily fashion your own, just by yanking out two pins from inside the USB plug.
The charging issue that afflicted some iOS 12 users has apparently been taken care of in iOS 12.1. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Some, but not all, iOS 12 users complain their iPhone or iPad won’t begin charging if it’s in sleep mode when a Lightning cable is plugged in. Apple has introduced a beta of iOS 12.1 that appears to fix this problem.
This is one of the prettiest docks we've ever seen. Photo: Belkin
iPhone XS and Apple Watch Series 4 owners looking for the perfect chargers to both of their new devices just got a lot of love from Belkin with a dock that works on both iPhones and Apple Watch.
Belkin introduced its new BoostUp wireless charging dock for iPhone + Apple Watch today that not only keeps your new tech juiced up, but it’s also so pretty you won’t be ashamed to have it on full display in your house.
These type of iPhone cables are about to become way more common. Photo: Apple
Third-party hardware manufacturers have finally been given the green light from Apple to start making USB-C to Lightning cables.
The new Made For iPhone (MFi) certification should open the door for a bunch of faster-charging solutions to come out for iPhone owners, but according to the report out of Asia, the new cables will be a little bit more expensive.
Will we finally get a release date for AirPower? Photo: Apple
Apple’s upcoming AirPods case will offer more than just wireless charging for your headphones, according to a sketchy new report.
A source familiar with Apple’s plans claims the case will double as an iPhone charger that will give you a boost in battery life when you’re in a pinch. The device could be available before the end of this year.