| Cult of Mac

New 16-in-1 dock lets M1 and M2 Macs drive trio of 4K displays

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Go ahead and hook up three 4K external displays to your M1 or M2 Mac with this new dock.
Go ahead and hook up three 4K external displays to your M1 or M2 Mac with this new dock.
Photo: NewQ

NewQ debuted its 16-in-1 USB-C Docking Station Wednesday with triple-4K-monitor support for Windows and macOS. It expands opportunity for M1 and M2 Macs with limited native external display support (one for MacBooks, two for Mac mini).

Plus, the 16-in-1 dock offers a port for practically any need and powers your laptop.

You can now buy a USB-C AirPods Pro case, just not from Apple

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Ken Pillonel modded an AirPods Pro charging case and now offers a 3D-printed replacement case.
Ken Pillonel modded an AirPods Pro charging case and now offers a 3D-printed replacement case.
Photo: Ken Pillonel

The guy who made headlines in 2021 for replacing an iPhone X’s Lighting port with a USB-C port — and then selling the handset for big bucks on eBay — is back. This time he’s modding AirPods Pro cases with USB-C instead of Lightning ports, and he’s selling them as well as 3D-printed parts.

Engineering consultant Ken Pillonel said he’s doing it to highlight Apple products’ repairability issues and the unfortunate fact that items like AirPods are meant to be discarded rather than fixed.

Momax power station packs 6 ports, 100W of power and wireless charging

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Not only does it have 6 ports, it offers fast wireless charging, too.
This portable power bank will keep all your Apple gear humming.
Photo: Momax

It’s a total drag when your iPhone, iPad or other device runs low on power and you don’t have a way to charge it — or your charger is old and slow but you don’t have much time. That’s when the new Momax 100W 6-Port Charging Station comes in super handy.

SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by Momax.
The charging station’s name pretty much says it all, minus one crucial feature. Not only does it deliver a blistering 100 watts of power via six convenient USB-C and USB-A ports, it can fast-charge wirelessly. You just lay your iPhone or other Qi-enabled device on top of the station for that. Plus, it’s reasonably priced — and Cult of Mac readers can get 10% off with the discount code below.

It’s official: 2025 iPhone must include USB-C in place of the Lightning port

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No more Lightning ports
Time is running out for the Lightning connector.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The European Parliament picked December 28, 2024 as date after which iPhone and all other handsets sold in the EU must have a USB-C port. That means the iPhone 17 in 2025 will definitely not include a Lightning port.

But unconfirmed reports say Apple will make the change earlier than that.

Are your laptop speakers just so-so? Edifier has you covered. [Review] ★★★★☆

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Edifier's MF200 Portable Bluetooth Speaker fits on your monitor stand -- or pretty much anywhere.★★★★☆
Edifier's MF200 Portable Bluetooth Speaker fits on your monitor stand -- or pretty much anywhere.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

If you ever work on the road, you know relying on your laptop for sound can be as disappointing as relying on it instead of an external display for visuals. Not every laptop has great — or even good — speakers.

Enter Edifier and its MF200 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. The company sent me one for review. The elegant little wedge-shaped soundbar can add plenty of power and clarity to “meh” laptop speakers.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the MF200 blows away all laptop speakers, as I’ll explain below.

Apple won’t fight EU mandate to put USB-C in iPhone

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No more Lightning ports
Apple has officially said it'll pull the Lightning port out of the iPhone.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An Apple executive confirmed that iPhone will drop the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. It’s a change being forced by the European Parliament, and Apple VP Greg Joswiak says the company won’t try to get around the new regulation.

Until now, it could only be assumed iPhone would give up Lightning.

Diagnose your charging woes with Plugable’s tiny power meter [Review]

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Plugable USBC-VAmeter3 review
The Plugable USBC-VAmeter3 tests the quality of the connections between your computers and chargers and other peripherals.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Your MacBook isn’t charging right and you can’t figure it where the problem is? Plugable’s USBC-VAmeter3 can help. Connect it to the power cable running to your Mac, iPad or iPhone to see the voltage, wattage and amperage.

I’m no electrical engineer, but I tested this miniature power meter. I found it both useful and kind of fun.

EU passes law forcing Apple to switch to USB-C by 2024

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iPhone X with USB-C port
R.I.P. Lightning ...
Photo: Ken Pillonel

The European Parliament voted in an overwhelming majority Tuesday to enforce USB-C as the standard charging port across a wide range of consumer electronics. The law will come into effect by the end of 2024.

With the legislation passed, Apple has a couple of years to complete the transition of its product lineup to USB-C. The company continues to use the Lightning port on iPhone and some accessories for charging purposes.

Lightning must die: It’s time for Apple to kill its darling

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USB-C Lightning
Lightning was great but its time has passed. USB-C is now a better option.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Today is the 10th anniversary of the Lightning connector. It was once the best option but has since outlived its usefulness. This obsolete port needs to go.

Apple knows what the replacement needs to be. It should stop dragging its feet and make the change.

Oddly square LG DualUp display spotted in wild with Mac Studio [Setups]

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It's hard to look at anything but that weird, square display.
It's hard to look at anything but that weird, square display.
Photo: blakespot@Reddit.com

Displays aren’t just going up from 4K to 5K and beyond, they’re also taking new forms. Today’s featured setup is the first we’ve seen with the recently released LG DualUp monitor in real-world use. It features an unusual 16:18 aspect ratio. Here it’s paired with an older LG display and a Mac Studio.

And this setup also includes Steve Jobs. Play some “Where’s Steve?” (not Waldo) and see if you can spot him.