The XTRON from Maximas has a USB-C port and is capable of charging multiple devices. Photo: Maximas
It may look like a flask, but the contents of the XTRON pack more of a punch than your favorite bourbon.
It’s a portable power bank from Maximas with a whopping 13400mAh. Its best feature is the USB-C port, the up-and-coming USB standard, and it is capable of charging any laptop with this port, especially the newest MacBook.
We didn’t expect to see a new tablet from Google today, but we got one, and it wasn’t a Nexus.
It’s called the Pixel C, and it’s a 10.2-inch slate that hopes to take on devices like the Microsoft Surface and Apple’s upcoming iPad Pro with a detachable keyboard and a focus on productivity.
The new OnePlus 2 is faster and prettier than its predecessor. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of AndroidThe new OnePlus 2 is faster and prettier than its predecessor. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
The latest “flagship killer” from Chinese startup OnePlus is getting even more attention that its predecessor. And rightly so: The OnePlus 2 is better looking and more advanced than the OnePlus One, with a faster Snapdragon 810 processor, up to twice as much RAM, and a new 13-megapixel camera sensor.
The device also comes with OnePlus’ latest OxygenOS software pre-installed, which offers a pure Android experience with some added extras.
All these things come in a pretty package that costs just $329 with 16GB of storage and 3GB of RAM. (You can bump up to 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM for $389.) But is this a great smartphone that’s worth waiting for?
Cusby adapters allow you to plug into the new MacBook with a single USB-C port. Photo: Cusby
You can’t stop staring at the new 12-inch MacBook, especially the gold one. It’s lighter and smaller and while it has all the computing power of your suddenly-bulkier model, you’re not sure about life with a single USB-C port.
A Miami startup, led by an electrical engineer, has designed adapters that will allow you to plug in all your peripherals and then gradually cut back as you move to a more wireless future.
The Cusby Building Blocks plug into a USB-C port with each offering a more traditional plug-in, like the current standard USB-A port, another with an HDMI video-audio port or another with an extra USB-C port.
If you’re still wondering why everyone’s so excited about the new, do-it-all USB Type-C standard, check out the video below, which shows Apple’s new MacBook being juiced up by a portable battery pack and the OnePlus 2’s new USB-C cable.
Leander Kahney likes Apple's use of magnets. So what happened with the new MacBook? Photo: Cult of Mac
Leander is having a bit of a moment. One of his favorite features of Apple product design is missing on his shiny new MacBook.
Jony Ive, what have you done with the magnet?
You can commiserate with our Editor and Publisher over the loss of the magnet that secured the cable to the charging port in the latest Kahney’s Korner video.
Phil Schiller answers some of our biggest questions about Apple products. Photo: Apple
Why does the latest iPhone still ship with just 16GB of storage as standard? Why does the new MacBook have only one USB port? Why does Apple make devices thinner and thinner rather than adding bigger batteries?
At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, marketing chief Phil Schiller sat down with The Talk Show to address some of these questions.
USB-C: The one connector to rule them all. Photo: Apple
Apple still hasn’t owned up to inventing USB-C, the brand new connector featured on its 12-inch MacBook — but Apple patents have all but tied the technology to Cupertino. The latest describes how a do-it-all connector that fits USB-C’s description is going to make every other port you’re using obsolete.
Not a new charger! College Humor makes fun of Apple and the new Macbook. Photo: College Humor/YouTube
Did you roll your eyes when you saw the latest MacBook had a new kind of USB port?
So did the website College Humor, which went to work satirizing Apple’s pride in its product design.
Under the headline Why Every New MacBook Needs a Different Goddam Charger, College Humor released a new video that pokes fun at the latest Apple laptop.
USB-C: The one connector to rule them all. Photo: Apple
There’s been a lot of talk that Apple invented USB-C, even though the company hasn’t made any official claims yet. The evidence is already compelling, but here’s another sign Apple had its hand in USB-C: It looks just like the company’s Cinema Display power cable.
USB-C might be another Apple invention after all. Photo: Apple
The war regarding whether Apple did or did not invent the USB-C connector witnessed a pretty decisive development this morning, as Apple was awarded a patent describing a slimline reversible input/output electrical connector for transferring a variety of data types including HDMI, audio, USB and video.
The patent was filed by Apple in the third quarter of 2013, but only published today. It names Eric Jol, Albert Golko, Mathias Schmidt and Jahan Minoo as its inventors: all current Apple employees, with the exception of Schmidt who now works at Nest Labs, founded by former Appler Tony Fadell.
USB-C might be another Apple invention after all. Photo: Apple
If it seems weird to you that Apple abandoned Thunderbolt, its all-in-one connector created just a few years back, in favor of USB-C for the new MacBook, you’re not the only one. It is weird. But there might be a more straightforward explanation for that than you think: According to a new rumor, Apple effectively invented USB-C.