Apple’s revamped MagSafe could be the new iPhone’s most overlooked feature. While the iPhone 12 comes in new shapes and sizes, packs super-fast 5G connectivity, and offers enhanced screens, cameras, and internals, MagSafe connectivity could instead pave the way for something Apple fans have long been calling for: a modular iPhone.
Mag-what?
MagSafe made its name on Apple’s MacBook computer chargers, which connected magnetically in order to create a safer charging setup (if you caught the power lead, it would simply snap off – and not drag your MacBook to the ground). Then in the age of the all-in-one USB-C port, MagSafe appeared to die a quiet death … until now.
On the iPhone 12, MagSafe will continue to honor its name through offering magnetically-safe charging for users. Like we said in our iPhone 12 first impressions, MagSafe will mean your iPhone is perfectly aligned with a wireless charger: the handset should simply “snap” into place using an array of magnets around a charging coil. However, MagSafe could offer iPhone owners a whole lot more.
A modular iPhone
MagSafe also paves the way for a modular iPhone – a device that you can augment through custom accessories which push the handset into new and more specific directions. This is because the snap-and-click of MagSafe means adding and holding different accessories in place – and swapping them out – will be easier than ever.
Just think about it: a whole host of accessories enhance our iPhone in different ways, from third-party camera lenses to cases which double as game-controllers. Imagine these devices re-engineered to snap onto the back of your iPhone using MagSafe. Then imagine what else this simple technology could bring: snap-on grips, a snap-on wireless speaker that turns your iPhone into a mini-boom-box, heck – even a snap-on wireless battery pack. Like anything, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
So while modular iPhone proponents have often called for expandable storage and upgradable RAM, MagSafe could deliver a whole new take on what a truly modular smartphone might look like. All we need now is for the accessory market to get creative.