{"id":442063,"date":"2026-05-10T17:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/442063\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T17:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T17:50:12","slug":"hear-me-out-magsafe-has-failed-to-reach-its-potential-but-the-foldable-iphone-ultra-could-revive-it-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/442063\/","title":{"rendered":"Hear me out: MagSafe has failed to reach its potential, but the foldable iPhone Ultra could revive it \u2014 here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s fair to say that MagSafe is a much-loved part of the Apple<\/a> ecosystem: ask owners of any of the best iPhones<\/a> what they think of it, and you\u2019ll likely get a unanimously positive response. The magnetic attachment system lets you wirelessly charge your iPhone, attach accessories to its back, connect it to stands and car phone holders, and a lot more.<\/p>\n

Like all good Apple products, it\u2019s incredibly simple to use, yet performs exceptionally well with admirable reliability. On the surface, it would seem to be a roaring success story for both Apple and its customers.<\/p>\n

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Yet despite all that, I can\u2019t help but feel disappointed by MagSafe. Sure, it\u2019s great at what it does, and it\u2019s easy to understand why so many people love it, myself included. But when I think back to how it was first introduced to the world, I can\u2019t escape the idea that it just hasn\u2019t lived up to its potential. Far from being the revolutionary innovation it was hyped up to be, MagSafe feels so much more limited than it should be.<\/p>\n

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But with the iPhone Ultra<\/a> on the horizon, perhaps this is an opportunity for Apple to throw out the old and bring in something new, giving MagSafe the refresh it sorely needs. Whether or not that comes to pass, it\u2019s clear to me that MagSafe needs a real shot in the arm<\/a>. Let me explain why.<\/p>\n

AirPower\u2019s ambition<\/p>\n

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\"AirPower\"\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Apple)<\/p>\n

MagSafe is a brilliant idea, but it wasn\u2019t Apple\u2019s first attempt at a boundary-pushing wireless charger. That accolade goes to AirPower<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AirPower was an experimental wireless charger that introduced the idea that you could put any Apple device capable of wireless charging \u2014 including iPhones, Apple Watches,<\/a> and AirPods cases \u2014 onto the pad, in any order and orientation, and they\u2019d all juice up to full.<\/p>\n

The trouble is that AirPower required a mass of overlapping charging coils on the inside, and this created far too much heat to be able to operate safely. Embarrassingly for Apple, the company had to cancel AirPower after publicly revealing it at one of its own events \u2014 a chastening lesson on revealing products before they’re ready that Apple apparently has not fully learned (cough Apple Intelligence<\/a> cough).<\/p>\n

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MagSafe, then, emerged from this milieu. It was essentially brought in because AirPower failed, but MagSafe was a much less aspirational project. Yet in lessening the scope, Apple was able to create a working product that has become highly popular among the firm\u2019s fans.<\/p>\n

But when you know that history, MagSafe\u2019s drawbacks become more apparent. AirPower was undoubtedly the more ambitious device and would have had much more of that \u201cApple magic\u201d if the engineers had managed to pull it off.<\/p>\n

MagSafe still has some of that magic, but being able to drop your iPhone down anywhere on your charger and have it power up would have been a far stronger embodiment of the \u201cit just works\u201d philosophy. Sadly, that never became a reality.<\/p>\n

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We were promised more<\/p>\n

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\"Moment\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Moment)<\/p>\n

MagSafe\u2019s more conservative approach compared to AirPower isn\u2019t the only way that I feel it\u2019s falling short. When we listen to Apple\u2019s own words, it becomes apparent that MagSafe could \u2014 and should \u2014 be so much more.<\/p>\n

When the MagSafe charging system was first introduced to the world in October 2020, Apple promised a \u201crobust and ever-expanding\u201d ecosystem of MagSafe accessories<\/a>. The company claimed that it was \u201cenabling a whole new ecosystem for MagSafe\u201d and that \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to see the innovative ways that others will use MagSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet while there is some variety, the ideas that companies have come up with haven\u2019t been as inspiring as I\u2019d hoped. Almost everything falls into one of three camps: cases, charging peripherals, and small magnetic accessories (such as wallets and kickstands).<\/p>\n

Worse, I can\u2019t say that anything has really changed since MagSafe first launched over five years ago. The world of MagSafe accessories seemed to have settled into place almost as soon as the new standard arrived, and it’s never really developed since then. That\u2019s as true for third-party devices as it is for Apple\u2019s own efforts.<\/p>\n

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\"There\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future)<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s one thing that I\u2019m hoping will shake things up a bit: the iPhone Ultra. Apple\u2019s foldable phone is not just a new product \u2014 it\u2019s a whole new form factor<\/a>. And not only that, it\u2019s a device that\u2019s designed to be carried in your pocket yet is also one that folds out to a sizeable proportion<\/a> in use. It\u2019s set to become the largest iPhone ever in terms of dimensions, and that means there could be a whole lot of surface area for MagSafe accessories.<\/p>\n

With more room to play with, device makers could get creative with what they can snap onto the back of the phone. No longer will they be limited to the narrow width of a standard iPhone; they’ll instead have the iPhone Ultra\u2019s wider form factor in their sights. Who knows? Maybe someone will be able to dream up a MagSafe peripheral that works when the phone is both folded and unfolded.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this new device that could prompt the serious overhaul that MagSafe has been crying out for.<\/p>\n

Really, I would have wanted to see more creative solutions far earlier in MagSafe\u2019s lifetime. After all, we\u2019ve had years of sluggish development and timid product ideas. But with the iPhone Ultra resetting expectations, this might be a golden opportunity for MagSafe to finally come into its own.<\/p>\n

As they say, better late than never.<\/p>\n

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