Collectors based in Asia have discovered an unreleased MagSafe charging peripheral called the "Magic Charger," which Apple seemingly scrapped upon getting to the manufacturing stage.
Image via @TheBlueMisterRare Apple product collector and Twitter user "TheBlueMister" first shared images of the unreleased accessory late last year. Since then, several other collectors seem to have got their hands on Design Validation Test (DVT) versions of the device.
Tell me how to tear this dvt down😨
Seems difficult#Apple #appleinternal @AppleDemoYT @applintrnl pic.twitter.com/fcCJk99zeG — KyoukoBlue (@TheBlueMister) November 7, 2022
TheBlueMister set about disassembling the accessory to restore it to working order, showing some of this process on Twitter. Connection to a Mac confirms that the unreleased accessory is indeed called the "Apple Magic Charger."
Hey I just got this charger called Apple Magic Charger
How can I active this charger?@AppleDemoYT pic.twitter.com/m3Cvm1z70S — KyoukoBlue (@TheBlueMister) November 5, 2022
The accessory features a rubberized white MagSafe charger inside an anodized aluminum rounded square that can be pushed out into a vertical position. It seemingly has a Space Gray finish and includes a white rubberized base to keep it in place on a surface, as well as a built-in braided USB-C charging cable. It also appears to bear a resemblance to the iPhone Lightning Dock. The Twitter user known as "DuanRui" shared additional images of the unreleased Apple Magic Charger.
MagSafe Charger pic.twitter.com/ElQM5yDbjh — DuanRui (@duanrui1205) November 15, 2022
The accessory's design is similar to the hinged Apple Watch charger on the MagSafe Duo and the now-discontinued Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock, and is the first time a MagSafe charger has been seen in a hinged implementation on an official Apple accessory.
The design seems to be somewhat limited for the iPhone since it cannot be pushed upright in portrait orientation on the charger, proving useful for watching content in landscape mode only. The MagSafe puck could, of course, still charge an iPhone when flat, as well as AirPods that have a MagSafe Charging Case.
TheBlueMister says that an early version of the Apple Magic Charger's design was limited to keeping an iPhone in the upright, horizontal position only, and these limitations were apparently among the key reasons that Apple canned the product. Yet this is not the first charging accessory Apple has canceled in recent times. In 2019, it shelved AirPower due to problems with overheating, buggy inter-device communication, and mechanical and interference issues. Despite its problems with wireless charging accessories, Apple's work on new charger products apparently continues.
