O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: adapter

  • Apple updates online Mac shopping experience, shifts to feature selection as opposed to standard configurations

    Apple updates online Mac shopping experience, shifts to feature selection as opposed to standard configurations

    If you’re shopping for a Mac, things just changed a bit.

    Apple recently updated its online storefront with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Prior to the changes, there were a handful of standard configurations for each Mac. Now, customers must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis.

    Per Macworld and Consomac, if you were to order a MacBook Pro, you’d begin by choosing a 14-inch or 16-inch display, then decide whether to upgrade to a nano-texture display. From there, you’ll choose the M-series chip and core counts, followed by the amount of custom RAM, SSD storage, power adapter, and keyboard language.

    The entire process is now entirely à la carte, which may represent a significant difference for some customers.

    If you’ve had a chance to try the new Apple online shopping experience for a new Mac, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via MacRumors, Macworld, and Consomac

  • Apple’s 40W Dynamic Power charger offers support for new battery charging specs, quick voltage changes on the fly

    Apple’s 40W Dynamic Power charger offers support for new battery charging specs, quick voltage changes on the fly

    This is honestly pretty nifty.

    A quick rundown by the very cool cats at AppleInsider dives into Apple’s recently-released 40W Dynamic Power charger, which appears to be a fairly typical USB-C power adapter, but supports up to 60W, and is able to charge an iPhone 17 to 50 percent battery capacity, something no other charger on the market can presently do.

    The charger supports the new USB PD 3.2 SVR ABS specification, which allows it to make small changes to its voltage on the fly.

    This video explans it better:

    The charger itself retails for $40 and is currently available now.

    If you’ve had any experience with the new 40W Dynamic Power charger, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via AppleInsider (YouTube) and Amazon

  • Apple announces M5-based iPad Pro, offers fast charging, additional features

    Apple announces M5-based iPad Pro, offers fast charging, additional features

    If you’ve been hankering for an M5-based iPad Pro, you’re going to like this.

    Apple on Wednesday announced its next-generation iPad Pro tablet, complete with the company’s custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.

    The M5 chip utilizes a 10-core CPU with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. The unit offers a next-generation Neural Accelerator, which allows the iPad Pro to offer 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing engine. A faster 16-core Neural Engine also delivers more energy-efficient performance. Apple’s updated C1X modem is cited as offering up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance than its predecessor with greater efficiency.

    The update iPad Pro also boasts Apple’s N1 chip, which was designed in-house and handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread functionality. Apple has stated that the N1 offers better performance when connected to 5GHz networks, and improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

    Where other specs are concerned, the M5 iPad Pro offers over 150GB/s of unified memory bandwidth, which is almost a 30 percent increase compared to the previous generation. It also offers up to 2x faster storage read and write speeds, and the 256GB and 512GB models start with 12GB of unified memory.

    For the road warriors, the M5 iPad Pro can drive displays up to 120Hz and now supports Adaptive Sync, which provides the lowest possible latency in external display performance.

    Other features include fast charging, which allows the unit to charge to 50 percent battery capacity in about 30 minutes using a 40W adapter or higher.

    The M5 iPad Pro became available for pre-order on Wednesday, and will be available in stores on Wednesday, October 22 with the base model starting at $999.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple

  • Apple adds M4 MacBook Pro, M4 Mac mini to list of available refurbished inventory

    Apple adds M4 MacBook Pro, M4 Mac mini to list of available refurbished inventory

    If you’re looking to snag an M4 MacBook Pro or an M4 Mac mini at a good price, you’re going to like this.

    Apple on Wednesday added the MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024.

    Some of the refurbished M4 MacBook Pro models are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select European countries.

    The refurbished units are discounted by approximately 15 percent compared to equivalent new models on Apple’s online store.

    All of the usual accessories are included in the box with refurbished Macs. For the MacBook Pro, this includes a USB-C power adapter and a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable. For the Mac mini, this includes the power cord.

    Apple has stated that it puts its refurbished units through “full functionality testing” and a “thorough cleaning process and inspection,” and they are covered by Apple’s one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Apple

  • macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18 updates add support for wired Xbox controllers

    macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18 updates add support for wired Xbox controllers

    If you’re hankering to use a wired Xbox controller on your Apple device, you’re going to live this.

    Apple’s newest operating system updates for iOS 18, iPadOS, and macOS 15 Sequoia add support for the wired controllers.

    Previously, Apple devices supported wireless Xbox and PlayStation controllers via Bluetooth, but when it came to wired connections, only PlayStation controllers were compatible. This update marks a step forward in broadening gaming accessory support across Apple’s ecosystem.

    Per Apple engineer Nat Brown back in June, the Xbox uses a custom USB protocol for its wired controllers. Apple has added this with the latest updates, thus allowing for more comfortable gaming.

    The setup guides are as follows:

    Connecting to Apple Devices with Lightning Ports:

    If you’re using an iOS device with a Lightning port—such as older iPhones or iPads—you’ll need a Lightning to USB Camera Adapter to connect your wired Xbox controller. This requirement mirrors the setup process for wired PlayStation controllers on these devices. The adapter facilitates the necessary USB connection, ensuring your controller communicates effectively with your device.

    Connecting to Apple Devices with USB-C Ports:

    Simply plug the controller in using a USB-C to USB-C cable to establish the wired connection.

    If you’ve had a chance to try the wired Xbox controller with the operating system updates, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via MacRumors and @natbro