Category: Apple Insider

Early Black Friday deals are live on Apple products.

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Many of the deals below offer record low prices on Apple products. But there’s no guarantee inventory will last or the prices will not change, because Apple product sales can fluctuate drastically during the holidays. If you’re in need of a new device now or want to ensure your holiday shopping is done ahead of the big rush, the offers below provide excellent gift ideas.

Retailer store cards like B&H’s Payboo Card and the Adorama Edge Card offer additional ways to save or spread payments out over time. With Adorama Edge, which knocks 5% off, and B&H Payboo, which offers an instant sales tax refund on qualifying orders, the savings can really add up, especially on a high-end purchase like a MacBook Pro or Mac Studio.

Jump to early Black Friday sales by store:

AirPods are always a hot holiday gift idea, and retailers often slash the earbuds to record low levels for Black Friday. Amazon continues to offer the lowest price on AirPods Pro 2, with a $20 discount on the 2022 release, as well as up to 33% off Beats earbuds.

Not sure which model is right for you? Check out our AirPods buyers guide for insight into differences across the product range.

The Apple TV 4K received an upgrade for 2022, with the newest models eligible for a $5 discount at Amazon. If you’re open to a closeout model, though, prices have fallen to $99.99 for the 2021 4K streaming box.

Apple’s M2 MacBook Air is also a great gift idea this holiday season. With upgrade options, including 24GB of memory and a bump up to the 10-core GPU, the laptop can be tricked out to meet your needs. Every model is discounted in our M2 MacBook Air Price Guide, with bonus savings on AppleCare at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama. Click on the green price tag icon to bring up coupon details in our Price Guide.

• M1 MacBook Air (7-core GPU), 8GB, 256GB: $799.99 at Amazon
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 8GB, 256GB: $1,049 ($150 off + $40 off AppleCare) with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 16GB, 256GB Midnight: $1,319 ($80 off + $40 off AppleCare) with coupon code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 24GB, 1TB Midnight: $1,899 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (10-core GPU), 16GB, 256GB Midnight: $1,399 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with discount code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (10-core GPU), 16GB, 512GB Space Gray or Midnight: $1,599 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama

• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 512GB): $1,599.99 ($400 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $1,999 ($200 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $2,299 ($300 off + $70 off AppleCare)
• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $1,999.99 ($500 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,699 ($400 off)
• 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 4TB) Space Gray: $4,099 ($600 off)

• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 512GB) Silver: $2,079 ($420 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 1TB): $2,279 ($420 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 32GB, 512GB) Space Gray: $2,599 ($300 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 32GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,149 ($350 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 32GB, 512GB) Space Gray: $2,699 ($400 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 64GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,349 ($350 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 64GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,699 ($400 off + $80 off AppleCare)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 32GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,099 ($400 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,599 ($300 off)
• 16″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 8TB): $5,499 ($600 off)

The newly released Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra are already discounted at Amazon leading up to the Thanksgiving weekend. Our Apple Watch Price Guide is tracking the latest Apple Watch deals all holiday season long.

• Apple Watch Ultra (Orange Alpine Loop, Medium or Large Band): $779.99 ($20 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS, Aluminum Case, Sport Band) various colors: $349 ($50 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, Cellular, Graphite Stainless, Milanese Loop): $699 ($50 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, Cellular, Silver Stainless, Milanese Loop): $699 ($50 off) at Amazon

Apple hardware isn’t the only thing that’s on sale. Early (and some running all the way through Nov. 25) Black Friday deals have launched at Adobe, where the Creative Cloud All Apps for Individuals plan is over 25% off for first-time subscribers.

There are plenty more deals going on leading up to Black Friday, including exclusive discounts on MacBook Air models. Here’s an overview of the special offers running this week:

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“[Center Stage] makes you more productive on iPad,” said Melody Kuna, senior manager for iPad Product Design, at Apple’s September 2021 event. “And it’s simply more fun.”

Here are the devices that offer Center Stage, the apps that work with the feature, and how to turn the feature on and off.

Center Stage is featured on all iPad models but has yet to be expanded to iPhones and more Macs solely. Here are the devices that offer Center Stage.

Center Stage was first introduced in the iPad Pro in 2021, when the M1 chip was built right into it. The iPad Pro received a 12 MP Ultra Wide camera on the front that allowed the feature to be introduced.

While the iPad Pro was not the only device announced at Apple’s May 2021 event, it was the only device to receive the new feature.

The newest iPad Pro also features center Stage. The iPad Pro starts at $799.

At Apple’s September 2021, the company introduced the 9th generation entry-level iPad. With the additions of a faster processor and True Tone, the entry-level iPad got a 12 MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera (that was introduced in the iPad Pro 2021).

Being the cheapest iPad offered, the ninth-gen model is a great deal to be able to get a feature once only availabl on the iPad Pro but on a budget-friendly iPad.

One year later, the tenth-generation model was introduced, using the A14 SoC, a larger 10.9-inch display, and the removal of the Home button among other changes.

The camera on the rear’s now a 12-megapixel model, while the front-facing 12MP sensor is now a Landscape Ultra Wide front camera. It’s also mounted in a different location, on the side, so it sits at the top of the screen when used in landscape orientation.

The iPad Air can be seen as the middle child of the iPad lineup. Once thought to be discarded after the introduction of the iPad Pro and budget iPad, the iPad Air made a huge comeback in 2020.

In 2022, Apple updated the iPad Air once again with an M1 chip – the same found in the iPad Pro – and a 12 MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera on the front that allowed for Center Stage.

The iPad Air starts from $599.

The iPad mini never got a true redesign until 2021. Until then, it featured the same design since it was first introduced in 2012.

In 2021, Apple showcased the newly redesigned iPad mini with a full-screen display, Apple Pencil 2 support, and a 12 MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera. With that camera incorporated into the device, Center Stage had officially come to the iPad mini.

The iPad mini starts at $499.

While the Mac lineup has gotten better cameras – upgrading from 720p to 1080p – only one element of the Mac ecosystem has received the ability to offer Center Stage. With the introduction of Mac Studio, the Studio Display offers a camera similar to the ones on the iPad – which allows it to be able to conduct video calls with Center Stage.

Currently, Studio Display is the only item of the Mac family with Center Stage built-in. Macs themselves don’t have Center Stage support for their own cameras, but the feature becomes available once the Studio Display is connected.

The Studio Display starts at $1,599. You can choose from different stand-options when choosing the version you want.

While the iPhone and MacBooks don’t offer Center Stage solely, both of them together – called Continuity Camera – can offer the feature with a little help from Belkin. The Belkin iPhone Mount attaches to the back of your phone magnetically and sits on top of your MacBook.

When starting a video call – or using the camera on your MacBook – your iPhone will automatically detect it and become the main camera to use. The iPhone uses its rear camera when using it with your MacBook.

Currently, the accessory is only for MacBooks (MacBook Air (2018 – 2022) and MacBook Pro (2020 – 2022)). You can get it in white or black for $29.95.

However, while the Belkin iPhone Mount is a decent way to hold your iPhone in the perfect position to work as a webcam, it’s not needed for Continuity Camera to work.

You must have macOS Ventura installed on your MacBook and iOS 16 installed on your iPhone for Continuity Camera to work.

Multiple apps work with Center Stage when video conferencing or creating content. Here are the apps that can use the feature.

• Facebook Messenger
• FiLMic Pro
• Google Meet
• Microsoft Teams
• Skype
• Slack
• Zoom
• Webex
• BlueJeans
• FaceTime

• DoubleTake
• Explain Everything
• TikTok

Center Stage is turned on automatically on your iPad, but if you want to turn it off, you can do that as well. Here is how to turn the feature on or off.

1. Go into the FaceTime app or start a video call from your iPad
2. Slide down to access Control Center
3. Tap on Video Effects
4. Tap on Center Stage (the option on the right) to turn it ON or OFF

Center Stage can be turned on or off at any time when on a call.

Center Stage is a great tool to keep you in focus when moving around or when more people join. It allows the viewer to understand who is talking by the camera zooming in on the person making noise and zooming out when someone else joins in with the conversation.

While the feature is only available on iPads and the Studio Display, Apple has moved to make the feature more accessible with Continuity Camera in macOS Ventura and iOS 16.

Currently, there has been no indication from Apple of the feature spanning out to further devices, but it’s likely to do so at some point in the future.

Belkin’s new MagSafe charger

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The aptly named BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe is a simplistic device that delivers what it sets out to do. It’s a vent clip-style mount powered by a USB-C car adapter.

Its body is all plastic and has a silver finish that mimics Apple’s well-known anodized aluminum appearance. The puck and face of the charger are white, standing out quite brightly in your vehicle.

The design may look familiar because Belkin has borrowed most of it from its original MagSafe car mount. Launched alongside the iPhone 12, the Belkin Car Vent Mount Pro has an identical silver color and uses the same vent connector.

The original MagSafe accessory was just a mount, using Apple’s official MagSafe module. This version connects the same but can charge.

The charger has an integrated power cable connecting to the device’s back. This does keep the device compact by not requiring the additional hardware to facilitate a removable cable, but it does limit you should the cabler ever need replacing.

Belkin color-matched the cable with a light grey cable tie that’s built-in. That way, you can route the cable where you need it, and you can make sure it doesn’t float around your center console or steering column.

It uses a standard USB-C connector by default so you can connect it to your car’s USB-C port, if it has one that is. Otherwise, it isn’t permanently connected to the power supply, so you can change power sources if you want.

Belkin bundles a compact 20W adapter in the box, enough to power the 15W maximum charging speed. It is grey, like the rest of the setup.

The one downside is that the included power adapter only has a single USB output.

We’ve found it helpful in our car to have a dual-output power adapter. Since the power adapter is part of the purchase, we have to pay for it regardless and then are on our own if we want to replace it with a dual-output one.

It may have been better for Belkin to omit the power adapter and allow us to buy our own, decreasing the price by $20 or so in the process. This, of course, doesn’t matter if you’re rightly happy with a sole USB-C port.

It’s nearly impossible to believe that MagSafe has been on the market for more than two years. Apple had originally announced the new magnetic system with the launch of the iPhone 12 series, yet there have been no MagSafe car chargers in that time.

There have been magnetic Qi chargers that can interface with MagSafe, but no legitimate MagSafe devices existed. It wasn’t until Belkin quietly announced the Apple-exclusive Boost Charge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe that one became available.

Belkin’s latest charger carries Apple’s seal of approval and has completed Apple’s Made for iPhone certification process, ensuring optimal compatibility with your iPhone.

Many had wondered why there was no official MagSafe car charger, and our best guess is that Apple’s stringent MFi certification for MagSafe did not allow for them. Apple has been conservative in what chargers were initially approved and it could have been worried about the heat while in the car.

As of late, Apple has opened up the program, allowing for more devices to come to market including the option to cover the MagSafe module. Belkin’s charger already looks different and has an alternate style of puck that differs from most MagSafe chargers on the market, even if the differences are subtle.

Besides looks, the difference with a real MagSafe charger is speed.

A Qi charger, everything on the market to date, will only charge an iPhone at 7.5W of power. A MagSafe charger can safely deliver up to 15W of power.

Of course, this all depends on environmental factors. Running wireless CarPlay and navigating in Maps can heat your device which can yield reduced charging speeds, but at its peak, this can be up to twice as fast.

To make this a capable car charger, we needed to test the hold on the vent, the hold on your phone, and the charging speed. We evaluated each of these individually.

Vent mounts are some of the most common car chargers available, though they aren’t always the most popular. They can often have issues staying in place.

Some vents are vertical and don’t hold as well, while others may not fit. In winter months, hot air from the vent also has the potential to cause your phone to get too warm.

So far in our tests, we haven’t run into any issues with the hold. It clipped into our Jeep’s vents relatively easily and has a secure grip.

We’re confident in its hold as we’ve been using Belkin’s existing MagSafe mount — non-charging — since it launched in 2020 without issue, and they share the same clip.

Similarly, the magnetic hold on the mount is plenty strong enough. It again uses Apple’s official component so you can be sure it is designed for optimal hold.

No matter how deep the potholes we hit here in Ohio, our iPhones never fell off.

For charging, we used a USB-C power meter to monitor how much power went into our phone. While it varied, we consistently got speeds of just over 14W.

As the temperature increased, we saw the speed drop, but it still hovered at roughly 8-10W — still more than a Qi charger. In the most extreme heat — while in the sun, running wireless CarPlay, and navigating — the speed dropped very low to just a couple of watts of power, as expected.

At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if most people who needed a magnetic car mount didn’t already have one. It’s doubtful that users were waiting around for an official MagSafe option to come to market.

With a price tag reaching a hair below three digits, it also isn’t a cheap device to own. There are other MagSafe chargers coming in at $99, but it is a hard pill to swallow for a device that is used less frequently than a charger on your desk or nightstand.

That said, it’s the best option for an iPhone charger, one delivering the highest possible charging speeds. It’s also well-designed and includes the power adapter and cable tie in the box.

If you can stomach the price tag and are OK with a vent mount, this is an excellent charger. But it also may be just the start and we’d expect to see other models arriving soon, even if they’re just as expensive.

• Compact, sleek design
• Color-matched cable and power adapter
• Power adapter and cable tie included
• The only official MagSafe car charger available
• Fastest wireless iPhone car charger on the market

• Vent mounts can overheat
• No other mounting options available
• Much more expensive than magnetic Qi chargers

You can pick up the new Belkin BoostCharge Pro Wireless Car Charger with MagSafe directly from Apple for $99 with availability starting on November 14th.

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Plaintiff Elliot Libman has filed what he hopes will become a class action suit against Apple. The lawsuit alleges that since Apple has some knowledge of what a user is browsing on the App Store, it is violating a right to privacy that the user holds.

The suit alleges that research published in November has exposed Apple in that it “records, tracks, collects and monetizes analytics data – including browsing history and activity information – regardless of what safeguards or “privacy settings” consumers undertake to protect their privacy.”

Specifically, the suit cites “Allow Apps to Request to Track” and “Share Analytics” settings as the main issues that they have with Apple.

“Apple’s practices infringe upon consumers’ privacy; intentionally deceive consumers; give Apple and its employees power to learn intimate details about individuals’ lives, interests, and app usage; and make Apple a potential target for “one-stop shopping” by any government, private, or criminal actor who wants to undermine individuals’ privacy, security, or freedom. Through its pervasive and unlawful data tracking and collection business, Apple knows even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing aspects of the user’s app usage— regardless of whether the user accepts Apple’s illusory offer to keep such activities private.”

Attorneys we spoke with on Friday evening believe that the filer has a tough hill to climb to win the suit. It’s unclear if the complainant or lawyers who filed the suit understand the distinction between server-side data collection, and how the settings at the core of the suit work.

It’s also likely that this data that is cited in the suit is collected server-side. For example, video streamer Netflix view history is stored server-side and tied to an account, and collected on the server, where the setting for the request not to track does not apply.

In the case of server-side data, “Allow Apps to Request to Track” and “Share Analytics” settings are irrelevant. The part about “Share Analytics” is also likely not relevant on its own, because app browsing history is user behavior, and is not tied to device analytics which are used to determine the state of a device and its internet service when a problem develops.

And there is prior precedent that “app developers” and an App Store hosting company, in this case, Apple, are not one and the same, despite the App Store being an app.

The research by Mysk that inspired the suit says under iOS 14.6 “detailed usage data is sent to Apple” from the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Books. Stocks sent less identifiable information than the other apps, the researchers claim.

The data sent is reportedly associated with an identifier that could identify a user. The behavior reportedly persists in iOS 16, but the researchers could not examine what data was sent because it was all sent encrypted.

The researchers did say to Gizmodo that similar data was not sent from Health and Wallet with any combination of privacy settings. All data is sent to different servers than iCloud‘s array.

The suit says there is a cash value to consumers’ personal information. The study cited in the suit is based on sales of data, some gathered by hacks and data thefts. Apple says it does not sell user data, and there is no evidence that it does.

Apple is also explicit about how it uses data in its advertising platforms. The company is on record saying that its ad platform does not connect user or device data with that data collected from third parties for targeted advertising. They also say they do not share user device or device identification with data collection firms.

The suit alleges that Apple has “invaded a zone of privacy protected by the Fourth Amendment” and “violated dozens of state criminal laws on wiretapping and invasion of privacy.” The Fourth Amendment does not seem to apply here.

It’s not clear why data collection by a company that you are doing business with and agreed to data collection in the terms of service of a product, in this case, both the App Store, and the iPhone itself, is a violation of wiretapping laws, especially if Apple anonymizes or aggregates any data collected by the App Store.

It goes on to cite “highly offensive” behavior as it pertains to “intentional intrusion” into internet communications and “secret monitoring of private app browsing.” For Apple or any app store to serve data across the internet to a customer as it pertains to App Store browsing and purchasing requires, at some level, the company to know what’s being browsed and what’s been purchased by any given user.

Much of this comes down to which tech or Internet company users trust. Apple’s technology, for instance, has prevented the filer’s ISP or wireless carrier from knowing what they’re browsing.

Identifiable user data is required for not just the internet to work but paid services like the App Store, Books, and Music to authenticate and function, and support to be given for said services. It’s clear that the filer does not trust Apple in this regard, based on the “highly offensive” color about Apple’s behavior in the filing.

As always, the suit seeks “restitution and all other forms of equitable monetary relief,” and injunctive relief as the court may see proper. A jury trial is demanded.

It’s not clear when or if the case will get heard.

Libman v. Apple, Inc is case number 5:2022cv07069 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Fisher & Fisher of Northeastern Pennsylvania filed the suit.

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On Monday, TransUnion reported a data breach with the Massachusetts Attorney General. It currently isn’t known how many people were affected in the breach.

According to JDSupra, TransUnion said that the breach resulted in names, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers and driver’s license numbers being compromised.

TransUnion has sent letters to all affected parties with instructions to help protect themselves from identity theft and fraud.

TransUnion is one of the largest consumer credit reporting agencies, collating information from more than a billion users globally and 200 million files in the United States alone.

Apple Park

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It was first learned in late October that Apple’s Chief Information Officer, Mary Demby, would retiring after three decades. At the time, it wasn’t clear who would replace her.

Now, it seems the tech giant has figured out who will step into the role — Timothy Campos.

Campos held the same role for six years at Facebook, now Meta, from 2010 until 2016. As Bloomberg points out, he also co-founded Woven, a calendar app that was acquired by Slack in 2021.

He had posted on his LinkedIn profile that he is “getting ready for something new” but did not disclose the position. According to Bloomberg, a spokesperson for Apple confirmed the new hire.

Apple MR headset render

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In May, it was reported that Apple had shown its upcoming mixed-reality headset to members of its board of directors.

Now, a report from DigiTimes spotted by MacRumors suggests that the device will enter production in the first quarter of 2023. The device could be unveiled as soon as April of the same year.

The first run is anticipated to be limited, with rough estimates at about 0.7 million units for the year. Allegedly, Pegatron will be the exclusive partner for the final assembly.

The production date falls in line with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo‘s predicted timeline, who said that he believed Apple could introduce the device somewhere between January and the second quarter of 2023.

Kuo also believes that the headset will be capable of switching seamlessly between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences.

Foxconn worker

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Foxconn’s factory in Zhengzhou was hit by a COVID outbreak in late October. At the time, a spokesperson for the Apple supplier said the impact was controllable, and conditions at the factory were stable.

On Monday, November 7, The Wall Street Journal published a report based on interviews from over two dozen Foxconn workers and their relatives, and the company’s announcements on its WeChat account.

One employee said the quarantine started on October 7, as she and her coworkers were told they couldn’t leave their production unit. They stayed there for 27 hours and were moved to another block of dorms, and Foxconn started its close-loop management system soon after.

The iPhone manufacturer didn’t reveal the number of COVID cases it found. Instead, on its WeChat account, it shared stories from recovered patients. The company reportedly likened it to a cold, sharing statements from medical experts who downplayed the dangers of catching the virus.

“I don’t know how many positive cases were detected each day, but I saw people around me slowly disappearing,” said a quality-control worker.

By late October, some workers suspected that Foxconn was more focused on keeping production running than on enforcing strict pandemic protocols, according to a production-line manager.

As employees returned to work after a quarantine, some people didn’t believe they had all tested negative. Instead, an unsubstantiated rumor claimed it was part of a plan to mix COVID patients with healthy people to promote herd immunity.

On October 28, workers started abandoning the factory using buses from the government to take them home. Foxconn offered to raise bonuses fivefold for people who changed their minds and returned to work.

“Calm down and return to work. It’s better than going home to a quarantine,” a loudspeaker reportedly announced.

A lockdown at Foxconn started on Wednesday, November 2, and is currently scheduled to last until November 9.

iPhone 14 Pro

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In the ninth week of the Apple Product Availability Tracker conducted by JP Morgan analysts, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max still have lengthy lead times. After growing by approximately a week in the week 8 results, the two models have seen their availabilities freeze at 31 days each, the same as the previous results.

JP Morgan says the lead times are a “likely indication of the challenges related to an ongoing COVID outbreak in China, particularly in the area around Foxconn’s major iPhone factory.”

The issues are significant enough to prompt Apple to publish a rare Sunday press release, advising of lower production of its Pro model iPhones at the facility.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus demands continue to “remain modest,” with the overall global timescales now down to 2 days apiece from 3 days one week prior.

Relative to the iPhone 13 series, the lead times are shorter for the base iPhone 14 model, while the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are in-line with their year-ago counterparts.

For the US tracker, lead times are largely unchanged, at 3 days and 32 days for the non-Pro and Pro models respectively. Relative to the iPhone 13 generation, the iPhone 13 and mini would’ve been around 10 days at this point in the cycle.

In China, the base iPhone 14 lead time increased from 2 days one week ago to 4 days, with the iPhone 14 Plus lead times shifting from 2 days to 3 days. Even so, overall lead times for the base models are still “less favorable relative to demand last year,” which saw lead times of around a week.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max lead times in China continue to track for 29 days.

In Europe, Germany lead times for the Pro models moderated “slightly” to 32 days from 34 days a week ago. In the UK, the Pro lead times remained stable at 29 days.

The iPhone 14 and Plus tracked to 1 day in Germany, down from 5 days, whereas deliveries for the models in the UK stayed at 1 day.

The AirPods Pro Gen 2 had its lead times expand slightly, rising from 2 days last week to 4 days.

Twelve South HiRise 3

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When we were first introduced to the third-generation HiRise from Twelve South, we didn’t expect to like it. The HiRise family has proud legacy, and we weren’t sure this latest incarnation would hold up.

Our first reaction from the PR images painted a picture of a plastic charger that lacked any MFi certifications. By all appearances, it didn’t have the Apple backing and premium materials we typically see from Twelve South.

After using the device for a bit, we’ve come around on the HiRise 3. While it isn’t the fastest charger out there, it’s a great desktop or nightstand companion with helpful design choices.

With the HiRise 3 in our hands, we were smitten with its very clean design with purposeful lines. On our white model, it feels like a tray at the Apple Store, with matte-white edges, a soft-touch finish, and a light grey top.

That light grey surface looks unassuming, but it acts as one of the three chargers. It is a charging pad for powering up your AirPods, a second phone, or another Qi-enabled accessory.

A metal pole holds the iPhone and Apple Watch chargers in the air with minimal seams. The whole device looks polished and like something you’d find sitting as at an Apple device demo station.

One big differentiator between the HiRise and other MagSafe chargers is the charging surface. Twelve South opted for a very large, flat surface to hold your iPhone.

The idea is that as you try to interact with your phone, it is more stable. Think along the lines of a 6am alarm going off and you’re trying to smack that snooze button for a few more minutes of shut-eye.

Most MagSafe chargers have a small contact surface, so when you press on the bottom or edges, it can come free of the magnet. Our nightstand has a glass top, and since we often use our phone with a case, a tumble will wake you up very quickly — trust us.

The flat surface holds the phone well, even with the several cases we tried, and provides additional support no matter where you press on your phone.

On top is the Apple Watch puck which blends neatly into the surface. It has just a small bump and the same matte finish as the rest.

Twelve South says you need a 20W charger to adequately power all three devices on the HiRise 3. You can supply your own, but Twelve South would love it if you considered the PlugBug Slim.

The lower charging pad is capable of 5W of power, whether used with a set of AirPods or another iPhone. The Apple Watch puck can charge at up to 3W, and the iPhone charger is capable of 10W.

This feels a bit disingenuous though. We realize Qi chargers come at standard rates, but unlike other Qi chargers that could also charge Android devices, the HiRise 3 is limited just to iPhones. And iPhones can only charge at up to 7.5W via Qi.

By advertising the Qi charger as a 10W charger when it is physically only capable of charging iPhones, unassuming users may be expecting a much faster charger than they’re getting.

It isn’t a 100 percent fabrication, but Twelve South doesn’t acknowledge anywhere on the product page that iPhones are currently limited to 7.5W.

Our biggest gripe with the HiRise 3 is that because it isn’t MFi-certified, it lacks superior charging speeds. It doesn’t support fast charging on the Apple Watch Series 7, and it doesn’t support 15W of charging via MagSafe.

Neither the Apple Watch nor the iPhone charger are Apple-certified and can’t offer the fastest speeds possible. That doesn’t mean they’re unsafe though.

Qi chargers are still commonplace and perfectly fine to use with your iPhone. Apple enforces rigid standards on MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers, and Twelve South had to skip certification to get the design it was looking for.

Real MagSafe and Apple Watch devices need to use Apple’s supplied pucks and it several limits the design decisions you make. We love the flat, nearly seamless look of the HiRise 3 and it wouldn’t be that way if Apple had its say.

We also appreciate how sturdy the charger is while still supporting the MagSafe magnets on the latest iPhones. As long as you’re ok with the limited charging speeds for your watch and phone, this device will look great in your home or office.

Twelve South did something different, and we applaud it for that. This charger isn’t going to be for everyone, but it is unique, stylish, and effective at charging your daily devices.

• Sleek appearance with Apple-like design
• Smooth lines and solid feel
• Standard USB-C power
• Charges three devices at once
• Large, solid surface for charging iPhone others lack
• Magnetically holds iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 devices

• No Apple certification for MagSafe or Apple Watch
• Slower 7.5W iPhone speed
• No Apple Watch fast charging