Apple forces Watch owners to use only official chargers

Last week Apple took everyone by surprise and started selling the Magnetic charging base for Apple Watch, official accessory that facilitates the loading of the watch (especially for those who like to use the Headboard mode). But Ma decided to get ready.

It is one of the first charging base models on the market that has a built-in charger. If you notice, until then all the accessories sold by the era were stands that could only be used together with the Apple Watch magnetic charger cable. With this Apple cradle, it is no longer necessary to attach the cable that comes inside the watch box to the accessory for it to work, all it takes is a normal Lightning cable to connect the cradle to the Mac's wall charger / USB port.

Magnetic charging base for Apple Watch

Cool, huh? Without a doubt. But, like I said, Apple got it done.

I explain: the Watch uses the standard Qi for wireless charging but, despite using this open standard technology, Apple managed to modify it to the point that the accessory works only with Watch and vice versa.

Speaking to The Register, John Perzow (vice president of market development for the Qi standard responsible company) said: “The Apple Watch charger that comes with the Qi-based device, but the company decided not to send it for interoperability testing . I think they are using version 1.1.2 of Qi, but the software has been changed so that only the Apple charger works with Watch. ”

This is bad for two reasons: 1. do not expect to buy a good quality induction charger but more to recharge your Apple Watch, as it will not roll; 2. if you happen to run into some induction charging base in restaurants, airports, hotels, etc. you will not be able to use these accessories to recharge your Apple Watch.

It would be more convenient if Apple just followed the standard, allowing everyone to be used. It's not as if Apple had invented the technology and was protecting its intellectual property, this is a fair amount of money that it earns by selling a $ 79 device that probably cost the company less than $ 10 to make. Wireless Qi chargers typically cost between $ 10 and $ 30.

Users of iPhones are already a little used to this type of behavior by the company, after all, until today it is not possible to use the device's Bluetooth for transferring files except by AirDrop, which only works between Apple's own devices.

A feather

(via Cult of Mac)