Aluminumalloy Frame Magnetic Magsafe Wireless Charging Case

Apple's latest generation of phones—the iPhone 12 line—come equipped with wireless charging, the company revealed at a smartphone-centered product event on Tuesday.

The feature debut comes more than a year after Apple scrapped an earlier version of the long-delayed technology, called AirPower. The company previously said the forerunner's prototypes did not live up to its "high standards."

The new technology, called MagSafe, uses magnets to snap iPhones into place on battery-recharging mats. 

By now, you’ve probably read my colleague Nick Statt’s piece about how the iPhone 12’s MagSafe magnetically-attached wireless charging cable opens up a future where iPhones won’t need ports at all.

That sounds futuristic! Now, let’s talk about something a little more practical... something legions of people already do with their phones.

We stick them in cases — thousands upon thousands of different cases every year — to protect them from damage, attach them to car docks, add fancy lenses and, most of all, reflect our personality and mood. We glue on flashy finger ring holders and PopSockets, slap on stickers, anything to make them look and feel different from the same damn iPhone our friends, family, neighbors and strangers are toting around.

THE MOST PERSONAL COMPUTER
Recently, Apple let iPhone owners reimagine their entire iOS 14 homescreen with custom widgets and app icons, and teens have been going to extreme lengths to re-skin their entire phone with Animal Crossing, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, Twilight and other themes. Despite the rise of apps like Widgetsmith, there’s a lot of friction keeping most of us from doing the same.

But with MagSafe, Apple is literally taking the friction out of accessorizing your iPhone. Magnets make it a snap.