Adapter

Now that Apple has stopped discounting USB-C accessories, check out these cheaper alternatives

It was fun while it lasted: the age of Apple’s discounted USB-C adapters and dongles is over as of today. But don’t you worry as we just updated our roundups of cheaper USB-C adapters and USB-C cables from third-party vendors that you may need for your new MacBook Pro.

Following complaints from customers regarding the need for various dongles, Apple temporarily discounted many USB-C peripherals sold in its stores as a way to assuage their concerns. The limited-time deals were supposed to end on December 31, 2016 but the company extended the price cuts until March 31, 2017.

The NomadPlus turns your iPhone power adapter into a portable battery

For everyday charging of your iPhone, the supplied power adapter that comes in your Apple retail packaging will suffice, but if you go places a lot, then having an AC adapter that can not only charge your iPhone, but also store power for charging when away from the plug is a must.

Nomad comes the rescue in this department with an ingenious idea; a special type of AC adapter known as the NomadPlus that includes a built-in 1,800 mAh battery inside.

Apple’s iPhone 7 Lightning headphone adapter packs in a surprising amount of circuitry

Repair wizards over at iFixit along with their pals at Creative Electron gave Apple’s new $9 iPhone 7 Lightning headphone adapter a thorough X-ray treatment. The analysis has revealed a surprising amount of circuitry inside of the dongle.

Most notably, it packs in a pretty unique integrated circuit that’s most likely a built-in digital-to-analog (DAC) converter. There’s actually a lot going on in the diminutive adapter aside from the DAC, writes iFixit, including things like an integrated amplifier and an analog-to-digital-converter (ADC).

“We’re surprised how much electronics Apple was able to include inside this little cable,” said Creative Electron, which builds X-ray inspection systems for electronics.

iPhone 7 might ship with Lightning EarPods and 3.5mm headphone jack adapter

An image of another claimed spec sheet has surfaced on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo, indicating that the iPhone 7 could come with both a Lightning edition of Apple’s wired EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter in the box. As a result, the iPhone 7 should provide its owners with an appropriate solution for connecting their existing wired headphones to the handset right out of the box, without requiring them to purchase a standalone adapter.

Blockhead makes your MacBook charging brick less annoying

I love my Mac, but honestly, I hate the AC adapter. The ‘wall wart,’ as I like to call it, sticks out so far from the wall that it can be incredibly inconvenient for plugging in behind couches and in other tight spaces.

Blockhead, which was only just recently announced, eliminates the annoying protrusion of Apple’s AC adapter and is now available from Ten One Design.

Now that the Blockhead is available for purchase, we’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on one. In this review, we’ll walk you through its design and how it looks.