Apple Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard refresh reportedly coming soon... for one good reason

(Image credit: Ján Vlačuha / Unsplash)

published 18 September 2023

Apple will reportedly launch a trio of new Magic accessories when it announced the latest addition to its iMac range next month, it is said.

New Apple Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard models will become available and for one very good reason – they'll each sport USB-C.

Having switched to the charging standard for its new iPhone 15 and AirPods Pro releases, Apple will eventually turn to it for every device it makes. That's because a European Union mandate will be in affect from 2024, requiring all wireless "portable" devices to offer USB-C charging.

Apple is getting ahead of the game and switching all of its products ahead of time.

That doesn't mean there will be many other enhancements or upgrades, if at all.

The new AirPods Pro 2 simply switch the charging case for one that supports USB-C, for example. There's a couple of very minor additions, but nothing that is worthy of consideration for those with the current equivalent.

Bloomberg's Apple expert, Mark Gurman, predicts the same will be the case with the new Magic accessories. He implies in his Power On newsletter (via MySmartPrice) that the port swap over will be the only major change this time around.

That, for us, is fine when tit comes to the Trackpad and Keyboard. However, we've been after a redesign for the Magic Mouse for a while – one that takes the port away from the underside of the device and onto the end. That way you could still use it while charging, something that's impossible as things currently stand.

The current Mouse houses the Lightning charge port underneath, so you have to flip it over to connect and, once plugged in, it cannot operate.

Gurman also suggests we'll be getting new MagSafe Battery Pack and MagSafe Duo Charger accessories soon, with Lightning swapped for USB-C ports again.

And, it's inevitable that a new pair of Apple AirPods Max are in the pipeline, with the existing model now almost three years old. We expect there to be several additional extras coming with them when they launch though, not just a new charging port.

TOPICS

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.