MagSafe is not a new technology. Apple first debuted MagSafe on the Mac in 2006 with the introduction of the Intel MacBook Pro. They later introduced MagSafe 2 which made the connector much thinner before it was discounted with the introduction of the 2015 MacBook and didn’t return until 2021 with the Apple Silicon MacBook Pros as MagSafe 3.

Between the time MagSafe 2 was discontinued and MagSafe 3 was introduced however, the MagSafe branding did make a return but not on the Mac. Instead, it was on the iPhone. MagSafe for iPhone debuted in 2020 with the iPhone 12 lineup and has been on every new iPhone model since (excluding iPhone SE) and is a great hardware feature that Apple has yet to take full advantage of, but with iOS 17 later this year, I think it will be utilized in a much stronger way. It could also provide an excellent opportunity for Apple to update the full lineup of their MagSafe accessories.

One of the marque features of iOS 17 is Standby. Standby will essentially turn your iPhone into a home hub when charging and when placed on its side.

The challenge with Standby adoption for users I anticipate will be placing iPhone on its side. No Apple designed MagSafe charger allows this currently, meaning users will need to make their own stand or purchase one from a third party. The problem with third party stands is they don’t always support MagSafe to its fullest. Usually when you see a product that says it “works with MagSafe” it just has magnets in it that allow your phone to stick to it. What MagSafe allows though is an NFC tag to be inside the magnetic ring layout that lets it communicate with the iPhone. I anticipate Apple to release a new MagSafe accessory that allows users to easily charge their iPhone via MagSafe and prop it up on a desk or kitchen countertop in either portrait or landscape orientation- the Apple Magic Charger. If you’ve been paying attention to the Apple leak scene, this product may sound familiar.

This product was first reported by AppleInsider in November 2022 and was cancelled, “since the iPhone could only be used in landscape orientation. The MagSafe charger would either lay flat or fold open, but there was no space to stand the iPhone up in portrait.” I anticipate Apple to update the design slightly to account for the portrait issue, but even if they don’t, it solves the issue of Apple not having a landscape oriented product to encourage users to purchase and try Standby for themselves.

The Apple Magic Charger would also be a spiritual successor to the iPhone Lightning Dock. The Lightning Dock was a fun accessory from Apple that let users set the dock on their desk and leave it plugged in and then charge the iPhone when inserted. You could even listen to music from your chartering iPhone with wired headphones that would plug into the dock itself.

As I previously mentioned, not could Apple take this year as an opportunity to introduce a new MagSafe accessory, it could also be used to update all their existing MagSafe accessories.

Starting with the Apple MagSafe Charger, this year I’d be great to see color matched options for your iPhone. With the MacBook Pro, Air, and iMacs having color matched power cables, it feels like the time has come for the iPhone to get the same treatment. The MagSafe Charger currently costs $40. I do hope that Apple makes a cheaper version that uses plastic rather than metal and costs $20. The plastic MagSafe Charger could continue to be sold in one color.

Next up, the MagSafe Duo Charger. This was a great product when it launched in 2020 but quickly became outdated in subsequent years as the iPhone camera bump grew larger making it more difficult to precisely align it on the charger and the Apple Watch charger on the other side didn’t support the faster charging speeds of the Series 7. It also still uses Lightning to deliver power to both parts of the charger. This year, Apple should update MagSafe Duo to use USB-C to deliver power to the charger and redesign it to acclimate the larger camera bump of recent (and likely future) iPhones. Hopefully they can slo update the Watch charger to accurate the faster charger of recent Watch models.

Finally, the MagSafe Battery Pack. This battery pack is really neat if somewhat controversial. Launching in 2021 for $100, this battery pack essentially extends the battery life of your iPhone rather than focusing on recharging it. It too uses Lightning and was designed with the limitations of the iPhone 12 mini in mind. This year, I hope Apple switches it over to USB-C and allows for reverse wireless charging so it too could be set on a MagSafe charger to be charged itself. It can also be redesigned to accommodate the loss of the mini iPhones and become larger providing more battery to more of the iPhone lineup. The other great thing the MagSafe Battery Pack can gain is support for Find My, similar to the MagSafe Wallet. This way wherever you disconnect the Battery Pack that location will be pinned on the Find My map. And fi you loose your Battery Pack, someone else can get your contact info to let you know they have it.

2023 could be the biggest year for MagSafe since its introduction, but a lot of that growth could be dependent on Apple itself as third parties have overwhelmingly opted to not support Apple in designing products that work perfectly with MagSafe.