Customers who order one of Apple's lower-cost Apple Watch SE devices will now receive an upgraded USB-C charging cable in the package, rather than the previous USB-A charging cable.
Apple is changing the cable in the box as it continues to transition away from USB-A and for consistency across the Apple Watch lineup.
The Apple Watch SE will apparently ship with the same USB-C Fast Charger that's available with the Apple Watch Series 7, but fast charging is limited to the new models. Though the cable is the same, the Apple Watch SE will charge at standard speeds.
With the fast charge cable, the Series 7 is able to charge 33 percent faster than with a standard Apple Watch charging puck thanks to new charging architecture that is not built into the Apple Watch SE.
The Apple Watch SE's product page confirms the upgrade and lists the device as shipping with a "1m Magnetic Charger to USB-C Cable" rather than the standard Magnetic Cable that used USB-A. Apple previously had a non-fast charging version of the USB-C Apple Watch cable, but it has been discontinued and is no longer available.
While the Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch SE will ship with a USB-C Apple Watch charging cable, the Apple Watch Series 3, Apple's lowest cost option, still continues to feature a USB-A charging cable.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Yeah. For those saying awesome they just asked the majority of their customers to spend another 20 bucks because most won’t have a usb charging adapter. And their environmental czar says it’s a good thing they don’t include it. Gee thanks Apple.
