Apple Expanding Made for Apple Watch Program to Include Stands With Integrated Chargers

by

While the release of the Apple Watch has seen a boom in third-party docks and stands for the device, those accessories have needed the stock charger that Apple supplies to charge the Apple Watch. However, Apple will soon allow manufacturers to make official third-party Apple Watch docks and stands with integrated chargers, according to 9to5Mac.

mophieapplewatchdock

Mophie's Watch Dock with non-integrated Apple Watch charger

The change is coming for manufacturers in Apple's Made for Apple Watch program, which is similar to the Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad program, known more simply as the MFi program. This will allow manufacturers to obtain the charging pad at the end of the Apple Watch charging cable so that they can install them in their dock and stand accessories. Previously, users had to insert their own charging cables into third-party stands and docks, making those products a little complicated to set up.

However, the charging components are currently only available in "sample quantities" and official plans for accessories with integrated chargers cannot be submitted for approval. It's unknown when the first Apple Watch docks and stands with integrated chargers will be available.

Tag: MFi Program

Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
76 months ago
I still don't get the appeal of the apple watch. I really don't see it as a must have device at all. I have zero desire for one. But that's me.
Then it's not for you. Plenty of people get a lot of use out of it.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
nutmac
76 months ago
I applaud the move but I think Apple should make a first party Nightstand-friendly stand of its own.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prattdizzle Avatar
Prattdizzle
76 months ago
No. It's more clutter because it's an additional object that's physically present on your nightstand. But it might use less real-estate - I'll give you that.

But how does this new "Nightstand Mode" in watch OS2 figure into it? The watch needs to be on it's side and quite stable so you can, bleary-eyed, and with impaired fine motor skill, whack the crown straight DOWN to see the time at 4 AM.

Actually nightstand mode turns on at the slightest of movements of the watch. In fact all I do is lightly tap my bedside table and the time is displayed... It is and extremely useful feature and also the friends button is now the off button for the alarm whilst the crown is the snooze button.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peterdevries Avatar
peterdevries
76 months ago
I still don't get the appeal of the apple watch. I really don't see it as a must have device at all. I have zero desire for one. But that's me.
Thank god. I was afraid that this would be an Apple Watch thread without this comment in it. Seriously, who cares? What compells people to go in threads about products and say that they don't need one? What does it add?

I guess I will go now to the Procter and Gamble forums and post why I don't need tampons.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacDarcy Avatar
MacDarcy
76 months ago
I still don't get the appeal of the apple watch. I really don't see it as a must have device at all. I have zero desire for one. But that's me.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyTrimble Avatar
BillyTrimble
76 months ago
I still don't get the appeal of the apple watch. I really don't see it as a must have device at all. I have zero desire for one. But that's me.
Your response has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Just why did you feel it necessary to make your post? No one really cares that you don't like the watch! Please take your don't like comment to the "don't like" thread. Thanks.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

apple watch ecg

Apple Watch Likely to Gain Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, and Blood Alcohol Monitoring

Monday May 3, 2021 4:03 am PDT by
The Apple Watch may gain the ability to measure blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol levels, according to newly-revealed information about one of Apple's chosen business partners. Apple has been revealed to be the largest customer of the British electronics start-up Rockley Photonics, The Telegraph reports. Rockley Photonics has developed non-invasive optical sensors for...
Read Full Article • 202 comments
tile sticker e1570533758981

Tile CEO: 'We Welcome Competition From Apple, But We Think It Needs to Be Fair'

Tuesday May 4, 2021 9:51 am PDT by
Just after Apple announced its AirTags, Tile CEO CJ Prober relayed his concerns about competing with Apple in the tracking space, and said that Tile would ask Congress to investigate Apple's business practices specific to Find My and item trackers. Prober this week did an interview with Bloomberg, where he further expanded on Tile's complaints about Apple and why he feels that Tile is...
Read Full Article • 436 comments
facebook instargram updated att prompt 1

Facebook and Instagram Ask Users to Enable App Tracking in Order to Keep Services 'Free of Charge'

Sunday May 2, 2021 1:22 pm PDT by
As a way to convince users to enable tracking across other apps and websites, Facebook is deploying the tactic of telling users that they must enable tracking as part of the App Tracking Transparency framework in iOS 14.5 if they want to help keep Facebook and Instagram "free of charge." App Tracking Transparency or ATT is the newest privacy feature to come to iPhone and iPad devices as part ...
Read Full Article • 335 comments
fortnite apple logo 2

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney Admits App Store's 30% Cut Is Similar to Consoles, Would Have Accepted Special Deal With Apple

Tuesday May 4, 2021 1:54 pm PDT by
Apple's legal battle with Epic Games is continuing on, and during the second day of the trial, Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney continued his testimony against Apple. Sweeney was grilled by Apple's lawyers, and made several points seemingly favorable to Apple. In addition to mentioning how he prefers Apple's iPhone and values Apple's privacy policies that he's aiming to dismantle, Sweeney...
Read Full Article • 202 comments
Flat 2021 MacBook Pro Mockup Feature 1

Mini-LED Display Production Improving for Redesigned MacBook Pro Models Later This Year

Monday May 3, 2021 8:33 am PDT by
Apple supplier TSMT, a key vendor involved in the production of mini-LED displays in the newly announced 12.9-inch iPad Pro, has been able to address technical challenges for the production of mini-LED displays to be used in the upcoming 14 and 16-inch redesigned MacBook Pro models. As reported by DigiTimes, TSMT had initially been facing production constraints with the circuit board and...
Read Full Article • 125 comments
signal instagram ads3

Signal Shares the Instagram Ads Facebook Doesn't Want You to See

Wednesday May 5, 2021 1:29 am PDT by
Encrypted messaging app Signal has had a series of Instagram ads blocked from the social media platform, after it attempted to show users how much data the Facebook-owned company collects about them and how it's used to push targeted ads. In a blog post, Signal described how it generated the ads to show users why they were seeing them, simply by declaring upfront the information that the...
Read Full Article • 87 comments
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Yellow

Kuo: Apple to Launch 8-Inch Foldable iPhone in 2023

Sunday May 2, 2021 8:43 pm PDT by
Apple is working to launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a note to investors that was seen by MacRumors. Based on our latest industry survey, we forecast that Apple will likely launch a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display in 2023, with SDC as the exclusive display supplier and Samsung Foundry...
Read Full Article • 260 comments
iOS 14 on iPhone feature emergency

Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1 With Fixes for App Tracking Transparency Bug, WebKit Security Issues

Monday May 3, 2021 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1, minor security updates that come just a week after the release of the iOS 14.5 update. There is also a companion watchOS 7.4.1 update for Apple Watch and an iOS 12.5.3 update for older iPhone and iPad devices that don't support Apple's latest operating system versions. According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes a bug with App Tracking...
Read Full Article • 110 comments
airtags teardown tile mat galaxy smarttag

iFixit Shares AirTag Teardown Revealing 'Impressively Compact' Design Compared to Tile Mate and Galaxy SmartTag

Sunday May 2, 2021 4:54 am PDT by
iFixit has shared the first of its two-part series in tearing down Apple's AirTag item tracker, revealing that Apple had to make impressive design decisions to achieve its small design, including rethinking the speaker layout. For comparison, iFixit compared Apple's AirTag to the Tile Mate and the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag. Compared to the competition, AirTag is the smallest in size, with the...
Read Full Article • 194 comments
maxresdefault

Hands-On With Brydge's 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Keyboard With Trackpad

Tuesday May 4, 2021 11:48 am PDT by
Brydge has been making keyboards for Apple's iPads for years now, and the newest model, the Brydge 12.9 MAX+, is compatible with the third, fourth, and fifth-generation iPad Pro models, so it works even with the new mini-LED iPad Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In our latest YouTube video, we checked out the new Brydge 12.9 MAX+ to see if it's a viable...
Read Full Article • 83 comments