Apple's upcoming iPad Pro accessory, the Apple Pencil, will now ship with an adapter that will allow it to charge using a standard Lightning cable, reports 9to5Mac. The Apple Pencil, which has a Lightning connector on the end for charging, was originally designed to charge by plugging into the bottom of the iPad Pro.
With the adapter, which will fit over the Apple Pencil's Lightning connector, it will also be able to charge using a regular Lightning cable. This will expand the number of ways the Apple Pencil can be charged and it will alleviate concerns about potential damage to the Apple Pencil from being knocked or bent while plugged into an iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro appears to be on track for a launch in the first weeks of November. AppleCare employees and retail staff are currently receiving training on the new larger-screened tablet, with the training completion deadline set for November 6.
Apple's iPad Pro is the company's new flagship 12.9-inch tablet. It includes an A9X processor, 4GB RAM, and according to Apple, is as fast as many desktop class machines. Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model and goes up to $1,079 for a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
The Apple Pencil, which allows for pressure-sensitive drawing on the iPad Pro, is a standalone purchase that will be available for $99. Apple is also selling a Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro, priced at $169.
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent.
CarPlay
The...
Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account.
In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.
The U.S. version...
What a poorly thought out solution. Who's bright idea was it to think the primary way we would desire to charge this is by plugging it into the lightning port of the iPad Pro? If Samsung or Microsoft included an "adapter" as a solution, MR members would be howling at their inept planning (or lack thereof).
Why didn't Apple just make the Pencil's charging port be a female Lightning port? The idea of having the Pencil stick out the bottom of the iPad Pro, was ridiculous thinking on their part. It's not like it's so hard to use the charging cable from the iPad to charge the Pencil.
Seriously. The process for charging the Apple Pencil this way is:
1. Remove cap from Pencil. Make sure not to lose your cap. 2. Attach adapter to Cable. 3. Connect adapter to Pencil.
Most other products, both from Apple and other companies, generally have a single step:
1. Plug charging cable into product.
A few products (not Apple's) have an additional step:
1. Remove charging cover. Don't worry about keeping track though - it's attached. 2. Plug charging cable into product.
So yes, this is a seriously poorly thought out solution, involving 3-4x as much effort as most other charging solutions, and at least 2x as much effort as even poorly thought out solutions.
Despite the criticism here, I like this solution, because it provides two ways to charge the Pencil. The idea of plugging it into the bottom of the iPad is supposed to allow for 'emergency' rapid charging, when you're using the Pencil - remember it can get a decent amount of battery life from a short charge. And then when you plug it in for a full charge, e.g. at night, it uses a standard Lightning cable. I don't really see what's 'ugly' or 'stupid' about this. If you're in the middle of working, and your Pencil runs 'dry', you can just plug it directly into the iPad for a few minutes so you can get right back to work. That's much, much better than having to go find a cable and wall outlet, plug it into the wall etc. Imagine you're in the airport or on a plane, for example....
What a poorly thought out solution. Who's bright idea was it to think the primary way we would desire to charge this is by plugging it into the lightning port of the iPad Pro? If Samsung or Microsoft included an "adapter" as a solution, MR members would be howling at their inept planning (or lack thereof).
I imagine the idea is to make it impossible to find yourself in a situation where you have a dead pencil. If you're in the park or on a train or anywhere, but haven't charged your pencil in a while, it's no problem. I don't think this adapter's a 'solution' for anything other than keeping the pencil permanently charged at a desk workstation, and Apple's never shied away from optional desk-based adapters.
