CES 2017: The Best Apple Related Accessories

Apple may not take part in the annual Consumer Electronics Show, but the event is still filled with all kinds of Apple-related accessories from third-party vendors. Some aren't so great or are the same old thing, but others are novel, fun, and bring something new to the table.

For this video, we spent a couple of days exploring the show floor to find some of the best Apple accessories of CES 2017.


Incipio showed off a new iPhone 7 case that brings back the headphone jack. The case itself is rather thin, but there is a large chin at the bottom to accommodate both the headphone jack and and a Lightning charging port.

Griffin displayed its BreakSafe cables for the MacBook and MacBook Pro. The cables, including a new 100W model for the 2016 MacBook Pro, are designed to replace Apple's MagSafe connector, offering the same breakaway functionality over USB Type-C.

Henge Docks debuted a number of products to complement the new MacBook Pro. The original Vertical Dock allows you to dock your computer off to the side of a monitor, while the new Horizontal Dock allows you to securely dock the MacBook Pro without compromising usability. The Horizontal Dock features pressure sensors to know when the computer is present, and it then automatically connects itself with the computer. This dock has 13 ports available including HDMI, USB Type-A, and Ethernet. Henge Docks also announced the Tethered Dock, which gives you a station to connect multiple cables and charge your MacBook.

CMRA showed off a prototype Apple Watch band that features a front and rear-facing camera, but it didn't have a functional model on hand. We only saw a dummy unit, so we'll have to wait to see the band in action. The CMRA is already available for pre-order, but won't ship out until later this year.

Finally, NanoLeaf displayed its colorful array of Aurora lights. These HomeKit-enabled lights can be displayed on a wall and each individual light can be controlled through the Aurora app. NanoLeaf also demoed the new Aurora Rhythm sound sensor that allows the lights to react to music and sound.

If you missed them, make sure to check out the videos we did at CES Unveiled and Pepcom, two events that had tons of cool Apple products. You'll also want to check out our full CES coverage, which has dozens more accessories worth looking at.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
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....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
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 ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
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...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
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 ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
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,...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
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...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
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...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

gadgetguy03 Avatar
116 months ago
The theme this year? Let's replace everything Apple took away!
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
116 months ago
Amazing how many of these accessories just restore functionality Timmy took away.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Guy Clark Avatar
116 months ago
Many of the recently released accessories (for Macs in particular) show how inadequate the modern Mac is for the consumer.

A 2014 Retina MacBook Pro is a far more flexible and useful machine than the 2016 abomination. Macs are no more than fashion accessories instead of productive tools these days with the exception of the iMac.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
weezerr Avatar
116 months ago
So one of the best was a broken demo for an iwatch camera?

Inspiring.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
116 months ago
I find it quite funny how most of these things used to be built into Apple products at no extra cost (literally), and now, in the name of making products thinner, you have to use these cases, adapters and docks that actually make them even thicker than the previous version. Also I bet they're ridiculously expensive.

Yes, yes they removed the floppy drive and it was a great albeit premature idea at the time. Yes, the CD drive was a huge, bulky, unreliable piece that was a good riddance from a laptop. These things had their time and became obsolete, so it was just a matter of when, not if.

But Now we're talking about removing tiny little things that make your life hell, none of which are going to go obsolete. MagSafe, the classic USB port, the headphone jack, the HDMI port, the SD card reader... None of these things are bulky and none of them are obsolete. Most cameras in 2017 continue to use SD cards, all screens and projectors use HDMI, all audio devices use an audio jack, and all digital devices use the classic USB port. With the exception of USB-C, these are going to remain this way for the entire life of this computer, and well beyond it.

And you don't gain much either, these devices can't get much thinner now.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
116 months ago
Gotta love the Incipio case that 1) adds extra length to the already long iPhone and 2) makes landscape use asymmetrical. I've posted it before, and it'd probably make an industrial designer groan, but given the fact that headphone jacks are longer than they are wide, it would make sense to put the jack and Lightning input on either side of the case:



Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)