There has been much talk about the one USB Type C port that Apple has included in its new 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display. The notebook only has this one port which will be used to handle everything from charging to data transfer. Apple has thus been able to make the new notebook slimmer and lighter by removing all of the other ports, even its own MagSafe charging solution, in favor of USB-C. A report suggests that by adopting this industry standard Apple will also open up the new MacBook to third party chargers and external battery packs.
USB-C isn’t exclusive to Apple. It’s a universal standard so many other companies will include it on their devices, like Google did on the new Chromebook Pixel, this also means that accessories will not be limited to a particular platform.
Citing sources close to the situation 9to5mac reports that Apple doesn’t have major plans to block many USB-C accessories. Apparently it won’t even block external battery packs or third party chargers for its new MacBook.
This will open up an completely new market for accessory manufacturers who previously couldn’t develop charging solutions for the MacBook due to Apple’s proprietary MagSafe charging solution.
The scribe’s sources say that any external battery solution which meets the USB Power Delivery specifications will be able to work with the new notebook from Apple. Customers wouldn’t have to spend extra money to get specialized solutions for this product.