magnets

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on magnets:

iPhone’s MagSafe poses low risk to people with implanted medical devices

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How it works
According to the FDA, there’s little risk to implanted medical devices from magnets in phones and watches.
Photo: Apple

After Apple warned users of implanted medical devices to avoid iPhone 12 and MagSafe accessories, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration weighed in to say that the danger to pacemakers and defibrillators from magnets built into electronic devices is low.

Trick reveals all 102 hidden magnets in the 2018 iPad Pro

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iPad Pro 2018 one week review
Magnets are one of the neatest features in the new iPad Pro -- even though you can't see them.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

One of the neatest features of the new 2018-era iPad Pro is something you can’t even see from outside. That’s the fact that it’s studded with 102 small magnets, which allow you to attach the Apple Pencil, stick it to the Smart Keyboard Folio, or even adhere it to your fridge door if you’re feeling brave.

But just how are the magnets distributed inside Apple’s next-gen tablet? Using some special magnet paper, tech vlogger Marques Brownlee found out.

Is the 2018 iPad Pro Smart Folio Cover really worth $99? [Review]

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The Smart Folio Cover also eliminates the camera bump.
The Smart Folio Cover also eliminates the camera bump.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you buy a new iPad on launch day, and you want a cover or case, you’ll probably have to buy one from Apple. The first-party covers are great, but the prices are absurd. After using a Smart Cover on my old 1st-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a few years, I swore to myself that I’d wait it out this time, until good third-party cases went on sale, instead of wasting cash on a Smart Folio Cover.

But, after just a couple of hours with the new iPad Pro, I realized there was no way to carry it in my bag without a case. So I put it back in its box, walked to the Apple Store, and gave Apple another 120 euros (or $136 at current exchange rates). Was it worth it?

Yes, you can use the 2018 iPad Pro as a fridge magnet

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You can attach iPad Pro to a refrigerator thanks to magnets. But don't try this at home.
Don’t try this at home. Or at the office. Or anywhere, really.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The new 2018 iPad Pro has a lot of magnets inside. There are around 90 of them on the back of it alone, just to stick it to the Smart Keyboard Folio or the ridiculously priced new Smart Folio cover, according to tests done by Pocket Lint. But those magnets are also great for sticking the iPad Pro to a refrigerator door like a giant fridge magnet.

Kahney’s Korner: Something’s missing from new MacBook – magnetic attraction

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Leander Kahney likes Apple's use of magnets. So what happened with the new MacBook?
Leander Kahney likes Apple's use of magnets. So what happened with the new MacBook?
Photo: Cult of Mac

Leander is having a bit of a moment. One of his favorite features of Apple product design is missing on his shiny new MacBook.

Jony Ive, what have you done with the magnet?

You can commiserate with our Editor and Publisher over the loss of the magnet that secured the cable to the charging port in the latest Kahney’s Korner video.

ZooGue’s New Kickstand Case Uses Precious Magnets

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Fact: If we keep consuming magnets at the current rate, the world’s magnet mines will run empty by the end of December this year. And yet this ecological disaster waiting to happen hasn’t stopped the likes of Tim Angel and his case company ZooGue from exploiting these “blood magnets” for his own ends.

The latest example is the Prodigy case, a fat, padded folio with an adjustable stand.

JustMount, A Magnetic Wall-Mount for Your iPhone [Kickstarter]

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When I was a kid, magnets promised everything and delivered nothing. Wile E. Coyote’s scheme to feed the Road Runner iron filings and trap him with a giant horseshoe magnet mightn’t have work exactly as planned, but the magnet did at least drag any and every metal object in the vicinity into Mr. Coyote’s cave.

These days, magnets are as strong as the cartoons always promised. And they make things like Mesh’s JustMount possible.

NeoCover Magnetic Lightswitch Cover [Deal Ending]

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NeoCover640

“Any place with four walls and a door…” That’s how the creators of NeoCover describe the places that can use a NeoCover.

You’ve seen NeoCover around already. A simple idea, put ultra-strong rare earth magnets into a light switch faceplate. Then when you come home and need a place to hang your keys…fwap!…you stick your keys to the wall and there they are ready for you! Slick, simple, brilliant. Oh and on sale! Yep, we’ve got the NeoCover on sale right now in the Cult of Mac Deals.

Important: This item will only ship within the continental U.S.

The PixelSkin HD Wrap: An iPad Case That Ticks All The Right Boxes [Review]

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Pretty.
Pretty.

The PixelSkin HD Wrap ($50) is an iPad (third-generation) case from Speck that promises to be “the perfect iPad folio case for anyone looking for lightweight protection, secure grip and pixelicious style.” It’s made from a flexible TPU that’s impressively robust, and provides full-body protection to your iPad with a number of nifty features.

Semi-Rigid MacBook Air Case Closes With Magnets

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A case almost as slim as the computer within.

Magnets are a big part of almost all Apple’s products these days — the MagSafe power adapter, the iPad Smart Cover, the closures for all its notebooks and even holding the screen on the iMac.

So why not use magnets in cases? That’s the thinking behind Booq’s shiny new Viper Sleeve for the MacBook Air.

Logitech’s Ultrathin Keyboard Cover Is Your iPad’s Perfect Partner

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Isn't that the prettiest iPad keyboard you've ever seen?
Isn't that the prettiest iPad keyboard you've ever seen?

Logitech already makes one of the best keyboard cases available for the iPad, but its latest solution looks even more incredible. The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is, as its name suggests, is a super thin wireless keyboard that takes advantage of your iPad’s Smart Cover magnets to double up as protective aluminum cover. It’s the perfect partner for your iPad.

Why Your Smart Cover Or Magnetic Case Doesn’t Work With The New iPad

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smart-cover-magnets

It might not be an issue for you, but some users who have purchased new iPads have found that the magnets of their existing cases won’t turn the display on and off. This doesn’t just go for third-parties, either: even some old Smart Covers won’t turn the screen off.

What the heck’s going on? As it turns out, there’s a small change in the way the new iPad that only applies to magnetic cases: polarity now counts.

Can iPad 2 And Smart Cover Magnets Harm MacBook Hard Drives? [Myths]

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smart cover magnets

A friend and I were talking today about the iPad 2, the Smart Cover, and the 31 magnets they contain today. We were pondering what would happen when we tossed the iPad 2 with an attached Smart Cover into our laptop bags right next to a MacBook with a standard hard drive inside. A co-worker of my friend had brought this up earlier leading us to the question, “Can the iPad 2 and Smart Cover magnets damage (or erase) our MacBook Hard Drive? ”

The clear answer is — No! The myth about magnets erasing data from hard disks or computers is mostly false and a hard one to shake since many of us were trained to keep the two apart. Let me explain why the myth isn’t exactly true.

iPad 2 + Smart Cover Contain 31 Magnets! Yes, 31 Magnets!

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smart cover magnets

Just marvel at the engineering behind the iPad 2’s Smart Covers. Between them, the iPad 2 and its Smart Cover contain an incredible 31 magnets.

 

Apple has made extensive use of magnets in the past – to hold a remote control to the iMac, for example, or keep the lid of a MacBook closed. But it has never used so many magnets in a product, or so elegantly.

The 31 magnets in the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover:

  • clip the Smart Cover to the side of the iPad
  • Keep the Smart Cover attached to the screen when closed
  • ensure the Smart Cover retains its triangular shape when folded into a stand
  • instantly wake the iPad and put it to sleep when opened and closed

It’s really quite mind-boggling. iFixit has the details.