“FCC filings have leak details of Apple’s new ‘Magic Mouse 2’ and updated wireless keyboard, and it seems the peripherals are in for quite an upgrade,” Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reports for ZDNet. “And given that it’s been more than six years since either device has been upgraded, it’s long overdue.”
“The first change,” Kingsley-Hughes reports, “is that the aging and inefficient Bluetooth 2.0 is being replaced with the more efficient Bluetooth 4.0, a move that will see lower energy consumption, better security, and better connectivity.”
‘Another big change is that the AA batteries that the devices previously relied upon for power are out, replaced by built-in 3.8V Li-Ion power packs,” Kingsley-Hughes reports, “What is not made clear is how these devices will be charged.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Regardless of the method of charging, the charges are likely to be few and far between based on how much we already get out of the AA batteries in our current Apple Wireless Keyboards and Magic Mouse units, especially considering the change from the inefficient Bluetooth 2.0 to Bluetooth 4.0.
First in line.
Inductive mouse mat for charging???
Thought Kingsley -Hughes would be well clued up on Apple’s patents by now!
May as well just have wired keyboard and mouse. I assume the inductive mat would need a power cord.
Force touch Magic Pad?
This will really drive the stock price up. What a game changer! Way to go guys. Who cares about streaming TV service? A new keyboard and mouse is what AAPL really needs. Bravo!
Tired of Apple’s obsession with sealed products that cannot be easily maintained.
More garbage from Tim “the steward” Cook. Apple is rotting from the top down. Fire both Cook and Ive.
Total nonsense! It’s a wonder you don’t blame Obama!
More garbage from “Joe” the Samsung stooge. Lol
Joe’s brain is like an empty tin can, with one rotting little pea, rattling around and around and around….
Hmmm. Three screws and the battery area is open. But given lower draw you will not need to replace battery for 5 years.
Whiner! Lol
The current Lithium ion battery setup is just fine. Nobody is going to spend what Apple will charge to replace the batteries on a mouse or trackpad.
Cannot wait to buy this on day 1.
What about a new track pad???
I could never get used to the trackpad. If the Magic Mouse had four-point multitouch as well, it would have been all you need. Trackpad just felt so difficult to interact with the Mac to me, even worse than a laptop with the same input device for some reason. I have no idea why. I started just using all 3 (keyboard, mouse, trackpad) and eventually got sick of charging trackpad for no reason and just gave mine away.
Hey Apple, how about a wireless extended keyboard.
Yes! Need!
The extra USB’s are part of what make it so easy for me to use it as a docking station that I can interchange between multiple MacBooks with a single Thinderbolt cord.
Will this be the new Butterfly Touch keyboard? That seems to be a given, but nobody is mentioning it.
Charge by connecting USB cable?
Give me a USB wired connection or nothing at all, Apple. Bluetooth is the biggest battery hog for input peripherals. Just because Jony doesn’t like wires doesn’t mean that the real user experience is in any way enhanced by adding yet one more battery the user has to rely on.
Magic Mouse 1 sucked the camel’s winkie.
…the aging and inefficient Bluetooth 2.0 is being replaced with the more efficient Bluetooth 4.0, a move that will see lower energy consumption, better security, and better connectivity…
…But will still be Bluetooth and therefore be UNRELIABLE. I hate Bluetooth.
Since my magic mouse recently died. This is perfect timing for me. I hope it comes very soon.
I’d love a new external force trackpad, unless the new mouse is remarkably better than the current one. And I too am hoping for a keyboard that is like the one on the new Macbook.
my ancient clear’n’white acrylic kybd has been dying by inches for the last year: I’ve been holding off, not for BT4, but for the NEW KEY-SWITCHES they introduced in the latest MacBook.
Given those, I will buy it day one…given my kybd, I may anyway….
Apple’s keyboard cannot be called a keyboard. It is the worst piece of included hardware in any system.
No numeric keypad? Jesus, Apple, get a clue.