Apple's two new 35W dual USB-C power adapters are now available for purchase on the company's official website. The chargers were announced during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event earlier this month alongside the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Both the new MacBooks are powered by the company's latest in-house Mac processor - the Apple M2. Despite rumors suggesting Apple might launch several new products at WWDC, the two new MacBooks and the two new chargers were the only pieces of hardware the company unveiled at the event.
Alongside the new MacBooks and chargers, Apple also announced the latest versions of its operating systems at WWDC. That includes iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS Ventura. The company was also expected to announced tvOS 16, but that didn't quite materialize. Still, there were a lot of new announcements at the event, including both hardware and software, which meant that the announcement about the two new chargers went under the radar for the most part. However, these are important accessories as far as Apple is concerned, but are they worth their asking price?
Both the new 35W dual USB-C chargers are now available for purchase on Apple's official website. They're both priced at $59, but there are a couple of notable difference between them. While one of the new chargers is a compact model, the other is a standard-sized unit. Both models use folding AC prongs and can be used to charge multiple devices simultaneously. As for the standard model, its folding prongs are interchangeable with regional adapters found in Apple's World Travel Adapter Kit, which enables buyers to use the adapter in other parts of the world with different power sockets.
Are The Chargers Worth Their Asking Price?
It is worth noting that people buying the new MacBook Air with the 10-core GPU option and 512GB of storage or more will get the compact version of the new adapter as part of the retail box, meaning they won't have to purchase it separately. As for the new MacBooks, the Pro went on pre-order today with shipping expected to start on June 23, while the Air will go on sale next month.
While it's good to see that Apple is releasing accessories with features that have long been available from third-party offerings, they are still way overpriced to be worth buying. There are plenty of good chargers available in the market from reputable brands at lower prices, often with more USB ports and higher power outputs. So unless the Apple branding is of paramount importance, there are better bargains to be had for people shopping around on Amazon, Newegg and other online retailers.