New USB-C Mac accessories tipped for a spring 2024 release

Before Apple announced the new 24-inch M3 iMac recently it was expected that the company would also announce new USB-C-powered accessories. But that didn't happen and you can still buy a brand-new iMac and get a keyboard and mouse with a Lightning port. However, there is now a hint that might change - but it isn't going to be any time soon.

Apple needs to move all of its accessories away from Lightning and towards USB-C by the end of 2024 in order to meet EU requirements for a common charging cable. But a new report by leaker Instant Digital, picked up by, MacRumors, suggests that we might see a change in spring.

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Instant Digital was posting to the Chinese social network Weibo when they said that Apple intends to launch new accessories with USB-C in spring 2024. That means that we can expect new Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse accessories to come with USB-C as part of the refresh. However, it isn't yet clear whether the change of port will be the only change or if we should expect a change in aesthetics or features.

The current accessories have largely remained the same since their last refresh in October of 2015, bar the Magic Keyboard's update to ad a Touch ID button back in 2021. There are Apple patents out there that point to Apple adding Force Touch capabilities to the Magic Mouse, but it remains to be seen whether that's something that will actually happen or not. It's always important to remember that patents don't always mean products or features, of course.