With Black Friday sales in full swing and the holidays around the corner, we here at MacStories thought we’d each share gift ideas for the Apple nerd in your life. Some of these items are currently on sale, so be sure to get your shopping started and check them out soon.

Federico

UGREEN 300W 48,000mAh Battery

I love this big, chunky battery with a handle.

As I recently mentioned on Unwind and NPC, I’ve been really into the idea of gadgets that are “portable, but for the home” this year. These are accessories that are portable in the sense that they can be moved around, but you wouldn’t commute or travel with them. In this case, I was looking for a powerful battery I could place on my living room table to charge multiple devices at once, such as Silvia’s MacBook Pro and my iPad Pro, or my Legion Go and iPhone. The internal capacity of this battery ensures it can stay on for hours when charging a single device like a Steam Deck, too.

The battery comes with a front-facing display with details about its charge and in/out wattages, and it even offers an LED light on the side for illuminating your environment. Plus, if you have a 140W USB-C charger, filling it up completely doesn’t take too long. This has to be one of my favorite tech purchases this year, and I can’t recommend it enough.

UGREEN Nexode Pro 100W Charger

Speaking of UGREEN, I also like their latest 100W GaN charger. Part of the company’s Nexode line, this is a compact USB-C wall charger that can output up to 100W via its first USB-C port when used by itself. This one is actually bag- and travel-friendly, and it’s become my new default for fast-charging the iPhone and iPad Pro.

Baseus 240W USB-C Cable

Do I have any devices that can charge at 240W over USB-C yet? Absolutely not. But has that stopped me from seeking a USB-C cable that theoretically supports that charging speed? You know me. I like this cable! The nylon texture is nice, the connector feels sturdy, and it’s what I’ve been using on my nightstand for the past few months.

Satechi Mobile XR Hub

I love that Satechi made an accessory for people like me, who occasionally like to use an iPad Pro or Steam Deck with XR glasses. Basically, this compact adapter allows you to output video up to 4K over USB-C, receive USB-C charging up to 100W, and have a 3.5mm audio jack port for headphones. This is perfect for a USB-C-based handheld or tablet, and it’s replaced my previous flimsy Viture dongle for whenever I want to put on my XREAL Air glasses to play some Steam games.

Spigen Head Strap for Apple Vision Pro

This is the Vision Pro accessory Apple should have made: it’s a top strap that you combine with the Solo Knit Band on the Vision Pro to relieve pressure and weight from the top of your head. I’ve been using it for the past month and cannot recommend it enough. The strap is comfortable, it’s easy to adjust (I’ve only done it once and never touched it again), and it attaches perfectly to the headset.

TineeOwl Kickstand Cover for iPad Pro

A few weeks back, I was finally able to find the iPad Pro accessory I’d been looking for since the debut of the M4 models: a back cover with a built-in kickstand. I used a similar cover for the M2 iPad Pro last year, and the idea is the same. This accessory only protects the back of the device, doesn’t have a cover for the screen, and comes with an adjustable kickstand to use the iPad in landscape at a variety of viewing angles.

The reason I wanted this product is simple. This is not a cover I use for protecting the iPad Pro; I only want to attach it in the evening, when I’m relaxing with the device on my lap and want to get some reading done or watch some TV. In fact, this cover never leaves my nightstand. When I’m done working for the day, I leave the Magic Keyboard on my desk, bring the iPad Pro into the bedroom, and put it in the cover, leaving it there for later.

John

Anker Prime Power Bank and Base

I’ve had this chunky Anker battery and its base for about a year now, and I love it. At 27,650mAh, it’s big, but still airline-friendly. The two USB-C ports can output 140W of power when used alone, while the USB-A port can deliver 35W. Using two or three of the battery’s ports at the same time splits the power among them, but unlike many power banks, at least one of Anker’s ports always delivers 140W, which is one of my favorite features.

Anker has included a screen on the front of the battery so you can quickly see how much charge it has left and how much power is being delivered by its ports, as well as how much time the battery will take to finish when recharging. The same information can also be accessed using Anker’s iPhone app.

The base, sold separately, sits on a corner of my desk where it serves double duty. The Prime Power Bank connects to the base magnetically for recharging at 100W via the base’s pins, topping it off quickly. The touch that I appreciate most, though, is that there are two USB-C ports and one USB-A port on the side of the base, which can split the base’s 100W output if multiple devices are connected.

LOC8 MagSafe Finder Wallet and Stand

This is a pick I stole from Federico, who mentioned it several months ago on Connected. I’ve been using an Apple leather MagSafe Wallet for a long time, and there are two things that I don’t like about it. The first is that it only holds three cards. I don’t like to carry a lot of cards in my wallet, and I don’t use cash, but space for three cards still isn’t enough. The LOC8 wallet’s room for a fourth card goes a long way if you’ve ever been frustrated by Apple’s MagSafe wallets. The wallet opens up, so it can be used as a kickstand too. And, of course, the LOC8 also has Find My support built in.

Miyoo Mini+

There are a lot of great gaming handhelds out there now, but of all the ones we’ve covered on NPC: Next Portable Console, the Miyoo Mini+ is my favorite to give to someone as a gift if they haven’t tried game emulation before. The overall build quality of the Mini+ is better than its competitors, and the 3.5” screen is big enough without compromising its pocketability. Plus, there’s a...

The MacStories Holiday Gift Guide for the Apple Nerd in Your Life

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