iPhone accessory maker Casely reissued a recall for its faulty Power Pod wireless power bank ( via The Verge ) after one of the affected units resulted in the death of a 75-year-old woman and another exploded on a plane. Casely first issued the recall in April 2025 through the Consumer Product Safety Commission. At that time, the company said that the power banks could overheat and ignite, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. A total of 51 people had reported incidents where the battery overheated, expanded, or caught fire, and there were six minor burn injuries. Since then, there have been an additional 28 reports, including two serious incidents. In August 2024, a woman in New Jersey was charging her phone with a Casely power bank on her lap, and it caught fire and exploded. She had second- and third-degree burns, and later died from complications from her injuries. In February 2026, a 47-year-old woman was charging her cell phone with the power bank on an airplane when it caught fire and exploded, resulting in first-degree burns. Airlines have introduced more restrictive limits on power banks due to incidents like this. Casely sold 429,200 power banks, which were branded as the Casely "Power Pod" with MagSafe compatibility. The 5,000mAh wireless power banks were available in multiple colors and patterns, and were priced at between $30 and $70. Affected units have an E33A model number and were sold from Amazon.com, the Casely website, and other websites between March 2022 and September 2024. Anyone with a Casely Power Pod should stop using it immediately and contact Casely for a free replacement or a $60 store credit. Affected units should not be discarded, and customers should contact their local household hazardous waste collection center for disposal assistance. Casely is contacting all known purchasers directly. Tag: MagSafe This article, " Casely MagSafe-Compatible Power Banks Recalled Again After Fire-Related Death and In-Flight Explosion " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Perplexity today launched Personal Computer, an expansion of Perplexity Computer that integrates with local files and apps on a Mac. Personal Computer was announced in March and was available on a waitlist basis, but it is officially rolling out today for Max subscribers. Perplexity Computer came out earlier this year, and it's an all-in-one "digital worker" able to create and execute entire workflows. With today's upgrade, it can run directly on a Mac with access to the file system and native apps. Pressing both Command keys on a Mac will activate Personal Computer, and it responds to text or voice commands. Personal Computer can work across any Mac app, and it can see active apps and display quick actions automatically. Perplexity says Personal Computer can run on any Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, but the company recommends a Mac mini . With a ‌Mac mini‌, Personal Computer can run 24/7 for work that requires a persistent machine or secure local access to files and native apps. Tasks can be initiated and managed from an iPhone on the go. Personal Computer can do things like complete each task on a to-do list, sort a messy downloads folder, compare local files against information on the web, and more. It can create teams of agents across over 20 frontier models to complete tasks. Personal Computer's actions are visible, so users can step in when needed. Files are created in a secure sandbox, the actions that Personal Computer takes are auditable and reversible, and there is a kill switch. Personal Computer for Mac is rolling out to Perplexity Max subscribers starting today, with Perplexity prioritizing waitlist members. Perplexity Max is priced at $200 per month, and the new feature is not available to $20/month Pro plan subscribers. Related Roundup: Mac mini Tag: Perplexity Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Caution) Related Forum: Mac mini This article, " Perplexity Launches Personal Computer for Mac, Turning a Mac mini Into an Always-On AI Agent " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Smartphone buyers are becoming increasingly loyal to their chosen platform, whether that's Apple's iPhone or Google's Android. Buyers are switching from and to the iPhone less than ever The increased loyalty also means that smartphone buyers are less likely to switch from Android to iPhone and vice versa. That's according to new research that found that of those who do switch, Android users are more likely to buy iPhones than the other way around. However, switching does still happen. And Android phone owners are still more than willing to switch to iPhones despite their increased loyalty. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
