This is the MacBook charger Apple should have made
Don't be a blockhead – buy a Blockhead
The MacBook's giant power adapter isn't ideal for every situation and using the extended wire is not fun either. If you've ever run into trouble trying to plug in Apple laptop for a quick charge, then a new accessory from US company Ten One Design could be just the ticket.
The Blockhead, as it's rather unceremoniously named, is a side-facing plug that simply snaps onto your existing charger (with a "strong mechanical grip", no less) and is only an inch thick.
So instead of sticking out a long way like Apple's standard charger – which makes it difficult to plug it tight gaps like, say, a wall socket behind a sofa – the Blockhead turns the adapter 90-degrees so it's lays flat and wide to fit in smaller spaces.
Of course, it comes with the trade off of being even less power strip friendly.
Hanging loose
Another benefit of the Blockhead it orients the adapter at a more natural position. With the standard Apple charger, when plugged into a wall socket, the power cord hangs out of the end in mid-air.
Meanwhile, with the Blockhead, the cord protrudes from the bottom, where it can hang down naturally and put less stress on the cable.
The manufacturer further notes that Blockhead is also less likely to potentially slip out of the socket, as it's better balanced with its centre of gravity being much closer to the wall.
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The Blockhead works with Apple chargers rated 12W plus, meaning it's compatible with current MacBooks and iPads (although older iPad mini tablets with 5W adapters are a no-go).
As well as the US, the accessory can also be used by Asian and European MacBook owners (it requires a two-prong plug), as it's still more compact than Euro models taking up half of the horizontal space compared to Apple's default charger.
The Blockhead ships in late April priced at $20 (around £14, or AU$26) or you can get a pack of two for $35 (around £25, or AU$45) – note that international shipping will add an extra $15 (around £10, or AU$20) to the price.
Via: The Verge
- Also check out: MacBooks need a revolution, not evolution
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).