As I mind to Andrew Green , founder of accessory sword Twelve South , talk enthusiastically about the new PlugBug charger and its standout feature article , I mean to myself and actually voiced the question , “ How has this not been done before ? ” He replied , “ That ’s what we do . ”
Twelve South did something wonderfully simple . It took an live feature film and product type , combined them , refined them , and made something very special . What ’s the feature ? The PlugBug has encounter My functionality build up - in , making it the first USB - C charger with the incredibly utile location technology . In an ideal reality , you ’ll never lose it . I ’ve realise it in action , and it ’s excellent .
Cool design, cute name
I was already trance with the PlugBug before examine it due to its cunning name , which is so much more preferred than a sequence of numbers or something else that ’s equally forgettable . It gives the charger role , something backed up by the compact , modern design . There are two versions of the PlugBug , a 50 - James Watt dual - port USB - C model and a 120W four - port USB - C edition . Both have glossy white consistency with a flushed backplate . The wall socket bowling pin fold away for easy storage , and both are surprisingly light .
The PlugBug is incredibly slick - looking , and the dual - port exemplar is a thenar - sized marvel . It ’s practically pocket - sized , so you ’ll have no trouble putting it into your bag or back pack . The four - port version is slimly bombastic , but considering it has more than twice the power and another two USB - C port , the size increase is relatively modest . Green informed me that while the 50W PlugBug has enough business leader to happily charge most MacBooks , the 120W is urge for the most powerful models , as it has the ability to chargefourMacBooks at the same time .
The PlugBug certainly has no job charging myMacBook Air M1 , as it ’s doing so while I save these words . Twelve South is cognize for its advanced products and clean , clever designs , so the fact that the PlugBug looks and feels so good is n’t a big surprise . Neither is the inclusion of Find My , which is what pee the PlugBug so particular .
Find My is so easy
Apple’sFind Mylocation feature of speech is detect in the majority of its ware , from theAirPods Maxto theiPhone 15 Pro Max , as well as itsAirTags . It take a shit it uncomplicated to keep track of these products and help you find them again should they get lost . The PlugBug is the first USB - C charger to let in the feature , and the thought came to Green when he was pondering how to make a charger that go beyond just being another white box to one that ’s clearly linked with Apple ’s ecosystem .
Find My is such a simple engineering to use , and linking the PlugBug is no exclusion . There ’s a disjoined battery inside the PlugBug that powers Find My ( it ’s thesame battery cell used for AirTags ) , so it does n’t need to be plugged in to work . In less than a distich of minutes after it was activated , the charger was linked to obtain My on my phone . You ’re pass through the process , which is only a few gradation anyway , and the PlugBug immediately shows up on the function in the Find My app .
Like an AirTag , you could activate an audible alert to find the PlugBug , get direction to its location , and get a telling when the app recognizes you ’ve go away it behind . The app also shows a battery icon to argue when the PlugBug ’s discover My cell needs change . It ’s all as elementary as you ’d expect from an Apple service , and the PlugBug integrates perfectly . Once it ’s play , you ’re primed and ready to never misplace or mislay your charger again .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Price and availability
The dual USB - C interface PlugBug 50 costs $ 70 , while the four - port USB - C PlugBug 120 toll $ 120 . Both adaptation have enough mightiness to fast charge the iPhone , iPad , and MacBook laptops . The PlugBug will be available shortly .
The PlugBug ’s option of two or four USB port , fast charging , clean design , and compact size already make it a charger worth serious thoughtfulness , but it ’s the simple integration of Apple ’s discover My localisation service that elevates it above interchangeable ( but lesser ) product .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
