Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends, Macbook Pro, MacBook, MacBook Air, iPod nano
PowerCurl: A quirky way to wrap up your MagSafe Power Adapter
quirky is a design firm with a difference. Rather than pay a brain trust to sit around and think up product ideas, they let average Anns and Andys submit designs that are then refined and named by a community of site visitors. When designs are ready for production, quirky sets a threshold number of units to be sold to be profitable, and once that number of orders comes in, they send the design off for manufacturing.Plato said "...the true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention." In this case quirky community member Jeff Scholen was driven not only by the need to neatly wrap up the thin power cable and thick AC line going into his Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, but also keep the transformer "box" off of the floor or desk and give it a way to stay cool.
In less than 24 hours, the design was finalized through input from Apple fans worldwide and the PowerCurl (US$9.99) was ready to roll. It comes in "quirky orange" only, but has two sizes to match the 60W and 85W MagSafe Power Adapters.
The quirky community has also come up with a case design for the new iPod nano that not only protects that shiny finish, but acts as a stand and video handgrip as well. The Kickster (US$14.35) is awaiting your commitment to purchase before it moves into production.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jash Sayani said 4:50PM on 9-12-2009
Take the wire and rotate it around your hand and keep it! You don't need a gadget to do that!!
I'll have to make a 60 seconds YouTube video for that...
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JKT said 5:12PM on 9-12-2009
That's exactly what I was going to write. Wrap it around your hand AND the A/C adapter. When you withdraw your hand, your cable is nice & safe and not torqued. And you're $10 richer than if you'd bought this device.
Dr. Spaceman said 4:51PM on 9-12-2009
Or just flip out the tabs that are built into the adaptor and wrap your cable up on that.
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desu said 4:58PM on 9-12-2009
Yeah, that's what it's for...
Ryan Trevisol said 6:34PM on 9-12-2009
Those tabs are a nice thought, but they wind too tightly and the cord never stays put using that little grippy thing.
So, do what I do, wad it up and throw it in your bag. Move on with your life knowing you saved another 30 seconds.
Alexandre Strube said 6:38PM on 9-12-2009
It's for the thick, large cable. Not the thin one. Take a look at it at http://www.quirky.com/products/15-PowerCurl
Joseph said 1:34AM on 9-13-2009
unfortunately this is too tight and it has pulled the plastic out of my adapter and now there is just a wound wire at the bottom. kinda sucks, wish it was still under warranty, only 18 months old and I dont travel a lot.
I ordered one of these and when i get a new adapter i will use it religiously.
cydeweyz said 5:09PM on 9-12-2009
Uh, has any commenter above actually read the product page for WHICH CABLE THIS IS FOR???
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JKT said 5:14PM on 9-12-2009
Yes. The description and the headline both make it clear it's for the Magsafe A/C adapter. What part of that is unclear to you?
cydeweyz said 5:21PM on 9-12-2009
It's primarily for the extended cable, not the magsafe cable-
http://www.quirky.com/products/development/15
"by: Jeff Scholen
I dislike the cord attachment for the transformer. It is not convenient for sliding in and out of a laptop bag. My proposal is to make a retractable body with the same form factor as the current transformer that keeps it in a nice simple package. Attached are the messy cord example and a sketch of my proposal."
rg said 8:24PM on 9-12-2009
Actually the description says it's for both cables, that means the mag-safe cable AND the extension cable. It also states that this is a pre-order, meaning they are probably not even made yet. Buyer beware!
SIP said 5:30PM on 9-12-2009
I registered, completed the survey, got a $20 credit, ordered one for free.
What's not to like. Anyway, having gone through one PSU, I think this product is quite clever.
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Joseph said 1:34AM on 9-13-2009
thanks for the tip - can't wait to get mine free.
mat_ias said 6:17AM on 9-13-2009
THANK YOU, really!
rg said 8:26PM on 9-12-2009
.
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bill said 11:14AM on 9-13-2009
Sounds like they never even prototyped it in physical reality. I don't need rushed, designed-by-comittee products, thanks. That's why I bought a Mac to begin with. I'm equally picky with peripherals.
Not looking forward to it, but I expect many complaints of the plastic breaking easily.
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