Twelve South

The lovely ladies of women’s lifestyle and tech blog Chip Chick have gone and done it again. They’ve taken a Twelve South product, tested it for themselves, and come back with a “buy” verdict. This one? PlugBug World, which they tested in Spain. Here’s the scoop:

Read the whole review. And then, before you leave for spring break — or consider another far-flung business trip — make sure you’re packing your own airport-friendly, bullfighting red PlugBug World.

We’re fans of MacFormat, a terrific UK Mac magazine which features detailed reviews and great tips and tricks for Mac users…and we’re always delighted to find Twelve South mentioned in its pages! In the April 2013 issue, hitting newsstands this week, is this review of our PlugBug World:

“Out of the box, PlugBug World gives you a 2.1A USB charger for powering up your iPod, iPhone and iPad, and a selection of plug attachments so you can use it abroad as well as in the UK. It can also piggyback your MacBook’s power adapter, offering a two-in-one charging solution to use internationally. Why take two power bricks when you can get by with one?”

Why, indeed? And their rating…

Get your own PlugBug World right now before you book that spring break adventure.

It’s so nice to have one of our products featured on a site with design that we greatly admire ourselves…and that’s certainly the case here, with Gear Patrol, and seeing our new PlugBug World get their notice.

Hello World. Your PlugBug is ready.

The new PlugBug World delivers dual charging convenience to everyone,
while making any MacBook Power Adapter ready for global travel.

Charleston, SC, January 23, 2013 – Twelve South is pleased to unveil PlugBug World, an all-in-one USB iPad/iPhone charger that converts any MacBook Power Adapter into a dual charger that can be used globally. The powerful PlugBug World piggybacks onto your MacBook power adapter, allowing you to simultaneously charge your MacBook and iPad or iPhone from one electrical outlet. This world version of the PlugBug charger includes five international snap-on plugs for use in the UK, Europe, Australia, China, and North America. PlugBug World is compatible with all Apple MacBook Power Adapters and is available now at twelvesouth.com for $44.99 / £39.99 / 44,99 €. More info and images can be found at www.twelvesouth.com.

PlugBug World is an international version of the popular Twelve South PlugBug. PlugBug World brings the dual charging convenience of PlugBug to Mac users everywhere. PlugBug uses the clever trick of attaching to any Apple MacBook Power Adapter by replacing its attached plug or extended power cord. When snapped into place, PlugBug not only allows for worldwide charging of MacBook, but also provides a separate 2.1-Amp USB charger for iPad/iPhone. Once attached, simply select your local plug, or use your extended cable, to power both your MacBook and iPad or iPhone from a single outlet. This powerful accessory is a lifesaver in locations where finding multiple wall outlets can be a challenge, and where charging your MacBook and iPad quickly is mission-critical to your next meeting or presentation.

PlugBug World works as a stand-alone international wall charger, too. Rather than pulling out a MacBook to charge your iPhone or iPad, simply use PlugBug World. PlugBug World can charge your iPad up to four times faster than a MacBook and your iPad mini up to twice as fast as its included charger.

PlugBug World includes snap-on plugs for (left-to-right) US/Canada/Japan,
UK/Hong Kong/Singapore, Continental Europe, Australia/New Zealand and China

The bright red PlugBug World is easy to spot in a sea of white adapters in your bag or on the wall at the airport. Because PlugBug World charges MacBook plus iPad or iPhone at the same time, you can purge the number of power cords and international converters you carry. And since MacBook USB ports are precious commodities on the road and in the office, PlugBug’s extra USB charger is a welcome addition.

Since the release of the original PlugBug, many notable MacBook power users have made PlugBug an essential part of their travel gear. Andy Ihnatko, technology journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, called the PlugBug “an exceptional product” that “has not been off my charger since I got it.” Steve Sande from TUAW said, “Twelve South took a charger – and used the Apple adage to “Think Different” to create something that is extremely useful and attractive.” And John Gruber, of Daring Fireball, exclaimed “How in the world did no one think of this before?” With PlugBug World, the convenience of PlugBug is finally available to international travelers and customers alike.

Andrew Green, Creative Director of Twelve South said, “PlugBug World adapts your MacBook for international travel for about the same price as the other adapter kits – but with the bonus of an extra USB charger. My USB ports get used up very quickly on the road for Internet access and Jump Drives. PlugBug gives me an extra USB charger without wasting precious MacBook USB ports on something as silly as charging. And because it’s connected right to my MacBook charger – I don’t forget it at home either.”

Whether you’re an international traveler or you just want the convenience of PlugBug in your part of the world, PlugBug World is ready to add one more handy tool to your MacBook travel pack. PlugBug World includes the PlugBug Charger, five international plugs and travel bag for holding it all. PlugBug World is the perfect solution for powering up your MacBook and iPhone or iPad wherever you may roam. PlugBug World is available at twelvesouth.com now for $44.99, and soon at The Apple Store and Apple Authorized Resellers worldwide. For those who use their MacBooks in the US, Canada and Japan the original PlugBug is still available for $34.99.

Click here to read the original release.

Have an obsession with traveling light? (Who’s going to confess that they prefer to travel heavy?) If you’re like Cult of Mac editors, you’re always trying to minimize what’s in your bag. To that end, we present the Cult of Mac 2012 Advent Calendar, with a special “can’t miss” product every day.

Coming in on Day Six is our very own PlugBug, and here’s why:

We just had to share this review with you from Gadgetmac! Their editors spent a little over a month enjoying our new HiRise for iMac, and really gave it a workout. (Spoiler alert: We got their Editors’ Choice Award!)

Here’s a little of what they had to say:

“The HiRise is made out of a heavy-duty metal construction that as expected, is designed to seamlessly fit together and match your aluminum iMac or Apple Display in perfect harmony. Be it a magnificently humongous 27-inch iMac or Apple Display, the HiRise is built to carry that weight with no complaints. Although the height can be adjusted using the HiRise adding up to 4-inches of additional height, it was specifically designed to have a height level which addresses the issue people were having when using a 27-inch iMac as a dual-display setup alongside a Thunderbolt Display. The HiRise lets you perfectly align the two screens for the ideal multi-tasking even goodness by adjusting the inner aluminum shelf.”

Then…

“This thing is really well made too. Each part slides into place like a precision-made part and with ease. But most importantly the HiRise is stupendously easy to set up. Putting it together requires sliding the two large bottom and top halves to form one body, while the back perforated plate screws in using four screws that secure and keep everything in place as one solid unit. But not before you insert the aluminum shelf into one of the 6 level grooves in which set your desired height for placing your iMac or Apple Display on.

I found that positioning the shelf starting from the middle and up will provide the best elevation whilst leaving empty space around the bottom for additional storage. The base of the pedestal simply slides into the HiRise and rests on top of the inserted shelf. Anyone can put this thing together without instructions. It really is on the verge of having an Apple-like design.”

You can read the whole review here, but we just had to include a couple of their gorgeous photos for you to check out! Get your own HiRise for iMac here (not sure where you can get those cute Ninja guys though we have seen really cool flash drives of Ninjas here, and they’d make great stocking stuffers along with one of our PlugBugs).

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Even when we don’t know exactly what they’re saying (and you can’t exactly rely on Google Translate all the time for context), we can tell when coverage looks good. Here’s a peek at iPad Magazine in The Netherlands, where this month they graciously covered our PlugBug and our BookBook for iPad…both of which are available using International Flat Rate Shipping from Twelve South.

We are blushing. In a recent piece for Forbes titled “These Two Companies Increase Apple’s New Worth,” writer Ed Zitron makes the case that Twelve South, along with friendly competitor Mophie, are the only two premium Apple accessory makers worthy of buying from, calling us the “Chanel clutch and Burberry bracelet to your little black iDress.”

Here’s a peek at the post from Forbes.com:

“These companies lie as polar opposites with the same goal – Mophie creates a stream of new products each year, while Twelve South keeps predictably low-key and ponderous, creating only that which it thinks is absolutely necessary to bring to market.

This is well-evidenced in their latest releases – Twelve South’s reiterations of its BookBook series cry homage to the very leather tomes that the iPad and its ilk have metaphorically burned – the difference being that these real-leather cases actually protect and secure your iPad better than most cases. In the last year, Twelve South has only really released two or three new products, one in particular being the amazing PlugBug, a clip-on iPhone and iPad charger that fits perfectly on top of your Macbook charger to charge both an iPad and a Macbook Air at the same time. The HoverBar is a giant metal arm that juts out from your desk, your computer or anywhere that the clip fastens itself, grasping your iPad like an angry Sasquatch and throwing it in your face. With the churn of iDevice accessories in the market, Twelve South’s minimalism (and resulting quality) is a refreshing break from the norm.”

You can read the entire Forbes piece here, and if you’d like to read it on your iPad while in bed, may we recommend a HoverBar?

While most press coverage is about our products, every now and then, a journalist will call up and ask a few questions about Twelve South: How do you come up with your products? What’s your greatest inspiration? Or “C’mon! Are there really only 12 of you people there?”

We weren’t really sure what to expect when Engadget managing editor Darren Murph emailed to inquire about getting a closer look at Twelve South. But after a few hours together, getting a feel for how and why we do what we do, Darren apparently had what he needed. The result is a terrific piece in Engadget’s Distro publication called “Opening the (Book)Book on Twelve South: Between the Covers of a Mac-Exclusive Accessory Maker,” which captures Twelve South the Company better than anything we’ve read so far.

So if you’re curious about how an “intentionally small” company in South Carolina — of only 12 people, truly — makes BookBooks, BookArcs, and other Apple-only products and has found its niche by staying small on purpose, you’ll want to read this.

Doing a home energy audit? Sometimes “efficiency” can be gained by just reducing the number of outlets you’re using.

In USA Today‘s piece “Save Money With An Energy Audit,” writer Alice Truong mentions PlugBug in this week’s Surf Report. Here’s what she wrote:

“When the PlugBug from Twelve South first came on the market in November, everybody and his mom wanted one. How could you not want a product backed by Guy Kawasaki, an Apple Fellow who, back in the 1980s, marketed the Macintosh? On its surface, the PlugBug looks like a USB wall charger, but it also connects to the power brick of MacBooks, allowing simultaneous charging from one accessory.

If you’re a frequent business traveler, this means a decluttered hotel workspace. The 10-watt PlugBug is designed to provide the fastest possible charge for the iPad. (Fun fact: Did you know USB ports on most MacBooks don’t charge at full speed?) When you’re going from plane to meeting, you don’t want to wait on your devices to juice up. That’s where the PlugBug comes into play.”

Reduce your outlet usage today by adding PlugBug to your own energy lineup.