Everyone wants to tote around less stuff, so add-ons that make your current gear more useful are welcome. And that’s just what the new PlugBug Duo by TwelveSouth does: it clips onto your MacBook charger and adds a pair of USB ports.
It’s especially handy for people who have a MacBook Pro with a USB-C port, but need to charge gadgets that take a traditional USB port.
The MacBook charging “wall wart” is huge enough to take over electrical sockets, so built-in USB ports can be a lifesaver. And there’s another advantage: TwelveSouth includes 5 adapters, so the MacBook charger can be used in over 150 countries. For comparison, Apple’s version of these adapters is $29.
This clip on is compatible with every MacBook charger Apple has ever released, past and present. The PlugBug Duo in no way interferes with charging the laptop. It just makes the charger more useful, if a bit more bulky.
A PlugBug Duo bonus for iPhone and iPad
As an extra advantage, the two additional USB-A ports can supply 2.1A/12W of power, which is enough to Rapid Charge iPhone and iPad models that support this feature. iPad chargers already offer this A/W combination, but not iPhone ones.
If this idea seems familiar, this is the replacement for 2011’s PlugBug, but now with twice as many USB ports.
PlugBug Duo is available now on TwelveSouth’s website. It sells for $49.99.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
