They're just rebranding a bulk order from Alibaba.
Similar in concept but different in design.
With the kickstarter product you still need the original cable (see lightning cable version as example). With this one, it just uses a generic connector-less cable.
I got a couple of these last year and they're not worth it. The microUSBs were loose in all of my devices and the magnet would pull the whole thing out.
got these as well. probably not worth it.the usb sticks out there end as it was created for a phone with a case? little weird. that and it doesnt really stick in the bottom of the phone etc. little broken.
That's a shame because the idea is sound. Magnetic cables are so damn cool when they work properly :{
Just a note I purchased one of these a few months back and like a few others the micro USB connector couldn't fit into my phone or tablet hence no charging. I ended up getting a partial refund and repurchased this upgraded connector which fits tightly but can charge my devices now.
Gees I wish I knew that. I wonder if they'll give me a partial refund after 4 months.
Makes you wonder why they didn't just use the "upgraded connector" in the first place…
Thanks JSQUARED.
I've had one of these cables next to my computer for nearly 2 months and it won't charge any of my devices. Ordered an upgraded connector hoping I can save the cable from the trash can.
I had bad experience with these cheap brand too. The magnetic part can heat up to 60 degrees sometimes. Take longer time to charge. And all the tips have different charging efflciency. The worst tip perform zero charging.
I offered a few more from Kickstarter, magcable. Can't wait to test their quality.
Bought one in the last deal. Is fantastic for my galaxy tab.
After a few months I bought another and it's utter rubbish, the connection is smaller than the initial cable, the magnet is weak and the connector has burred edges like it's a manufacturing fault.
Emailed them with pics, they requested video footage so did that. They acknowledged a fault but only offered a replacement unit with my next purchase.
Sadly I won't be making another purchase.
After using a magnetic charger on my macbook and having the microUSB connectors fail on a couple of devices, I have to wonder why magnetic charging is not a standard feature.
As Apple is using it, magnetic connectors will be heavily patented. Apple make a point of "being different", so I can't imagine they are eager to license it out to anyone else, so the license fee is probably substantial.
The mobile phone manufacturers are all very aggressive with patents, they don't want anyone else to be able to make a similar phone to their phone. If it wasn't for Android, smart phones would still have dozens of different incompatible operating systems, chargers, headphones and other accessories.
The patent issue is a reasonable one, but then:
* Why haven't Apple implemented it for the iPad / iPhone?
* Early Sony Xperia phones and tables had magnetic charging.
* pogo pins appeared on several Android devices.
Here's my guess.
I think Apple have deliberately chosen to have a single connector on the iPad and iPhone, so that stops them from having a separate MagSafe connector like on the macbooks. So the single connector has to be both power and data.
Using a magnetic connector for power and data introduces problems. In USB, the power connections make contact first, then the data connections. Not sure about lightning connector, but I assume the metalwork is ground and makes contact first. This make protection circuitry for the data lines much simpler.
With a magnetic connector like the one in this deal, you have no guarantee that ground will make contact first. The data contacts are easy to touch, so static discharge damage is much more likely. There's also the possibility of the magnets attracting conductive "junk", which could short some of the pins.
All of these things will require a much more robust protection circuit than USB or lightning require, requiring more space, and space is at a huge premium in mobile phones. The iPad probably has enough space, but Apple presumably want to standardise on the lightning connector, rather than having different connectors on both devices.
It would probably be possible to design a magnetic connector that didn't have the above limitations, but I don't think it would be as small as the lightning connector.
I think manufacturers are bypassing magnetic charge connectors in favour of wireless charging (Qi).
And even if they didn't I think it's better for the general public to have a unified connector for charging - much more practical than proprietary connectors.
Don't forget also that the USB port on a phone/tablet is not just used for charging - it's also used for OTG devices and for connecting to a computer, so even if you had magnetic charging, you'd still need a USB/sync port.
I wish Qi charging was more common. It's a good system.
Sadly I don't think it will ever appear on the sub-$100 smartphones that I always buy.
It's quite easy to hack a cheap phone to take Qi
@altomic: Yes - it's possible to retrofit Qi coils in many smartphones that have a removable battery cover.
In the same way that air conditioning, power steering and CD players were once the preserve of luxury cars, really handy features like wireless charging are likely to become commonplace, even ubiquitous. Especially when manufacturers can squeeze a bit more profit out of customers by selling the chargers as optional extras. :)
Is there a magnetic male adapter for the plugitself? I don't really want to change cables as I have a pretty good 3m USB cable, but it'd be nice to have the magnetic tip on it so I don't have to fumble around in the dark trying to charge my tablet.
I got a few of these a year ago. The plug stretched the micro usb socket on my phone, so now all other micro usb plugs fall out.
I don't use them any more, not as useful as anticipated.
i bought it for my note 5, it fast charges and no complains at all i am happy i bought these from ebay and were a bit cheaper.
Wasn't this a kickstarter some months back? Different company though..