“Apple has shown interest in building a new universal power adapter compatible with different DC voltage levels, allowing portable devices like a MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPad to be charged at the same time with just one wall plug,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider.
“The proposed invention was revealed this week in a new Apple patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and discovered by AppleInsider,” Hughes reports. “The filing, entitled “Multi-Output Power Supply,” notes that most commercially available adapters do not include multiple outputs for supplying different DC voltage levels.”
Hughes reports, “The latest application is not the first time Apple has shown interest in redesigning its power adapters to allow charging of multiple devices. In September, another filing showed the company is interested in building a universal charger that would allow portable devices to not only recharge their batteries, but also sync data while plugged in to the same adapter.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, please. We’ll take 10 of them.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brawndo Drinker” for the heads up.]
Please jobs!
http://twelvesouth.com/products/plugbug/
This is nice:
http://twelvesouth.com/products/plugbug/
(sorry if this is a double post)
Yeah but I want one that is truly all in one. That is a good substitute though for now.
How is this different than just plugging the iPad into one of the mac’s USB ports. One adapter in the wall, and you can sync and charge at the same time, multiple devices even.
I must be missing something.
I second that.
Oh, simply that the USB on macs is 5v but the ipads need 10v to charge quickly/effectively (or at all). Plus there are scenarios where my USB ports are busy with other things, this would allow the ios device to charge while being out of the way. You also won’t need iTunes launching automatically etc. I can’t justify buying the plug bug but I wish apple adapters had USB built in.
What I’d like to see is Apple making a 100w power adapter so that the current top end MacBook Pros can be used fully and charged at the same time. As it stands now, you can actually drain the battery when plugged in when running at full speed.
I’d also like to see Apple license the MagSafe connector for 3rd party accessories they’re unwilling to make themselves, specifically external batteries.
This adapter just doesn’t make sense to me, as USB ports are hot on MacBooks even when they’re sleeping.
The reason why this is significant is because there is absolutely NO standardization regarding power supplies for consumer products. None. If you have a collection of different products that use a charger/power supply, go around and compare voltages, amperages, connectors for all of them. None of them are interchangeable. Bravo to Apple for even considering this step.
@Abrey,
What?!?
Apple is *VERY* much not considering this as a standard, and has yanked the MagSafe from 3rd parties making accessories for MacBooks.
The MagSafe is wonderful, and as much as I love it, Apple does have to be considered as one of the worst violators of power supply / adapter compatibility with the rest of the industry.
All this adapter would do is combine 2 Apple product adapters into one while still requiring the cable for the iOS device which could more easily be plugged into the MacBook the adapter is used for.
I’d put this in the bucket of things Apple will patent but has no intention of actually using.