Twelve South’s new wall plugs have Apple’s Find My functionality built in
Of course, when you’re plugged into your charger, that’s probably the one time you definitely don’t need to track it. | Image: Twelve South
We all misplace our keys or wallets from time to time, but how many times have you lost your laptop charger? If the answer is even just once, then Twelve South may have the wall charger for you.
The $69.99 PlugBug 50 and $119.99 PlugBug 120 are the first USB-C wall chargers to include Find My support, allowing Apple users to track their charger just like they do an iPhone, iPad, or AirTag. Furthermore, each charger can also beep to help you locate it or alert you if you leave it behind at home or the office.
The chargers themselves are capable of, as their names imply, 50W and 120W of total output. The PlugBug 50 offers two USB-C ports, and the PlugBug 120 has four. The former should have enough power to simultaneously charge a smartphone and a tablet or slow-charge a laptop. The bigger charger’s 120W output is more apt for keeping up with bigger, more powerful laptops while they’re being used or juicing up four smaller devices at the same time.
Twelve South is also offering travel versions of both chargers, each for $10 more, which include interchangeable prongs for the US, UK, European Union, Australia, South Korea, and China, all in a travel-ready case.
Your own travel readiness (and likeliness) seems like a bit of a prerequisite for these chargers to make much sense because if your bigger wall plugs never leave the house, it’s doubtful you need to track their location. But if you’re a jet-setter or everyday commuter, one of the PlugBugs could present a nifty way to keep track of your belongings on your way to the office since it’s going to act as your bag’s location tracker until you reach your destination and take it out to charge something.
I can’t say one of these chargers seemed that alluring to me until I thought about that exact use case (for the very rare times I go to the office), but let’s not forget that slipping an AirTag into a hidden pocket of your bag may be just as reliable, and one of those costs just $25 or so.
Of course, when you’re plugged into your charger, that’s probably the one time you definitely don’t need to track it. | Image: Twelve South
We all misplace our keys or wallets from time to time, but how many times have you lost your laptop charger? If the answer is even just once, then Twelve South may have the wall charger for you.
The $69.99 PlugBug 50 and $119.99 PlugBug 120 are the first USB-C wall chargers to include Find My support, allowing Apple users to track their charger just like they do an iPhone, iPad, or AirTag. Furthermore, each charger can also beep to help you locate it or alert you if you leave it behind at home or the office.
The chargers themselves are capable of, as their names imply, 50W and 120W of total output. The PlugBug 50 offers two USB-C ports, and the PlugBug 120 has four. The former should have enough power to simultaneously charge a smartphone and a tablet or slow-charge a laptop. The bigger charger’s 120W output is more apt for keeping up with bigger, more powerful laptops while they’re being used or juicing up four smaller devices at the same time.
Twelve South is also offering travel versions of both chargers, each for $10 more, which include interchangeable prongs for the US, UK, European Union, Australia, South Korea, and China, all in a travel-ready case.
Your own travel readiness (and likeliness) seems like a bit of a prerequisite for these chargers to make much sense because if your bigger wall plugs never leave the house, it’s doubtful you need to track their location. But if you’re a jet-setter or everyday commuter, one of the PlugBugs could present a nifty way to keep track of your belongings on your way to the office since it’s going to act as your bag’s location tracker until you reach your destination and take it out to charge something.
I can’t say one of these chargers seemed that alluring to me until I thought about that exact use case (for the very rare times I go to the office), but let’s not forget that slipping an AirTag into a hidden pocket of your bag may be just as reliable, and one of those costs just $25 or so.