Tech

We tried out the genius invention that fixes the MacBook's biggest design flaw

Kif Leswing

2016-04-29T13:07:23Z

Anyone with a MacBook knows the square brick that's required to keep it powered up.

While Apple puts a lot of effort into designing its laptops, its charger hasn't changed in years. You've got two options for plugging it into a wall: a long, rubbery cord that makes the charger significantly heavier, or built-in prongs that mean it connects to the wall at an awkward angle.

That's why Ten One Design decided to produce a deceptively simple yet genius adapter that lets the MacBook charger sit flush against the wall. By changing how the charging block plugs into your outlet and how it sits against the wall, the adapter cuts down on the likelihood of an accidental bump or movement displacing it. The $20 adapter is on sale now; it will ship in June.

All users have to do is remove the standard MacBook two-prong adapter and replace it with the Blockhead's blue-colored side-facing version.

We got one for review at Business Insider, and I've been using it to charge my MacBook Air for the past week. Here's what it's like:

Blockhead is made with plastic that's very similar to the Apple charger's, but its fit and finish isn't quite up to Apple's world-class standard.

The weirdest part of the design is that the Blockhead doesn't totally sit flush when you insert it into the MacBook charger's slot.

But when it is fully inserted, it does lock in solidly. You could leave the Blockhead on your charger for weeks. The prongs don't fold in, however, as do on the Apple charger.

The good news is that the Blockhead successfully charges your laptop. I didn't do any electrical testing, but charging rates seemed identical to before.

My biggest complaint? While it's great if you're plugging your MacBook into a wall, it's less optimal if you're plugging it into a horizontally oriented power strip.

Still, it's a great little gadget if you're tired of your MacBook charger taking up too much space. Preorders are available here.

Apple review