Twelve South PlugBug

Reviews for Twelve South PlugBug

Customer Reviews and Ratings

3.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 15 reviews

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" Review Update

    • Written by from Billings

    My recently purchased PlugBug World from 12 South directly has a removable wall plug and connects to the extension cord as well as other useful plugs.

    1 of 1 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Love this thing

    • Written by from Burlington

    Just bought it today, very pleased...FAST charging of my iPhone 5, makes up for the fact that it drains so quickly...not noticing any overheating issues. Yep, it adds bulk to your packaging, but I have a monster sized laptop bag, so it's no issue for me. Cable is shorter when using it, but I can get around that with extension cords. Two thumbs up from me, and wonderful introduction to TwelveSouth and it's products!!

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Serves the Purpose

    • Written by from Ridgefield

    The design and functionality are hard to beat. It does serve the purpose and works well generally. There are two issues that I have: the first one is obvious, it added bulk and weight, of course, this is hard to avoid; the second issue is running hot, sometimes it reaches 170 or higher. Don't know if this pertains to my particular piece or more wide spread.

    All in all, if you are a frequent traveler and have many Apple devices need to be charged, this is a must have item.

    57 of 57 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    One outlet - two devices

    • Written by from Southington

    Yes, you can easily just carry two chargers in your bag, but oftentimes you might reach your destination to find that there is only a single outlet available. This device solves that issue. You can charge a laptop AND an iOS device at the same time with a single plug-in device. It is solidly durable, and fits the Mac laptop charger snugly.

    My only criticism is that for the price of roughly $30+, the package should include a dock to USB (or Lightning to USB) cable as well as the charging unit.

    100 of 104 people found this useful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    It gets overheated and it is not stable!

    • Written by from Brooklyn

    I use it to charge my iPhone and ipad3. It is a very useful device when you have to charge two devices at the same time, however, the charger gets very very hot after about 45min of charging that made me worried if it will cause fire! At the same time, I heard my iPad was emitting the beep sound when you first plug in a charger repeatly. I have to unplug this plugbug, let it cooled down a little bit, and recharge again! Please fix this problem.

    115 of 118 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    the bad dominates more

    • Written by from mohali

    good:
    power adapter,charges very quickly
    bad:
    1.)increases size of charger
    2.)macbook air is meant to reduce the weight of your bag considerably,it balances the weight and become a ridiculous product in mobility
    3.)person still has to use the usb cable to charge iOS device...if you have your mac on or on sleep in front of you,just use the cable directly to the mac why make your charger such bulky,ugly and HEAVY

    69 of 86 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great but with a flaw

    • Written by from Richmond Hill

    The PlugBug is wonderful. However, from a design standpoint there's a flaw. When you put the PlugBug on the MacBook Air power block, the it fits perfectly. However, if you attack it to a 85-watt MacBook Pro power block, the PlugBug is too short for it. It ends about half the length of the power block so it does not match up. Twelve South should make an alternate one designed for the bigger power blocks.

    43 of 50 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    PlugBug gets very, very hot

    • Written by from CUTCHOGUE

    I agree with Raymond G - my PlugBug also gets very hot. I use it to charge my MacBook Pro and the latest iPad. I wonder if this overheating can cause a fire.

    42 of 42 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Good but bad on temperature control.

    • Written by from VANCOUVER

    Tried two of these chargers but got the same result. Its chargers fine but the charger was overheating very hot to that point that you can't touch it. I thought I bought a bad model so I returned it and got another one and it did the same thing. I was just charging a MacBook Air and and iPod. I going to stick to the option of charger the iPod through USB by Mac with or without the MagSafe block.

    44 of 45 people found this useful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars

    Works as advertised but extremely limited in overall scope

    • Written by from Streamwood

    Within its confines, this is a very useful gadget. Simply snap it on to your MacBook Pro/Air AC adapter, and you have something that can provide power to your computer as well as a single iOS device. Therein lies the rub. The USB port is only capable of recognizing/charging an iPhone or iPad. Neither my wife's work phone (made by the dark-colored fruit company) nor my wireless game console controller would charge via the USB port. Granted, the company doesn't advertise this product as having such capability, but for what it costs, it would be nice.

    39 of 42 people found this useful

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  • 1.0 out of 5 stars

    Don't buy!

    • Written by from Cebu City

    I bought this in an apple store in Waikiki. When I used it to charge both my iPhone and Macbook Air, the power output seemed inconsistent. While charging, I can hear my phone suddenly and intermittently emitting that beep that comes on when you plug in the phone. Also, when you leave the adapter plugged in, it somehow loses power and would not charge my Macbook. I had to unplug the entire adaptor and plug it back in before power was restored. Hope they fix this bug. Don't buy it!

    57 of 67 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Works fine, not often needed though......

    • Written by from Amherst Junction

    I am running my iP2 off of one of these right now, and have been for several hours, with no problems at all. No buzzing or any other issues to report. I have the power adapter connected to an 85w power supply for a 15" MBP (the older "T" type).

    The adapter does not seem quite as sturdy as the Apple adapters but the connection is solid. I would agree with an earlier post however, if carried separately, this power adapter saves little (if any) space over a 10w power supply. I believe the point is however, should you find yourself a bit short of receptacles in your hotel room this would be an option without connecting your iDevice to the computer's USB port.

    48 of 50 people found this useful

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  • 4.0 out of 5 stars

    Wonderful

    • Written by from Manchester

    You will not regret buying this product. It really comes in handy while traveling when power sockets are scarce. Also if this is always a part of the power brick it means one less thing to pack.

    The picture on the product shows it plugged in with a MacBook Air power brick but if it's used with a MacBook Pro power brick the product doesn't set flushed as the Pro brick is larger. No big deal at all. I must say the product manufactures really did a wonderful job of painting the product red. It stands out among the crowd and works as its own advertisement when people ask whats that thing stuck to my power adaptor.

    The build quality is very good, and light weight. I only wish they put a second USB socket.
    I hope apple incorporates this in their upcoming power supplies.

    If you are on the fence for a new power supply for your iDevice I'd say Go for it.

    121 of 127 people found this useful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars

    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

    • Written by from Barrie

    The Good: The PlugBug provides 10 Watts through its USB port, whereas normal/high-powered USB ports provide 2.5 Watts/5.5 Watts. This allows quick iPad/iPhone recharging, even when your iDevice and laptop are both in use. The PlugBug connects nicely to your laptop power adapter, and together they are very easy to pack in your bag. You can even connect the PlugBug to Apple's AA battery charger or to another Apple 10 Watt iPad charger! The dimensions of the PlugBug are aligned with the dimensions of the Macbook Air's 45 Watt charger, and together they are about 40% larger than the Air's charger by itself. Finally, the combined PlugBug and charger takes up only one wall socket, which can be convenient at hotels and crowded cafes.

    The Bad: The PlugBug prevents the use of the 3-pronged extension cord that connects to your power adapter. Thus, you may have to sit six feet closer to a wall socket than you did before. The combined PlugBug and laptop charger doesn't save much overall space compared to a separate 10 Watt charger and laptop charger.

    The Ugly: The PlugBug emits a high-pitched whining/buzzing sound that is faint but persistent. If you are working in an environment with ambient noise like a cafe, then you will not notice it at all. However, if you are using it in a perfectly quiet environment, then it can be as annoying as a mosquito buzzing in your ear. Hopefully Twelve South addresses this issue with subsequent iterations of the product. (My PlugBug was purchased at an Apple store near the end of 2011.)

    191 of 199 people found this useful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awsome

    • Written by from Roy

    Ok I admit it, I love Twelve South products. However as a multiple Apple product owner I am always looking for chargers to cut down on the number of power plugs I have. I love the fact that it combines with MacBook power adaptor. I can charge both at the same time without pulling out my power strip. The PlugBug would be worth its weight in gold for just that part, but it does come with the plug in case you are away from your MacBook adaptor.

    I like the red color, matches great with the Apple White we are so used to. If I had one slight complaint is that I wish it could also charge my iPhone at the same time as the iPad. But that is probably asking for too much to have only one charger for everything.

    126 of 132 people found this useful

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