Accessory maker Shrgeek launched an Indiegogo to fund a 35W USB-C charger shaped like a small Apple Macintosh computer.The Retro 35 crowdfunding campaign’s page is careful not to mention the name of Apple’s classic computer, but it draws some pretty obvious inspiration, from the beige color scheme to the placement of the disk drives.The device will eventually retail for $49, with Indiegogo “early bird” pricing starting at $25.
Aftermarket chargers are becoming more popular as more and more phone makers stop shipping charging bricks with their devices.Often, these blocks offer extra ports or higher charging speeds than their first-party counterparts, but it’s interesting to see Shargeek go in a different direction and focus on looks rather than specs.
That said, all of Shrgeek’s images of the Retro 35 show it being plugged into a power strip lying flat on a table, to make sure it’s correct.But I’d wager that most chargers spend their time in a wall outlet, which forces the charger to lay sideways.It still looks cute like this, but not as good as Shrgeek’s promotional image…beautiful.
As far as specs go, it’s a 35W USB-C charger, which means it can power a smartphone, tablet, or low-powered laptop like the M1 MacBook Air.It supports a range of charging protocols including PPS, PD3.0 and QC3.0, and its screen is designed to light up in different colors depending on the device’s charging speed.Yellow is for “normal charging,” blue is for “fast charging,” and green is for “super charging,” but there’s no mention of the specific speeds these colors correspond to.
Crowdfunding is inherently a messy field: companies seeking funding tend to make big promises.According to a 2015 Kickstarter study, about one in 10 “successful” products that meet their funding goals fail to actually deliver a return.In products that do deliver, the idea of delays, missed deadlines, or over-promising means that for those that do, there are often disappointments.
The best defense is to use your best judgment.Ask yourself: Does the product look legit?Did the company make outlandish claims?Do you have a working prototype?Has the company mentioned any existing plans to manufacture and ship the finished product?Has it done Kickstarter before?Remember: when you support a product on a crowdfunding site, you don’t necessarily buy the product.
The Retro 35 comes with prongs for US sockets by default, but there are adapters that make it work with UK, Australian, and EU sockets.
Apple’s original Macintosh was a design icon that continues to inspire accessories today.A few years ago, we saw Elago offer a Macintosh-shaped Apple Watch charging stand that could charge Apple’s smartwatch while repurposing its display as the “screen” for an 80s microcomputer.
Obviously, this is a crowdfunding campaign, so all the usual caveats apply.But this isn’t Shrgeek’s first foray into selling charging accessories, having previously launched the Storm 2 and Storm 2 Slim power banks.This means that supporting new projects is not done in the dark.Otherwise, Shargeek hopes to launch the new Retro 35 charger in July after the crowdfunding campaign ends.
Post time: May-30-2022