Vinpok has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to establish funding for its latest entry to the tech accessory industry. It's called Bolt-S and it's a USB-C charging cord with a MagSafe-style breakaway magnetic connector. Vinpok says it's special because it supports the MacBook Pro's 87w charging power adapter.
One of the biggest improvement Apple ever made to its cable system for its laptop line was the addition of the MagSafe connector, which is a magnetic breakaway connector that kept our cables safe from damage. Unfortunately, with the late 2016 MacBook Pro and the early 2017 MacBook and MacBook Pro, Apple did away with the MagSafe connector. We gained a better data transfer and charging system with USB-C, but now have to be extra careful not to bend our cords all over again ... like animals.
Vinpok hopes to fix this gross oversight with the Bolt-S. It isn't the first MagSafe-style USB-C connector on the market. There are actually quite a few either already on sale, or on their way to public launch in the near future. The thing that makes the Bolt-S stand out from the others is that it is one of the first, if not the actual first, to hit the market with support for 87w charging, which is the wattage that Apple's 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro power adapter use.
The Bolt-S may have fast charging capabilities for the MacBook Pro, but it does not support data transferring. You'll need to return to your Apple USB-C cable if you want to do any data transfer.
Vinpok sent me a sample of an early model of the Bolt-S and I can say that I'm impressed by the charging speed. It's indistinguishable from Apple's official USB-C cord. The magnetic breakaway tip is fantastic. It has a strong magnetic pull but breaks away very easily.
It doesn't have an elbow shaped connector the way the MagSafe was on my older MacBook Pro, but the straight cable style doesn't usually get in the way when I've got my Mac sitting on my lap.
The cool thing is, the magnetic connector that is inserted into the MacBook Pro is so small that you can leave it in if you've got a spare port. That way, whenever you use the Bolt-S, you can just allow the magnetic force bring the cable to the connector.
To clarify, I've got an unreleased (you can call it a "beta") version of the Bolt-S. Oftentimes, products developed under crowdfunding campaigns go through a lot of changes before their final design. But, I'd assume that any changes made would be improvements over the current version.
It's also important to note that crowdfunding campaigns don't guarantee delivery on a product in a timely manner, or at all for that matter. If you decide to donate, do so with a clear understanding of the risk involve.
Interestingly, the Bolt-S crowdfunding campaign launched at about 8:00 a.m. PT and, within four hours, had surpassed its funding goal by nearly 200%. Clearly, there are a lot of people out there that want a MagSafe-style USB-C cable.
If you're interested in the Bolt-S, you can head over to the crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo for more information. Vinpok is offering a 50% discount off the price of the Bolt-S during the campaign.
