Roger Fingas
Accessory maker Nomad has announced the Pod, an unusual portable battery pack designed explicitly for the Apple Watch, allowing the iPhone accessory to last beyond the advertised 18-hour uptime.
The Pod uses a puck-like design, inside of which is an 1,800 mAh battery. Apple's official Watch charging cable coils around an inside ring, with the charging disk slotted into a space up top. This means that once the Pod is charged, nothing else has to be plugged in or even unwrapped before use.
Under most circumstances, a micro USB cable is needed to charge the pack, while a standard USB port delivers output. Also available however is a USB-C connection, which can be used for both input and output. The format is present on few other devices so far, namely Apple's 12-inch MacBook and Google's Chromebook Pixel.
Nomad says that the Pod should be able to deliver four full charges to the Watch. The pack has yet to go into production, but Nomad tells TechCrunch that it has been in contact with Apple and is simply waiting for the final dimensions of the Watch charger before manufacturing.
The first batch of Pods should ship on June 15. Silver, space grey, and matte black plastic versions will be available, and can be pre-ordered for $60 each.
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19 Comments
Cool. Not often I get to say "I told you so." :-)
It has been said before, and this drives the point home: Apple needs to develop a universal charging cable. Now I need three cords when I travel. Do I need to carry two different Mophie type devices?
https://www.apple.com/watch/battery.html
It says 18 hours.
It has been said before, and this drives the point home: Apple needs to develop a universal charging cable. Now I need three cords when I travel. Do I need to carry two different Mophie type devices?
Yes, I expected this. I already have one 30-pin backup charging block, had to buy a lightning connector model, and now if I get an ?Watch, another custom model for that. And that's just backup to the three different proprietary cables, and multiple charging bricks I already carry. My travel bag is definitely getting fatter!
It's a creative way to wind the cable, but I don't see the cable being that long though. I can't think of a time where you would find this useful, your out and about all day, with no outlets near by your watch dies and you want to plug it in. Maybe there backpacking in the wilderness and bring batteries for everything.