Top 10 accessories designed to be the ultimate sidekick to your Apple devices

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Since its foundation in 1976, Apple has been always been at the peak of modern innovation! The groundbreaking tech giant never fails to surprise us, we always find ourselves biting our nails and squirming with curiosity, whenever Apple announces a new product launch! My Apple devices are some of my most prized possessions – in the sense that I simply cannot do without them! My MacBook holds all the documents and data I hold holy in my life, whereas my iPhone stores the details of every single person I know. I would truly be lost without my gadgets. As ingenious as Apple products can be, it’s always fun to amp them up with a few exciting accessories. From a Magic Bridge that merges your Apple keyboard and trackpad into one super-keyboard to a charger that charges ALL your Apple devices – these innovative accessories are a must-have for all Apple addicts!

1. The SmallRig 3611

The SmallRig 3611 is a modular ‘phone cage’ that lets you turn your iPhone into a professional-grade videography setup. Designed to work with iPhones 6-13 (and even a few Android models), the SmallRig 3611 gives you a stable rig to mount your phone onto, eliminating jitter. The cage lets you attach external handles to help you get a better, more stable grip while filming.

Why is it noteworthy?

 The 3611 is a relatively compact phone cage made from aluminum alloy, designed to work broadly with the iPhone and with the Samsung Galaxy series, and even the Pixel series. The rig comes equipped with multiple 1/4″-20 threaded holes and cold shoes to match the SmallRig accessory ecosystem. The rig comes with a clamp that safely and securely holds onto your phone, and can be adjusted/slid around to make sure it grabs your device without blocking the camera or accidentally pressing any buttons.

What we like

• Transforms your iPhone into a professional film-making setup
•  Lets you mount a wide variety of other accessories, from lights and microphones to even an extra battery pack for your smartphone and other gadgets

What we dislike

No complaints!

2. The Strap Anywhere

Designed to let you secure your iPhone to any handle, pipe, railing, bar, or even your wrist, the Strap Anywhere uses Apple’s MagSafe feature to secure your iPhone so your hands are unencumbered. The idea, Moment’s team says, was to allow users to attach their iPhones to indoor fitness equipment like a Peloton bike, squat rack, treadmill, elliptical, etc.

Why is it noteworthy?

The strap’s silicone construction provides a friction grip and is even sturdy enough to double as a stand for your iPhone, letting you prop it up at an angle on your desk or yoga mat. The Strap Anywhere mount works directly with the iPhone as well as with MagSafe cases for the iPhone. Made from sweat-resistant material, the strap’s perfect for gym equipment, although its adjustable nature means you could technically use it anywhere, from your motorcycle to even your shopping cart!

What we like

• Features a proprietary configuration of magnets to provide extra strength, combined along with a grippy silicone material

What we dislike

• Not sure if it could withstand a bumpy ride on an offroad trail or other extreme conditions

3. UNEC

This is UNEC, an accessory that makes it possible to track your trusted umbrella, no matter where you lose it by mistake. Although it is a very simple accessory, the benefits are simply undeniable.

Why is it noteworthy?

Hook it onto the umbrella’s handle and it won’t look odd – given its compact size and funky colors the accessory comes in. As the designer rightly puts it, “UNEC allows people to attach their AirTag to an umbrella so that they will never lose it ever again, because why not?”

What we like

• The accessory is also good enough to have an optimum-sized version made for a walking stick that differently-abled or injured people can’t afford to lose

What we dislike

No complaints!

4. The iMac G4

The G4 charger is a wonderful throwback accessory that reminds me of that Elago charger that turned the Apple Watch into the Macintosh. Its design, however, doesn’t seem to have aged the way the Macintosh has. Even by today’s standards, the iMac G4 is an incredibly eye-catching device that you’re sure to be amazed by. The charger condenses that beauty down into a small device that is equally good at drawing your attention to the iPhone that sits on it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The iMac G4, with its debut in 2002, was truly a design icon in that it was nothing like anything else that existed in its time. While the world still struggled with boxy plastic computers, the G4 had this intensely beautiful organic design accentuated with chrome details. It hovered above the rest, thanks to its adjustable stand, paving the way for future iMacs which still to this day retain the detail to maintain the right eye level. Eponymously named the G4, this quirky little charger pays a hat-tip to its 20-year-old predecessor. It sports the same dome-shaped base and chrome-plated stand upon which sits the MagSafe wireless charging element that lets you snap your iPhone to it. Once the iPhone comfortably nestles in place, it transforms almost into a miniature computer, hovering above the ground in a way that makes its display easy to view as well as to use, by allowing you to tap and swipe away!

What we like

• The dual joint system on the back of the charger lets you angle and position your phone however you please
• A nifty light within its domed front lights up when your phone begins charging

What we dislike

• It isn’t available yet!

5. The MagSnap Wallet

Want more out of your wallet? Well, the MagSnap Wallet’s magnetic design makes it modular too, allowing you to easily attach extra modules that let your wallet hold more cards, cash, and even EDC tools. The MagSnap Wallet has the incredible advantage of being sleek when you want, and modular/accommodating when you need it. It also docks on the back of your phone for easy carrying, and thanks to its all-metal design, it’s RFID-blocking too – a feature that Apple’s own MagSafe wallet still lacks.

Why is it noteworthy?

OhSnap is quick to mention that the MagSnap Wallet isn’t MagSafe compatible (that would mean reorienting the MagSnap Wallet’s magnets to make the wallet thicker). Instead, the MagSnap Wallet comes either with a magnet-enabled iPhone case or an adhesive MagSnap plate that can attach to practically any phone. “Our magnet array and locking pin are much stronger than MagSafe”, says the designers at OhSnap, mentioning that while Apple’s own MagSafe wallets tend to slide around when mounted on the phone, the MagSnap Wallet stays firmly put. “Our approach may be slightly less streamlined than Apple’s, but our magnetic connections are stronger, and our products are more modular and way more functional.”

What we like

• Has the ability to snap on extra modules that give the wallet a storage upgrade
• It is digitally secure – thanks to its RFID-blocking abilities

What we dislike

• Their approach is slightly less streamlined than Apple’s, which everyone may not agree with

6. The Magic Bridge

Could it be a coincidence that the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad are exactly the same height? They look, as Twelve South rightfully points out, like they were “separated at birth”, like two siblings longing for each other. The Magic Bridge fulfills that wish, uniting the two long-lost siblings and putting them side by side.

Why is it noteworthy?

Melodrama aside, the Magic Bridge is actually a pretty clever device that does more than just fix your trackpad to your keyboard for the sake of it. For starters, it helps declutter your workspace by ‘bridging’ the gap between the keyboard and trackpad, so they don’t individually clutter your desk. It also effectively merges them together into what Twelve South refers to as the ultimate ‘control station’, so you can carry them around and place them on your coffee table, or even on your lap as you work and switch between your Apple devices.

What we like

• Features a clever ambidextrous design that lets you mount your trackpad on either side of your keyboard, depending on whether you’re right or left-handed
• Lightweight yet tough form

What we dislike

No complaints!

7. The PITAKA MagEZ Slider

Meet the PITAKA MagEZ Slider. It’s a charger. No, wait. It’s a wireless charger. Uh, hold on. It’s a wireless charger with MagSafe capabilities. Oh, let me say that again. It’s a wireless charger with MagSafe capabilities that also has a built-in detachable power bank and can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Simultaneously.

Why is it noteworthy?

Over the course of its existence, PITAKA’s worked to fundamentally make Apple’s products better by designing highly functional charging accessories for them. The MagEZ Slider, however, feels like a culmination of all that work. A wireless charger designed to work with your phone, watch, and TWS earbuds, the MagEZ Slider is a compact little number that’s perfectly sized to sit on any tabletop surface while simultaneously ensuring that your workspace isn’t cluttered with different wires and dongles.

What we like

• Charges all your Apple gadgets
• Does not clutter up your workspace

What we dislike

• There are similar products on the market

8. The Magcardgrip

A sleek little accouterment for your iPhone, the Magcardgrip is a wallet, stand, and iPhone grip all wrapped in one. It sits flat on the back of your device, holds 2 payment or ID cards (and even supports tap-to-pay), and has a fold-out grip that doubles as a stand for your iPhone. Its most interesting feature though? The fact that it also happens to support MagSafe charging. The Magcardgrip’s zero-compromise design lets you wirelessly charge your iPhone WITH the wallet still attached… a feature that Apple probably wishes it had thought of first.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Magcardgrip’s design addresses a lot of problems, notably with hardly any (if none) caveats or compromises in the process. The 7mm thin accessory attaches using an adhesive to the back of your phone. The non-destructive adhesive back offers a stronger bond than Apple’s MagSafe feature, and the Magcardgrip’s slim profile allows you to easily slide your phone in and out of your pocket without worrying about the accessory moving around, changing orientation, or slipping off the back of your phone.

What we like

• Features a bifold-inspired design that really reinforces its creator’s zero-compromise vision
• Comes outfitted with microfiber, protecting your cards from wear and tear

What we dislike

No complaints!

9. The Fjorden

YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who shoots all his videos in 8K on ridiculously expensive RED cameras, alludes to the fact that “the best camera is the one you have on you”, and that’s almost always your smartphone camera. Your smartphone camera’s image processing engine is arguably powerful enough to click photos as well as a DSLR, and the only thing really missing is precision and that hands-on experience… that’s where the Fjorden comes in.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Fjorden turns your iPhone into a hybrid DSLR. It physically snaps onto the back of your iPhone, giving you analog camera controls including a two-stage shutter button, a jog dial, a zoom slider, and even an extra multi-function button you can use to do stuff like trigger the flash. The overall form is comfortably tactile and grippy (and comes with the same texture found on cameras) and orients the buttons in a way that’s intuitive and easy to use (so you don’t have to sprain your thumb to reach the shutter button while holding your phone with the same hand). Moreover, the actual physical buttons allow you to use the camera with gloves on, an understated-yet-impressive upgrade to the iPhone camera experience).

What we like

• Portable and sleek
• Has its own camera app

What we dislike

No complaints!

10. The UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger

For geeks who want more than just a standard MagSafe charger for their den, the UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger will be the preferred choice. This cute-looking accessory for the Apple ecosystem is currently just a concept design, but we want to see it make it to the shelves. It’s like a UFO riding on the back of your iPhone 13 minus, all the shenanigans of gimmicky gadgets.

Why is it noteworthy?

When charging, the transparent dome with the Android-like being looking you straight in the face lights up with a warm glow as soon as the iPhone is snapped onto it. Now that’s going to act as a cool bias light for people who are in a habit of staring at their phones in the pitch dark. At least with the UFO MagSafe charger hooked on, your eyes will get some respite, even if for some time!

What we like

• UFO-inspired!
• Perfect for space lovers

What we dislike

No complaints!

The post Top 10 accessories designed to be the ultimate sidekick to your Apple devices first appeared on Yanko Design.

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