Znaps is a new Kickstarter project that aims to make connecting a Lightning cable to your iPhone or iPad as simple as connecting a MagSafe charger to your MacBook. Znaps consists of a connector that plugs into the Lightning port on your iOS device, and an adapter for your Lightning cable that lets it connect to the port magnetically.
With the Znaps Connector and Adapter, a Lightning cable can snap onto your device using magnets, making it quicker to connect and charge an iPad or iPhone. There's also a version for devices that use Micro-USB.
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Let's make charging easier! ZNAPS is a simple yet perfect solution to prevent frayed charging cables, tripping over cable resulting in smashed phones, pointless fiddling to plug in cable in the dark, water damage through charging outlet, and more! This innovative magnetic charging adapter will make your life just a bit more convenient.
Znaps is small enough that it will work with a wide variety of custom iPhone cases that leave the Lightning port exposed, and as the project's creators point out, it can cut down on the hassle of fumbling to get a Lightning cable plugged into an iPhone or an iPad.
Znaps works for both charging and syncing, and a small LED light on the adapter will light up when a device is being charged. The magnetic field it uses is "negligibly small" according to the project's creators, and will not cause damage to the internal components of the iPhone. It also does not enhance or impede charging times.
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A Znaps Connector and Adapter for Lightning or Micro-USB can be obtained for a pledge of $11 Canadian, or just under $9. There are also several other tiers available at different price points for purchasing multiple Znaps.
Znaps are projected to ship in late November of 2015, but as most of us have experienced on Kickstarter, there are projects that miss shipping estimates by months, especially when orders exceed expectations, so prospective purchasers should keep that in mind when backing this project.
Top Rated Comments
What about this patent from Apple?
Our patent lawyer did a patent search before we started the project. This is one of the reasons why we didn’t develop ZNAPS into a whole charging cable. We haven’t infringed on Apple's patent.
The patent has nothing to do with "cables", but everything to do with "a plug that uses magnets to retain contact while conducting electricity"...which is PRECISELY what this Znaps does.
Sounds like their lawyer was Znapping on the job. I'd get a new lawyer if I were them.
"Magnetic connector for electronic device
Abstract
An electrical plug and receptacle relying on magnetic force to maintain contact are disclosed."
I won't sit here and argue about semantics but Apple has the lawyers and the patent know-how to win this case. Good luck to anyone who backed.
Patent issues notwithstanding, Znaps hasn't even accounted for the $4 per Lightning connector licensing fee they will be on the hook for, just to be compatible and compliant with the Lightning connector protocol. Each of the two pieces of the "adapter" would be subject to the $4 licensing fee, as they are sold separately. As such, Znaps is selling a product for $9 that will cost them $8 in licensing.