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This is an excellent design by Min-Kyu Choi that won awards by sadly has never got into production.

choi_uk_folding_plug01_sq.jpg


choi_uk_folding_plug05.jpg
 
The UK plug isn't just used in the UK, a number of other countries use it as well (all of them former British colonies, I think)

Off the top of my head, Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore use it and some other countries in Africa and Asia as well.

I think Malta and Cyprus use it.
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear - I just meant all my Apple charger plugs.

Why should they be dangerous anyway? I assume they contain the normal safety features (see that thread a while back about how super-safe UK plugs are).

It's a good question.

It's because of the power/amps going thru them, and the fact you need a pivot point.

Normal plug = wire, screwed tightly to the end of a solid rod of metal which goes into the socket.

All these clever plugs, so fat, use pivot points to twist at some point.
So the connection between wire and tip of the plug is no longer a solid piece of metal.

When it's all totally brand new, super tight (if it ever is) then I understand it's ok ish. But remember you can push 13 amps thru plugs.

Electrics are very prone to arcing, any sliding, moving, pivot if never good over time transferring heavy loads.

Think about it.
You would today, pick up a plug that's 40 years old, it would be fine and you could plug it in.
What about a plug who'd metal progs have been pivoting for the past 40 years, how tight was the join now. How black is it in there, how much arcing has been going on inside the plug?

As I say, brand new and light loads I think is fine, but we don't sell different plugs with different loads and different lifetimes in shops.
The general UK public cannot be trusted not to stick such a plug on a large bar fire.

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Folding UK Plugs for sale now:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-S...id=1429345634&sr=8-4&keywords=folding+uk+plug



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-S...id=1429345634&sr=8-6&keywords=folding+uk+plug


http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Foldi...id=1429345634&sr=8-1&keywords=folding+uk+plug

And how about this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mu-Classic-...id=1429345634&sr=8-3&keywords=folding+uk+plug

:)
 
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I'm skipping the Apple Watch, but I'd gladly queue for that plug!

I travel a lot and while I love the solidity of the UK plug, carrying it around is a real pain. I'd buy at least four on release day!

Oh, and to touch on the other salient point of this thread, clearly, Jony spells his abbreviated name that way to make it closer to Tony :cool:.
 
lol. Joni is short for Joannie, which is a nickname for Joan.

And I'll clarify my earlier statement: most native English speakers would see Jony and assumed it's pronounced the same as Johnny based on several factors, context being the primary one.



isn't Joni long for Joan?
:)

that aside, I think more people would see Jony and think it rhymes with pony.

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I think you have that backwards, right?
double voltage requires 1/2 the amperage to equal the same wattage.. Amps kill.. not volts. (as in, tasers are like 50,000 volts or so)
 
"British cyclist and former professional rugby player Will Carling"

WTF? Makes him sound like he cycles for the British Team! He's a recreational cyclist

Good, glad I wasn't the only one thinking since when has he been up there with Wiggins :p

Will keep an eye open for those folding plugs coming into stores, great idea!
 
Since when has Will Carling been a "cyclist" ? Bit of a strange choice to receive an Apple Watch as Carling is very much yesterday's man.

The need for a folding plug just reminds me the watch is going to need charging all the time.
 
Steve wasn't missing anything. The highlighted features are hardly excellent and they're actually present even in the plugs of most European countries, most of them in an improved fashion (i.e. you can't plug them upside down gaining access to the dangerous contacts and you can't unscrew them with a screwdriver). The only way British plug distinguish itself is that it's bulky and ugly. The foldable version is a very welcome improvement, but the Brits should just switch to a more sensible standard, theirs is terribly old fashioned, inconvenient and not so safe as they think. But after all they still use separate taps for cold and hot water, so I lost hope they'll ever change... sometimes I think they're different in everything just for the sake of being different :D

Also true in North America, Tamper Resistant (TR) plugs are required on all new builds, and have been for decades. It requires both live prongs to be inserted at the same time to open, as the Ground (wink wink, nudge nudge) wire is not required for all electronics -- and in older homes where grounding is not present, you may replace 2-prong outlets with GFCI outlets that are 3-prong, or the circuit itself with a GFCI circuit; both of which kill all electricity to the outlet(s) directly should there be any slight hint that the current isn't going where it should.
 
Has this charger ever come to the UK market? US/Canada market AppleWatch charger is the same as the iPhone and iPad ones.
 
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