Diskus Apple Watch portable charger

[testcard]

Came across this today. It's a Kickstarter project for an MFI approved Watch charger. Uses a short Micro USB cable rather than a Lightning connector. No power bank capability - simply a charger.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-portable-mfi-apple-watch-charger/description

 

[R740]

Without power bank capability I don't really understand the benefits of this product. Why long cable of the stock AW charger is bad?

 

[617aircav]

But why? It's the same as the stock one but with shorter cable.

 

[BarracksSi]

But why? It's the same as the stock one but with shorter cable.

...and a cable type which I don't use for any of my other Apple devices, too.

But, I guess if you regularly use a microUSB cable for an iPhone battery case, you'd only need this little puck when it's time to charge your AW. So, it makes sense after all.

 

[Bbqthis]

If it were lightning instead of micro-usb, it would be killer.

 

[boston04and07]

If it were lightning instead of micro-usb, it would be killer.

I second this. I'm kind of surprised that after all this time, Apple hasn't made exactly this themselves but with Lightning. Then again, maybe the reason why they rejected Diskus' Lightning version is because they have one of their own in the works, haha.

 

[OverSpun]

If it were lightning instead of micro-usb, it would be killer.

Exactly... only need the puck.

 

[BarracksSi]

Someone could do a USB-C version, too.

 

[boston04and07]

Are there any early backers who have heard any updates on this? Their website says that they're all sold out and that preorders are set to ship at the end of November/early December, but I thought they were supposed to ship earlier than that. I wish there were more options for super compact Watch chargers...

 

[consultant_on_journey]

silly solution with micro usb.

I will not buy that without a lightning port.

 

[deeddawg]

Personally I disagree with that assessment.

When I'm travelling I always have a micro-usb cable to charge various devices (bluetooth headset for work, running/workout bluetooth headset, camera battery charger, bluetooth speaker, etc.)

Though what I'm not clear on is why this device is superior to the $29 OEM charger with the 0.3m cable. I get not having extra cable clutter, but the functional difference of having a 1ft cable is pretty minor for a $15 price difference.

 

[jjk454ss]

Last update I got was that they were not approved by Apple. I believe they are adding the battery to it and hoping Apple approves it that way. I believe they also said that Apple was requiring a hardwired cable, but that they somehow still planned on avoiding having it hardwired.

Edit:

This is the update:

We have since learned that they now require one of two things for MFi:

1) It is required to include a permanently connected cable.

2) A power bank built in.

 

[boston04and07]

Last update I got was that they were not approved by Apple. I believe they are adding the battery to it and hoping Apple approves it that way. I believe they also said that Apple was requiring a hardwired cable, but that they somehow still planned on avoiding having it hardwired.

Edit:

This is the update:

We have since learned that they now require one of two things for MFi:

1) It is required to include a permanently connected cable.

2) A power bank built in.

Interesting. Thanks for updating us on this. I wonder how much a built in power bank will affect overall compactness of the adapter.

 

[jjk454ss]

Here's the pics:

 

[boston04and07]

Hmm, thanks for posting that. It definitely seems quite a bit larger. I wonder why they have these requirements to begin with.

Did they say what the mAh of the battery is, or when this is now expected to ship?

 

[jjk454ss]

Hmm, thanks for posting that. It definitely seems quite a bit larger. I wonder why they have these requirements to begin with.

Did they say what the mAh of the battery is, or when this is now expected to ship?

• 700 mAh rechargeable battery provides up to 1.5 full charges for an Apple Watch

Hoping to ship end of February

 

[boston04and07]

• 
  
  
  • 700 mAh rechargeable battery provides up to 1.5 full charges for an Apple Watch

Hoping to ship end of February

Ah thanks. I actually kind of like the idea of having a battery built in. That's a decent amount without making it too bulky. I still wish it had Lightning, but I'll probably still buy one anyway if it ever gets released.

 

[jjk454ss]

New update:

Hope you USA guys had a great Thanksgiving!

We are very excited to say that we received the new Diskus on Thursday last week and it looks and feels amazing! It has lived up to all our dreams and the tests are coming through great. The best part about the whole thing is we still have the smallest charger out there and it will fit link bands in nightstand mode. So yeah... we are stoked.

Minor change: Button moved to the back

Button moved to the back
With the change to the design the tooling was started a little later but it shouldn't set us back too far since Chinese New Year was already in the way. The biggest thing now is sending it to Apple to have them test for the MFi approval. We will also update you with the final specs once we get the MFi.

• 12/15 Final changes confirmed for tooling
• 12/16 Tooling started
• 12/20 Sample sent off for MFi
• January 2017 will receive final T2 sample and approve mass production
• February 2017 (EOM) Mass production complete and begin shipping

*Will fit a link band in nightstand mode!

The outer plastic ring around the charger will be white

LED indicators for battery level
Thanks so much for your patience and for still believing in us. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and stay tuned for the next update when we confirm MFi and the final specs! Talk soon!

-Jackson Hollberg and the ThanoTech Team

 

[SoN1NjA]

Isn't the 1M cable short enough? What a waste of $28 for a 3rd party product

 

[jjk454ss]

Isn't the 1M cable short enough? What a waste of $28 for a 3rd party product

I'm not even sure what a short cable has to do with this

 

[dictoresno]

What's their projected price? I've been looking for this exact kind of device.

 

[jjk454ss]

What's their projected price? I've been looking for this exact kind of device.

Not sure, sorry

 

[BarracksSi]

Now how about USB-C instead of mini- or micro-USB?

(just can't please anyone anymore, can they? I'd hate to become a gadget manufacturer these days...)

 

[jjk454ss]

Super old topic, I know. But, I finally got the Diskus yesterday after a “little” delay. The packaging is very nice. The shiny chrome look of the Diskus is terrible and it’s very light which to me makes it feel very cheap. We will see how it performs though which is the main thing.

 

[boston04and07]

I just got one too, although I ordered it a few weeks ago when I got an email saying they were in stock. I’d completely forgotten all about these, but figured I’d give it a go.

So far, so good. I actually like the weight as I wanted something I could toss in my bag during the day without adding any extra weight. Personally though, I’d much prefer to have a smaller battery or no battery at all, or at least the option for that, than have it be so thick.

Anyway...All I really wanted was a way to just charge my Apple Watch using the one hundred million lightning cables I already have plugged in around the house. I get why they can’t use lightning but still... So what I did was just plug one of the many micro USB to lightning adapters I have lying around that I got on Amazon into the Diskus, and voila. I now have a easy way to charge my watch without having to unplug another cable or have a cable always plugged in that’s only used for one device, my watch. The adapter stays in pretty tightly. It is surely awkward looking and of course I do run the risk that it’ll break that way but for now, it makes charging the watch so much more convenient.

It’s still surprising to me that there are really no lightning to Apple Watch chargers on the market at all, even sketchy non mFi ones, but oh well. This should work for now!