It may be on its way out of Apple’s MacBook line, but the spirit of the magnetic MagSafe connection could live on thanks to a Kickstarter project called Magzet.
Just as the MagSafe on Macs keeps you from tripping over a power lead, yanking and damaging the port, the Magzet would stop your headphones from getting snagged and damaged at the jack, disengaging damage-free thanks to a magnetic connection. Your headphone would plug into a female Magzet port, while a male Magzet component ending in a jack could live forever in your audio device.
As well as protecting the jacks on your expensive cans, the Magzet is claimed to boost audio quality by reducing audio interference. It all sounds great, aside from the fact that the Magzet set, in its current form, is rather bulky — the team promises that some of the crowdfunded cash will go to developing a smaller unit, but those pledging at the moment may be put off by the size of the connection.
With 38 days to go, at the time of writing the Magzet campaign has attracted 208 backers, raising $8,657 (£5.8k) of a $294,000 (£197k) goal. Early-bird bidders can pick up a set for a $20 (£13.40) dollar pledge, expected to ship in December of this year. It’s looking a steep campaign goal price at this point, but it’s definitely one of the more sound ideas we’ve seen on Kickstarter of late. [Magzet – Kickstarter]