Apple Battery Charger

Price : $29.00

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The first battery charger designed by Apple, the Apple Battery Charger sets a new industry standard for quick, wise energy usage. That's because the Apple Battery Charger has one of the lowest standby power usage values--or "vampire draw"--of any similar charger on the market. Standby power is the energy that most chargers continue to draw after their batteries are fully charged. In contrast to most chargers, the Apple Battery Charger senses when its batteries are done charging and automatically reduces the amount of power it needs. This intelligent power management system makes the charger one of the most energy-efficient rechargeable battery solutions ever.

Fully Loaded
The Apple Battery Charger offers a much smaller "vampire draw" than most other chargers. Each Apple Battery Charger comes with six high-performance AA NiMH batteries: two for your keyboard, two for your mouse or trackpad, and two for charging. Unlike many other reusable batteries, these batteries have an incredibly long service life--up to 10 years--meaning you can finally break the cycle of buying and disposing toxic, single-use alkaline batteries. The batteries that come with the Apple Battery Charger kit also have an extraordinarily low self-discharge rate. Even after a year of sitting in a drawer, they still retain 80 percent of their original charge, so you'll always have backup power when you need it. And although the charger is built for six batteries, it can also recharge one or two batteries at a time, including AA NiMH batteries from other companies, too.

It's a Beautiful FitThe Apple Battery Charger is as well designed on the outside as it is on the inside. The charger boasts a sleek, compact shape, so you can plug it in between tangles of desk wires or pack it neatly in your computer bag when you travel. And like Apple power adapters, the Apple Battery Charger is designed with a removable AC plug, so you can replace it with plugs that fit different outlets around the world. Ideal for energy-conscious computer users of all stripes, the Apple Battery Charger comes with a wall charger and six rechargeable AA NiMH batteries.
The charger and batteries fit seamlessly within the Apple design landscape.
Now there’s a better, more environmentally friendly way to power your wireless keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, or just about anything that requires AA batteries. The Apple Battery Charger kit comes with a sleek, compact charger and six high-performance AA NiMH batteries that are ready to use right out of the box. The reusable batteries are exceptional at holding a charge and last for up to 10 years. Which means you can finally break the cycle of buying and disposing of those toxic, single-use alkaline batteries.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003XIJ566
• Item model number: MC500LL/A
  

Technical Details

• The sleek, compact Apple Battery Charger is all about efficient charging.
• Each Apple Battery Charger comes with six NiMH batteries - two for your keyboard, two for your mouse or trackpad, and two for charging.
• The Apple Battery Charger has the lowest "vampire draw" of any similar charger on the market.
• With the Apple Battery Charger, you no longer have to buy or hassle with the disposal of batteries every few months.
• The charger works quickly and efficiently. And once your batteries are fully charged, it draws less power than any other similar charger on the market.

 

Apple Battery Charger

 

Customer Reviews

I'm going to compare this charger to the less expensive Sanyo Eneloop 2 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries w/ Charger which I've also purchased. The Apple charger comes with 4 more batteries, so the total cost of the Sanyo system with 6 batteries is about a third less than the Apple charger.
I've read on Engadget that the batteries are the same, just with different labels. Apple is not in the business of designing and manufacturing AA batteries, they have someone else do it for them to their specifications. So the difference is in the charger.
The Apple charger is outwardly much nicer looking--it is an Apple product after all--and more importantly much less bulky. The Sanyo charger takes up a lot of room and will not fit nicely on a power strip. The Apple charger has the added bonus of using a standard Apple plug module, so I could attach a long cord or an international plug should I go outside the United States. It is a simple and elegant object.
As for gains in power efficiency. I do not believe the Sanyo charger is particularly inefficient. I've attached it to my Kill-A-Watt and once the battery is charged, the device shuts off its light--just like the Apple charger--and goes into a mode which uses so little energy my reader displays it as zero Watts. The Apple charger might well use less, it's just such a small amount you are unlikely to notice; it would certainly take a long time to make up the cost difference.
Be warned that because of the chemistry of NiMH batteries, these are not 1.5V batteries and will never appear to be 100% charged in the OS X Bluetooth menu. They aren't defective, just different from non-rechargeable batteries. Also, when you first get your Apple charger, 2 of the batteries ship inside the charger; take them out and make sure they are properly oriented before attempting to top them off.
So, I would say this is a hard call. The Apple charger is smaller, matches my other Apple gear, has a more flexible plug, and if need be, could be serviced at your local Genius Bar; whereas if the Sanyo failed, I'd probably toss it. On the other hand it is noticeably more expensive. Either way, it's great to use rechargeable batteries on my cordless desktop devices.

Non-Apple battery chargers will cost you less. But none of them are as compact as the Apple one. Besides, who can resist a $29 Apple gizmo? Read on for more details on why I replaced my battery charger with the Apple one.
I already had a bunch of rechargeable batteries which I charged using the loud clunky Duracell charger that came with the Duracell kit. The Duracell charger makes a loud fan noise while charging and the power brick is as large as the charger. My plan was to charge a bunch of batteries and have them ready to go. But for some reason unless the batteries have just been charged they always show about a 60% charge after they sit around. The way my Apple Magic Mouse goes through batteries I needed some rechargeable batteries ready to go but I didn't want the Duracell clunker sitting around my desk. So now I have a nice looking little Apple battery charger. Yeah.