For a multitude of reasons, we rarely cover Kickstarter projects: there’s no certainty on funding or actual delivery of the product, so we usually wait until the concept becomes real and actually ships. But once in a while, we’ll see something that’s genuinely cool and likely to ship on time if it’s funded. Snowmous Design’s Access IO ($15+) is one such project. It solves one of the iMac’s main user experience issues by bringing one of its USB ports, along with the headphone port, to the front of your machine. You can choose from black or silver versions.
Made only to fit the new, thin iMacs released late in 2012, Access IO fits around the bottom edge of the computer, and stays in place without the need for adhesives or any other connectors. USB and audio passthroughs plug in to their respective ports, and then are routed to the front, making it much more convenient to connect headphones or accessories. The design makes a lot of sense, and adds functionality without taking away from the iMac’s aesthetics.
