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These Two Companies Increase Apple's Net Worth

This article is more than 10 years old.

I've made some critically stupid decisions over the year with my money, to the tune of hundreds of dollars on Apple accessories that just plain sucked. The entire market is a cacophony of mediocrity - even from huge companies that really should do better. Lame silicone cases that don't really work. Screen protectors that leave bubbles the size of your thumb. Adapters for your headphones to go into that snap in two.

There have quite literally been only two companies that I've been able to buy from that have produced a regular stream of reliable products that actually do the job.

I'm talking about Twelve South and Mophie. Premium accessory manufacturers for premium products - call them the Chanel clutch and Burberry bracelet to your little black iDress.

The former - a darling little mac-only accessory shop based out of South Carolina, founded by a proud husband, father and musician, the other is a powerhouse out of Paw Paw Michigan spitting out universal products carved from the same aluminum blocks that Apple themselves use. These companies lie as polar opposites with the same goal - Mophie creates a stream of new products each year, while Twelve South keeps predictably low-key and ponderous, creating only that which it thinks is absolutely necessary to bring to market.

This is well-evidenced in their latest releases - Twelve South's reiterations of its BookBook series cry homage to the very leather tomes that the iPad and its ilk have metaphorically burned - the difference being that these real-leather cases actually protect and secure your iPad better than most cases. In the last year, Twelve South has only really released two or three new products, one in particular being the amazing PlugBug, a clip-on iPhone and iPad charger that fits perfectly on top of your Macbook charger to charge both an iPad and a Macbook Air at the same time. The HoverBar is a giant metal arm that juts out from your desk, your computer or anywhere that the clip fastens itself, grasping your iPad like an angry Sasquatch and throwing it in your face. With the churn of iDevice accessories in the market, Twelve South's minimalism (and resulting quality) is a refreshing break from the norm.

Conversely, Mophie's products are mechanical beasts (in the best possible way), with a design harking back to the original days of Sony's Bravia televisions. Their flagship products include the Mophie Juice Packs - cases that charge and protect your iPhone (from smaller cases to fully ruggedized monsters) and the Powerstation portable batteries for USB gear. Their latest seemingly irreverent doo-dad is the Powerstand - a stand that powers and holds your iPad (original name, right?). Carved out of heavy, smooth metal, the stand charges the iPad up quickly, turns and pivots quickly, and generally produces a far more refined and reliable experience for the 'pad than any other stand I've used. I personally found using the stand to be much like having one of the many terminals you'd see in a spy show - a reliable second screen that you can position a keyboard next to and use for ancillary information like notes, to-do lists and analytics.

As privately-held companies, both hold friendly relationships with Apple and receive certifications directly from Cupertino, with Mophie using the "works with iPhone" on its Juice Pack Air - the BookBook for iPhone hardly needs it, what with it being a case that looks like a Bible.

In the wake of such well-made products being created simply to protect electronics, one can't help but ask whether Apple has been the most influential technology company not just because of its devices, but because the consumer demand for auxiliary protection and accessorizing - it's a market of $2-3 billion according to the Fiscal Times. Mophie and Twelve South are arguably the most refined of the bunch - though I can't say whether they're the most profitable.

They're certainly the only ones that Apple should acquire.