I use and enjoy a lot of Apple gear, and in fact edit the Geek Beat blog from a 2013 iMac. But sometimes, Apple’s design decisions make me a little nuts. Take USB port placement, for instance. Apple gives us four USB ports, all on the back of the machine, in order to keep a sleek clean-design look up front. That’s fine for things like input devices or external drives that you’re going to plug in once and then leave in place for the foreseeable future, but what about the USB sticks that are still in heavy use to move files around easily? They’re just one example of something that needs to be plugged in temporarily, then unplugged. And for those things, ports on the back of the machine just don’t cut it.
I must not be the only one who feels that way, because Bluelounge has created a nifty and simple solution. The Jimi is a little USB port extender that looks like a J when seen from the side. It plugs into a USB port on the back and wraps under the display, giving you a port easily accessible from the front. It’s for 21-inch and 27-inch iMacs with the current slim body style that was first introduced in 2012.
The Jimi is available now and priced at $14.95. If you’ve ever agonized over reaching the ports on the back of your iMac, this little port extender will make your life a bit easier.
