`
`Behind The Invention: The mophie Juice Pack — Medium
`
`Behind The Invention: The
`mophie Juice Pack
`How a failure of a product became the kleenex of backup
`power.
`If you ever see me smirk a bit when I board a flight, it’s not because I enjoy
`being locked in a metal tube for hours on end- but rather because it’s
`impossible to look around and not see countless travelers holding something
`with the name of my two golden retrievers (molly + sophie) emblazoned on
`the front face.
`
`It’s rumored that the mophie juice pack now brings in hundreds of millions of
`dollars a year in revenue. Despite countless knock-offs, the mophie brand has
`become the “kleenex” of external power, and is used by millions of people
`worldwide. mophie was by no means an overnight success and certainly did
`not take a linear path to greatness.
`
`As part of my ongoing quest to Make Invention Accessible, I
`believe companies should provide a behind-the-curtain view
`of how products are born in an eƣort to inspire future
`invention.
`
`This is the story of the early days of mophie. The twists and turns that seemed
`like colossal misses at the time, but somehow led to greatness.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`Common sense would tell you the story of the Juice Pack began in 2007 with
`the launch of the first iPhone, but in fact, this story goes back over two years
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`before Steve Jobs came on stage with that beautiful beautiful aluminum
`bodied phone.
`
`I began working on the mechanical system in 2005, and launched several
`mediocre products using our “sled” design that didn't quite take hold.
`
`We launched the first battery case in January 2006, and no one cared or wanted
`it. The need for extra power pre-iPhone just wasn't there.
`
`In mid 2007, we sold the mophie brand and the assets associated with the Juice
`Pack for pennies on the dollar because my investors deemed it a failure.
`
`I wouldn't change a thing, and here’s why.
`
`The blow by blow:
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`Our Very First Product
`Juice Pack’s roots can be traced all the way back to the Song Sling, mophie’s
`first product designed in March of 2005. It may seem unlikely that a poorly
`designed lanyard headphone could have played a part in the invention of the
`battery-case, but it most certainly did.
`
`The “big idea” behind the Song Sling was to integrate headphones into a
`lanyard. The resulting product would eliminate the mess of cords many
`people were experiencing when they used the lanyard provided with the
`original iPod shuffle.
`
`Apple’s design for their included Shuffle lanyard was in some ways very
`smart. It hung the iPod upside down so that when you grabbed it- the controls
`would be facing you. The downside to this, however, was that the headphone
`cables now needed to travel extra distance to clear all the lanyard cables,
`causing a big mess and lots of tangles.
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`Looking back, something very small, that seemed obvious and insignificant at
`the time, played an indelible role in shaping the mophie you know today.
`
`Notice the ƻ.ƽmm jack, integrated into the case. This would give way to the ƻƸ pin, and later the lightning cable placement
`on the Juice Pack design.
`
`The bottom of Song Sling was a bumper style case with a male 3.5MM
`(headphone) jack molded in. The sides of the case were built up just enough
`to hide a wire that would relocate the audio wire all the way up through the
`neck of the lanyard- therefore eliminating 2 out of the 4 cables Shuffle
`customers were accustomed to using while adding protection for the iPod
`itself.
`
`At the time, molding electronics directly into a case and using the structure of
`the case as a way to facilitate the connection to the iPod was incredibly novel.
`Most of the big accessories at the time (Griffin iTrip, etc) were all “dongles”
`and hung off of the iPod, in order to achieve its function.
`
`I've long described Song Sling as a miserable failure. I’m utterly embarrassed
`that this was the idea I had convinced my parents to remortgage their house
`for. That said, if I look back on Song Sling in the context of this story- it played
`a hugly signifcant part.
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`Figuring out how to mold
`connectors into cases, in
`2005- and using that
`technology/manufacturing
`technique to shape future
`products was pivotal.
`
`Beyond that, it was kind of
`surreal when Steve Jobs walked
`on stage a year later and showed
`Apple’s new lanyard design,
`which had integrated headphones
`
`☺ A
`
`Song Sling, Modeled by Cindy Taylor
`
`pple Levels The
`Playing Field
`In September of 2005 Apple continued their long history of keeping iPod
`Accessory market on their toes. For a newcomer like mophie, this was a huge
`opportunity.
`
`That month, Apple introduced two products simultaneously.
`
`First was the “video” iPod- which removed the long used 9-pin remote jack,
`and introduced the 30 pin connector that we all became very accustomed to.
`
`The second product they announced was the iPod Nano which brought with
`its own little controversy, it moved the headphone jack to the bottom of the
`player.
`
`We can all laugh at this now and agree Apple made the right move- but at the
`time, this caused a huge ruckus in the accessory industry.
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`ǁ Pin jack used by most accessories pre-september ƺƸƸƽ.
`
`Every existing accessory being sold by every single company (large and small)
`was rendered obsolete. Griffin’s wildly successful iTrip, DLO’s docks, Speck’s
`cases— everything was gone. The entire iPod accessory market instantly
`became a level-playing field with no clear leader.
`
`Seeing this as a huge opportunity, I raced to develop a full product line to
`bring to Macworld 2006 in early January.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`Putting Stuƴ Inside Cases: MacWorld 2006
`mophie came to Macworld 2006 with a new line of gear. It was called the
`mophie Relo line. It was a full & robust line of accessories, cases & electronics.
`
`The Relo line was the combination of two key insights & realizations:
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`Most people used cases on their iPods, but were forced to remove them if
`they wanted to use any accessory (speakers, docks, armbands etc).
`
`Dongles were really freaking annoying and electronics should be built
`into cases themselves.
`
`Relo allowed you to keep your case on and simply slide them into accessories
`that were specially made to work with our cases.
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`The genius of the Relo line was simple. Molding electronics inside of cases.
`
`The first two products played directly to the hearts and minds of the industry
`(because of Apple’s recent moves) and got a ton of attention at the show:
`
`The first product was for iPod
`nano and it would relocate the
`headphone jack to the top of the
`iPod, while also splitting the
`sound so two people could listen
`at once.
`
`From a manufacturing standpoint
`it was pretty sweet. We figured
`out some complicated stuff that
`later gave us confidence in our
`ability to manufacture a battery
`case. We actually dropped a PCB
`into the silicone compression
`mold, and created what everyone
`would begin calling the “sled”
`design. Male headphone jack
`went into the iPod when inserted
`The back of mophie reloƺ
`into the sled, giving way to functionality in and around the case.
`
`I remember throwing these products across the convention center at
`Macworld 2006 to prove that your iPod was safe & the electronics were stable.
`
`The second product we brought to the show that people cared about was
`called Relo Remote, which sillily reinstated the 9 pin jack to the top of your
`iPod by using a male 30 pin in a sled, and giving way to a female 9 pin at the
`top of the case- so you could use all your old accessories.
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`This is an incredibly embarrassing photo. Also photographed Michael Cavotta, who helped with mophie’s origional
`sourcing and fundraising.
`
`These were the two products people cared about. The Relo system went on to
`win Best of Show at Macworld 2006, and which really gave mophie the fuel it
`needed to get to the next level.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`The World’s First Battery Case
`
`We brought 8 other products to
`Macworld in 2006 as part of the
`Relo system of cases with
`integrated electronics.
`
`One worth noting, was the
`world’s first battery-case. We
`called it Relo Recharge. It was
`designed to work with Video
`iPod, and iPod Nano.
`
`Rendering of Relo Recharge for iPod Nano
`
`This was a full year before the
`word iPhone was ever mentioned- 18 months before it began to ship.
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`Relo Recharge was a sled style case with a built-in rechargeable battery.
`Technically speaking, Recharge was a challenge. With heat dissipation
`concerns, regulatory issues, and overall size constraints we were up against a
`lot.
`
`Nonetheless, the mophie team believed in the product. We did a lot of
`preliminary R&D to assure it would be possible to move the product into
`production, and brought the product to Macworld.
`
`The result: no one cared about Recharge. We procured zero retail interest, and
`people didn’t understand the need for the extra bulk (and the price-tag that
`came along with it). At the time, iPods were app free, and getting 12+ hours
`of battery life.
`
`People were more much interested in the humbler parts of the Relo line…
`short-lived insignificant things like headphone jack relocators.. No one could
`see the potential for Relo Recharge.
`
`Recharge was shelved. Rendered a failure. We wouldn't look at it again for
`over a year.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`Finding My True Passion
`mophie was a small, 6 person team out of Vermont, comprised of highly
`competitive individuals. Coming off the Best of Show win in 2006, and recent
`venture funding we were committed to doing something incredibly
`unconventional and one-upping our success from the previous year.
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`Our lab at the Moscone Center for Macworld ƺƸƸƿ's Illuminator Project.
`
`mophie took to Macworld 2007 without a single new product. Instead, we
`brought with us a project we dubbed “the illuminator” where we asked the
`Macworld community to help us design & invent our 2007 product line. The
`goal was to have a new product line designed & launched by the end of the 4
`day show.
`
`The success of the illuminator project became my inspiration for selling
`mophie and beginning to work on what became Quirky. It was absolutely life
`changing to see a community of passionate people work together to create
`and invent the future. I knew this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my
`career.
`
`As exciting and impressive as our project was- it dwarfed in comparison to the
`other big thing happening at Macworld in 2007… Apple’s announcement of
`the iPhone.
`
`We didn't think much of it (in the context of Recharge) for several months.
`
`Getting To Know Our Neighbors
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`Gartner formerly put on a show
`named RetailVision- where
`manufacturers and brands
`basically paid their way into
`having meetings with retail
`buyers. Kind of weird, but for
`small brands like ours, it was a
`great way to get gain exposure.
`
`We attended the show in
`Nashville, TN in the spring of
`2007.
`
`Next to our booth was a battery manufacturer that went by xPal/Tennrich.
`xPal was making external battery bricks for brands like energizer. I became
`friendly with a guy there named Christian, and by the end of the show was
`showing him the design for Recharge, and asked if his factory could produce it
`(despite the lack of orders). He said he was up for the challenge. We kept in
`touch.
`
`Across the way was a small
`speaker / boombox brand by the
`name of mStation. One of the
`three founders of mStation was a
`phenomenal guy by the name of
`Wm. Marc Slasberry. Marc saw
`my vision for what mophie was
`trying to be and believed in it
`strongly. We spoke regularly after
`the show about our respective
`struggles building and scaling our
`companies, and within a month
`or two we considered each other
`close friends.
`
`mStation’s ǝagship product pre-acquisition: the Orb
`
`Besides walking away with a few big retail deals, and some awards to boot,
`meeting Christian & Marc were the greatest rewards of the show.
`
`The Launch Of The iPhone
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`I’ll never forget driving to my parents house on Long Island in June of 2007 to
`camp out behind the Walt Whitman mall two days before the launch of the
`iPhone.
`
`Finally, the world had it’s hands
`on it.
`
`It was likely less than 24 hours
`later that complaints about
`battery life started to flare up
`across the internet.
`
`To the mophie team back in
`Vermont, the answer was clear.
`
`The line outside Apple Store, ƽth Ave- June ƺƸƸƿ
`
`We designed it 18 months ago.
`
`Suddenly the work we'd done for several years had a
`magically perfect product + market ƫt.
`
`But… it was a weird time for us. As a team, we had resolved to stop making
`iPod condoms, to start focusing on our collaborative product development
`platform… yet, we knew this product was too good not to make.
`
`Peter Wadsworth, our lead engineer, immediately began working with myself
`and our Industrial designers Barbara Brattain and Jed Crystal on the initial
`form of the Juice Pack for iPhone.
`
`We decided on an iconic hidden pop color interior. We wanted to bring
`attention to the unique fact that electronics were built right inside of the case.
`
`We began working closely with Christian and xPal to figure out the electronics
`design.
`
`We were racing to get this product to market as quickly as possible. the need
`was there, and we had the solution.
`
`Deciding to Sell
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`I was seriously torn in the
`summer of 2007. I wanted
`nothing more than to Make
`Invention Accessible and focus
`full time on building out
`illuminator into a collaborative
`platform where anyone could
`invent anything.
`
`But at the same time we had some
`exciting products (like Juice
`Pack) in the hopper, and I wanted
`to see them through.
`
`The decision to sell was easy for
`two reasons:
`
`The original juice pack design for the ǚrst generation iPhone
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`Our investors at mophie were growing impatient, and didn’t want to see
`me splitting my time on two very complicated projects (mophie +
`illuminator)
`
`I had developed a real friendship with Marc at mStation and was
`confident in his ability to see the mophie (accessory) vision into a reality.
`Even before the sale was on the table, he worked closely with me and the
`mophie R&D team to refine the details of our battery case design.
`
`By early August, it was clear that mStation was interested in getting into the
`portable accessory market. They had manufacturing expertise in complex
`electronics (something which mophie lacked), and a leadership team in
`Daniel, Shawn and Marc that the mophie team really trusted.
`
`At the time, there were 3 or 4 working models of the battery-case that my
`team had completed, along with a xPal’s factory & production plans ready to
`go. Retailers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the product.
`
`A few days before the closing, Marc called me to discuss 2-3 products
`discreetly (the battery case being one of them), and how they would be
`valued.
`
`The options were to add a bit of cash to the sale price or structure an ongoing
`royalty.
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`Through the eyes of the mophie board the products in question were
`resurrections of failed projects meant to fit new Apple models (after all, we
`had already given battery-cases a go with Relo Recharge). So the board opted
`for a tiny amount of cash ($50k per product or so) to be added to the sale
`price rather than a perpetual royalty.
`
`It’s clear now, the royalty would have likely amounted to tens of millions of
`dollars.
`
`By September 1st, 2007- mophie was property of mStation. The mophie team
`stayed largely in-tact and kept working with me on the platform which
`became Quirky.
`
`For the next few months after the
`sale, my team helped mStation tie
`up loose ends. Mat Poprocki
`designed them a new logo (the
`EQ styled M that they still use
`today). Peter Wadsworth helped
`them with mechanical
`engineering on a few products,
`etc.
`
`.
`.
`The post-acquisition mophie logo, designed by Mat Poprocki
`
`.
`
`The name Juice Pack (which is incredibly awesome) came from the mStation
`team, just days after the sale.
`
`Juice Pack’s Rise to Fame
`Juice Pack’s rise from a failed product (Relo Recharge) to a huge market
`success probably has a lot to do with the focus of the mStation team post-
`acquisition.
`
`It wasn’t long after the sale that they wound down their mStation operations
`and changed the name of their company to mophie, recognizing its power as a
`consumer brand.
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`They transitioned out of nearly all of mophie’s legacy products, as well as
`mStation’s, and began working almost exclusively on perfecting the art of
`battery-cases.
`
`This is a discipline that I absolutely admire- and one that has paid off in
`spades.
`
`While it was somewhat disappointing to see the rest of the product line go- It
`was always comforting to know that the team at mophie was laser focused on
`doing right by the invention and right by the product.
`
`mophie now has an entire line of portable power products, from batteries
`built into ultra-protective ruggedized cases for military use, all the way to
`cases that are so slim that having a battery inside of it is practically magic.
`
`The brand is almost as powerful
`as the product and mophie has
`done a great job of keeping an
`engaging and irreverent voice. I
`remember seeing a mophie
`campaign last year using the
`phrase “creators of the original
`juice pack”. I thought just the fact
`that they needed to say that
`meant things were on an
`
`incredible path.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`Connecting the Dots
`Invention is a wild ride and it’s incredibly powerful to look back and see how
`little breakthroughs and failed projects can lead to ground-breakingly
`powerful consumer brands.
`
`Had it not been for molding the headphone jack on that Shuffle lanyard,
`Apple transitioning to 30 pin connectors and leveling out the industry, Relo
`system getting the accolades it did, not signing up for that weird little show
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`called Retail Vision, and not giving a failed invention another chance… who
`knows who’d be keeping us juiced up every day.
`
`Regardless of the financial outcome, putting mophie in the hands of the folks
`at mStation (mophie) proved to be one of the best decisions I could have
`made. It gave the invention a team that was solely dedicated into making it a
`success.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`.
`
`What Would I Do Diƴerently?
`People ask me often if I have any regrets about mophie & my time there.
`
`I don’t care much about the money that would have been gained by choosing
`royalty instead of cash, or selling the company too early, or anything along
`those lines.
`
`I have one disappointment:
`
`My relationship with mophie was effectively severed a few months after the
`sale in 2007. Despite this, I certainly get a lot of credit for mophie & the Juice
`Pack.
`
`I’m sure this doesn't make the team at mophie feel particularly great and it’s
`time the record is set straight.
`
`We talk a lot about the “heavy lifting” at Quirky. The fact that the hard part
`isn't the idea- it’s the rest.
`
`Scaling production, refining the design, perfecting quality, gaining
`distribution, getting the word out there, etc.
`
`This is what turns an idea into a product and a name into a global brand.
`
`Let the record show… when it comes to the Juice Pack, the “heavy
`lifting” was done by the post-acquisition mophie team.Not me.
`
`The current mophie team is a creative, inspiring group of people with an
`unwavering focus on execution. Their efforts, long hours, and attention to
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`detail are the only reason why mophie is what it is today.
`
`I do hope that one day I can work closely with the crew at mophie again. I
`truly love the brand and the products- and they'll always hold a very special
`place in my heart.
`
`mophie loves you.
`
`molly ƶ sophie
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