Another improvement would be to line up the outlets horizontally. When the wall plug is behind a dresser, for example, you could reach behind and access both outlets rather than just the top one.

Yes!

Two annoyances I can foresee:

1. Cables will protrude from the wall more.

2. Wall-wart powerblocks may very possibly not connect due to the new angle. That is, the top of the wart would have to be very short.

Both critiques are true! Yet neither would particularly hinder me, because the advantages this plug style introduces outweights, for me, any disadvantates.

Seconded on the powerblocks thing - I've been hampered from plugging something in far too many times due to the thing being plugged sticking out in an awkward direction.

Hence, the other power socket innovation which I loved recently - sockets that rotate. Now, if the sticking out sockets here also rotated (that is, the points themselves rotate but stay facing upwards) you'd be onto SUCH a winner.

Yes, but can you childproof them?

Yoz, yes, a rotating stick-out socket would truly be one socket to rule them all.

Laura, since I now have a very inquisitive 6 month old kid, this is indeed a good question. I can't imagine why you couldn't childproof them -- those little plastic blocks fit pretty much any three-pronged socket, no?

The fundamental issue as I see it, is the fact that this protrudes from the wall. It doesn't seem logical if I am to push anything up against the wall. Firstly, that space allows stuff to fall behind and so that is extra work. The other thing is that if I or someone else doesn't notice that it protrudes from the wall and tries to push a dresser or something flush against the wall, they may damage the outlet or the furniture. It is these issues that tell me I won't be buying any. However, I do applaud the engineering and the though put into this. I can see it useful in some situations, but not in most general cases.

It faces up, so any little bits of metal such as paperclips will fall into it and then be potentially dangerous.

carl: I don't think protrusion is a problem at all. In practice, people simply don't push things up that tightly against walls -- because they can't. Walls often have a baseboard molding that juts out about as far as this plug does, and it's rare for an item of furniture not to have a slightly flared base.

Having debris fall into the plug (as dibbz mentioned) is probably the biggest real-world problem with this design. It's not just metal -- you wouldn't want plaster dust or lint or cat-hair settling in there and accumulating.

All the same, still pretty cool.

In taking several of the design critiques in mind -- perhaps having built-in covers, much like child-proof plastic pieces, that are connected to the outer edge of the plug so that you can pull them out when in use and just flip them up to cover the plugs when not in use.

In any case, Kudos to the designer. It still amazes me how often simple improvements come along that just tend to make sense yet aren't thought of for years.

some of the problems pointed out are beyond the scope of this design. the idea is that this is a replacement for old outlets. in other words you take the old place off and install this one (or simply put it over the old one). for that reason ideas (while good) like a rotating outlet or horizontal alignment are not feasible.

Good critiques all around of the design. I hadn't thought of the things-getting-stuck-inside problem -- yes, a big issue.

EdgeMMG, yes, totally ... I love it when someone revisions a bit of everyday design that is so commonplace we never think of anything new to do with it.

Speaking of excellent revisions of everyday design (and issues of how to deal with wall-warts), I'm a big fan of the (appropriately named, for this blog) PowerSquid, which is composed of five outlets on flexible 'tentacles'.