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j5 Create's new USB cable shares mouse, keyboard and files across Mac and Windows (hands-on)

j5 Create's new USB cable shares mouse, keyboard and files across Mac and Windows (hands-on)

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j5 Create's got a new version of its peripheral and file sharing Wormhole KM Switch that works across Mac and PC.

By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

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j5 Create Wormhole KM Mac
j5 Create Wormhole KM Mac

Remember the j5 Create Wormhole KM Switch we reviewed a couple months back? Don't buy that. Instead, do yourself and your Apple-wielding friends a favor and grab the $40 cross-platform version of the peripheral sharing cable instead. Not sure what I'm talking about? Visualize this: Right now, I'm typing this article on my MacBook Air, but my fingers are physically hitting the comfortable keyboard connected to my Windows desktop machine. When I scroll my cursor to the edge of my MacBook screen, it appears on my Windows desktop, and I can copy files and text too — when I took a picture of the cable for this post, I used my MacBook's SD card slot to import the file, I literally dragged and dropped it onto my gaming desktop to edit, and then I deposited the final result right back on my Mac again. 

That may sound like a convoluted process (and there are a few quirks — keyboard shortcuts change between Mac and PC) but if you're constantly swapping between OSs or troubleshooting computers, it's an invaluable tool, making all the screens of two computers into a single coherent unit. In every other way, it's identical to the original Windows-only Wormhole KM Switch, and you can read my original review for more detail, but Mac support makes all the difference in the world if you'll ever find a Mac in your stable, and it's well worth the $15 premium. It should be making its way to retail any day now at the likes of Fry's, Sears, Walmart and Micro Center.

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