AppleCore cord organizer keeps earbuds from tying themselves into knots

Ever tote around your earbuds in a pocket, or in your purse? I know I do—or I used to, anyway, until I’d finally had enough of untangling the knots that those nettlesome earbud cords always managed to tie themselves into.

Enter AppleCore, a clever little cord organizer that’s been on the market for a few months now.

The company behind AppleCore recently sent me a sample to try, and I came away pleasantly surprised—and willing, once again, to bring my earbuds wherever I go.

A diminutive rubber reel with snug-fitting slots for your cords on either end, the AppleCore ($1.99 for the smallest version, or up to $4.99 for organizing power cords and other thick cables) is remarkably light and compact; indeed, I kept forgetting that my wound-up earbuds were sitting in my jeans pocket.

The AppleCore did a nice job of keeping my earbud cords under wraps, and I also had no trouble leaving the cord partially unwrapped, with the cord plugged into my iPhone and the earbuds in my ears.

Despite its name, the AppleCore works just fine with non-Apple earbuds, although earbuds with thicker cables or special attachments might present a problem. My $100 Shure earbuds, for example, got stuck thanks to the the in-line extension plug that sits in the middle of its cord.

All in all, though, very nice—and easily worth the two bucks.