Products

Technology That Disappears Into Your Life #

Every Maktar product is built on a single principle: protection should be effortless. If it requires you to remember, to configure, to think about it—it’s not good enough.

We’ve spent a decade refining this philosophy across two product families and nine generations of custom silicon. The result is a range of products that do something quietly remarkable: they protect people’s most irreplaceable digital possessions without asking anything of them.

Piconizer — The Pocket Photo Album #

The Insight That Changed Everything #

In 2015, every iOS external storage product on the market was built around the same idea: a dual-interface USB drive with a file browser, designed for business users who needed to move documents between their iPhone and their computer.

We looked at what people actually did with their iPhones. They took photos. Thousands of photos. And they ran out of space. They didn’t need a file manager. They needed room for more memories.

Three Buttons. That’s It. #

Piconizer (Picture + Organizer) stripped away everything unnecessary. No file browser. No folder hierarchy. No settings to configure. Three buttons: Backup. View. Restore.

Plug it into your iPhone. Your photos are saved. Unplug it. Done.

Market Response #

Taiwan’s crowdfunding community answered immediately: NT$60 million raised (approximately US$2 million)—a record-setting campaign that had to be terminated early because we couldn’t source enough Lightning connectors to meet demand. Over 100,000 units sold in Taiwan alone.

More importantly, the market validated the philosophy. Within a few years, nearly every file-browser-based iOS storage product exited the market. Piconizer survived, evolved, and thrived.

Four Generations of Refinement #

Piconizer (2015) — The original. Custom MK-800 IC developed with Alcor Micro. USB 3.0 speeds in a design deliberately kept slim and elegant, using a micro-B connector instead of the bulky USB 3.0 Type-A port. Computex Best Choice Award. Taiwan Excellence Award.

Piconizer 2 — Improved performance and reliability, expanded to B2B licensing (Transcend JetFlash, Team Group, PQI).

Piconizer 3 — Further refinements to the backup experience.

Piconizer 4 & 4s (Current) — The latest generation, selling at premium prices in Taiwan and Japan. Proof that a well-designed product with a clear purpose doesn’t need to race to the bottom on price.

Where to Buy Piconizer #

• Taiwan: shop.maktar.com
• Japan: jp.maktar.com
• Also available at Apple Premium Reseller stores (Studio A, iStore, DE), major electronics retailers, and telecom carrier stores in Taiwan and Japan.

Qubii — Backup While You Charge #

The Question That Started It All #

By 2017, iPhone storage was getting larger. The problem was shifting from “not enough space” to “too much to lose.” Everyone agreed backup was important. Nobody did it. The habit was too hard to build.

We asked a simple question: wouldn’t it be better to backup while charging?

After all, everyone charges their phone every day. What if that daily ritual—plugging in before bed—automatically protected everything on your phone?

The MFi Breakthrough #

Making this work required a technical breakthrough that only a team with Maktar’s depth of MFi expertise could achieve.

Apple’s MFi (Made for iPhone) program includes a feature called “App Launch”—officially designed to prompt users to open a companion app when they connect an accessory. We discovered that this feature could be used to directly launch the app, without user interaction. No prompt. No tap. The phone connects, the app opens, and backup begins.

This discovery became the foundation of Qubii.

How It Works #

1. Plug Qubii between your charger and your cable. It’s the same size as Apple’s 5W charger—barely noticeable.
2. Insert a microSD card. You choose the capacity. You own the storage.
3. Plug in your phone to charge. Qubii automatically launches the app and begins incremental backup—photos, videos, contacts, picking up exactly where it left off.
4. That’s it. No cloud subscription. No configuration. No habit to build. Charge your phone, and your memories are protected.

The app handles file system protection for interrupted backups (because people unplug their phones mid-charge), and the industrial design makes Qubii a seamless extension of the charging experience rather than another gadget to manage.

The Technical Foundation #

Qubii required a specific MFi technology called “Role Switch” and entirely new IC chips. We developed the MK-840, MK-825, and MK-850 with Alcor, AlcorLink, and Norelsys—adding to our library of custom silicon designed specifically for Apple accessory innovation.

Product Evolution #

Qubii (2018) — iOS only. Lightning + USB Type-A. microSD slot. Automatic photo, video, and contact backup.

Qubii Pro — Added USB 3.0 for faster backup. Integrated with Apple’s Files app, allowing direct access to Qubii storage from the native iOS file manager.

Qubii Duo (2019) — Dual-platform support for both iOS and Android. Android support implemented through AOA (Android Open Accessory) protocol. The name “Duo” reflects this cross-platform capability.

1.1 Million Units and Counting #

Since its launch in May 2018, Qubii has shipped over 1.1 million units worldwide, with 68% of revenue coming from Japan. It has won the Good Design Award (Japan, 2021 and 2022), Computex Jury’s Special Award, VGP Award, Taiwan Excellence Award, and DGP Award.

The success is not about clever marketing. It’s about solving a real problem—the gap between knowing backup matters and actually doing it—with a solution so effortless that it requires zero behavior change.

Where to Buy Qubii #

• Taiwan: shop.maktar.com
• Japan: jp.maktar.com
• USA: us.maktar.com
• Thailand: th.maktar.com
• Also available on Amazon Japan, Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping Japan, and at BIC CAMERA, YAMADA DENKI, Yodobashi Camera, NTT docomo, KDDI (au), and SoftBank stores across Japan.

Qubii Air — Digital Asset Protection for Enterprise #

Beyond Backup: Three-Layer Protection #

Qubii Air represents Maktar’s evolution from a consumer backup device to an enterprise-grade digital asset protection platform.

Built on a decade of experience protecting personal memories for over a million users, Qubii Air introduces a three-layer protection architecture designed for the scale and reliability requirements of telecom operators, enterprise IT, and managed service providers.

The Three Layers #

Layer 1 — Local Storage Automatic backup to local storage—the proven, trusted Qubii experience. Fast, private, no internet required. Your data stays physically with you.

Layer 2 — P2P Remote Access Peer-to-peer access to your backed-up content from anywhere. No need to upload everything to a centralized cloud. Access your files directly between your devices, maintaining both speed and privacy.

Layer 3 — AWS Glacier Cold Storage Long-term archival on AWS Glacier for disaster-level protection. Even if every local device is lost—theft, fire, flood—your digital assets survive. This is the layer that turns backup into insurance.

Digital Asset Insurance #

The traditional approach to backup asks a question: “Where do you want to store your files?”

Qubii Air asks a different question: “How protected do you want your irreplaceable memories to be?”

This is not a storage product. This is digital asset insurance. The peace of mind that your family photos, your children’s first steps, your once-in-a-lifetime travel memories are protected against every scenario—from a dropped phone to a natural disaster.

Archive as a Service: The Telecom Opportunity #

For telecom operators, Qubii Air’s three-layer architecture creates a compelling subscription offering:

For the subscriber: Effortless, always-on protection for their most valued personal data. No configuration. No behavior change. The same zero-effort philosophy that made Qubii successful with 1.1 million consumers, now with enterprise-grade durability.

For the operator: A high-value, low-churn subscription service tied to something customers genuinely care about—their personal memories. Unlike commodity cloud storage, digital asset protection commands premium positioning and creates deep emotional switching costs.

The model: Archive as a Service—a white-label or co-branded subscription offering that combines Maktar’s proven hardware-software platform with the telecom operator’s distribution, billing, and customer relationship infrastructure.

Partnership Inquiries #

Qubii Air is available for strategic partnerships with telecom operators, enterprise IT providers, and managed service platforms.

Contact: sales@maktar.com

Technology Licensing (B2B) #

Your Brand, Our Technology #

Maktar’s IC + App platform powers products sold by some of Asia’s largest technology brands. We provide the complete solution—custom IC chips, firmware, companion apps, and MFi certification expertise—so our partners can launch Apple-certified products under their own brand.

Current Licensing Partners #

What We Provide #

Custom IC Solutions: Nine generations of MFi-compatible IC chips (MK-800 through MK-860), developed with leading IC design houses including Alcor Micro, AlcorLink, Norelsys, Phison, SiliconMotion, and Prolific.

Companion Apps: White-label iOS and Android applications with full backup, file management, and device integration capabilities. Customizable UI, branding, and feature set.

MFi Expertise: Complete support through Apple’s MFi certification process—from initial application through testing to certification. We’ve been MFi-certified since 2014 and have guided multiple partners through the program.

Firmware Development: iAP 1 and iAP 2 protocol implementation, Apple co-processor authentication, App Launch, Role Switch, and power management optimization.

Licensing Inquiries #

Contact: sales@maktar.com

Awards & Recognition #

Design Awards #

Industry Awards #

Crowdfunding Records #