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How strong is the magnet on the MagSafe?

M

marty1990

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Is it strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a cell phone, or a watch or something.

It sounds stupid, but my Dad told me to keep the charger away from things like that, so I do so, but I don't know whether it's necessary.
 
marty1990 said:
Is it strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a cell phone, or a watch or something.
Click to expand...

If it is not strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a laptop which it is connected to, then it stands to reason that the other devices you mention should be just fine. 😉
 
marty1990 said:
Is it strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a cell phone, or a watch or something.

It sounds stupid, but my Dad told me to keep the charger away from things like that, so I do so, but I don't know whether it's necessary.
Click to expand...

nope it isn't, otherwise there might be a chance for it to destroy your harddrive as-well... if it were very strong.
 
marty1990 said:
Is it strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a cell phone, or a watch or something.

It sounds stupid, but my Dad told me to keep the charger away from things like that, so I do so, but I don't know whether it's necessary.
Click to expand...


There comes a time in every boy's life when he finds out his dad is as clueless as everyone else. 😉
 
I was under the impression that the magnet is on the mac, not on the charger. I always carry my purse and the charger together, so it could be an issue if the charger was magnetic. Credit cards are somewhat sensitive...
 
thundersteele said:
I was under the impression that the magnet is on the mac, not on the charger.
Click to expand...
That's correct. The magnet is on the Mac, not the MagSafe plug. And magnets used in Macs are not strong enough to cause any problems with any consumer electronic device, or even with credit cards magnetic strips.
 
Pretty sure no magnet in your home is strong enough to ruin any electronic device you have unless your dad is still using floppy disks in which case... he has bigger problems than a magnet.

It takes a REALLY potent magnet to wipe data.
 
HippieMagic said:
Pretty sure no magnet in your home is strong enough to ruin any electronic device you have unless your dad is still using floppy disks in which case... he has bigger problems than a magnet.


It takes a REALLY potent magnet to wipe data.
Click to expand...

A magnet fridge made my cousins hard drive go wonky once. Had to buy a new one.
 
NZed said:
A magnet fridge made my cousins hard drive go wonky once. Had to buy a new one.
Click to expand...
False. No refrigerator magnet can have any effect on any hard drive (unless the magnet is strong enough to pick up the refrigerator). If the drive had problems, they weren't related to the magnet. (I know your post was likely sarcastic, but there are those who are naive enough to believe it, which is how such misinformation spreads.)
 
Your Mac is filled with magnets. You should keep it away from every conceivable electronic device lest the world come to an end.

Seriously, magnets aren't an issue for the most part. I wouldn't go out of your way to expose it to magnets, but I wouldn't go out of your way to prevent it either. It's really hard to erase a HDD with magnets alone, and that's the most magnet-susceptible part of your computer.
 
As others have said, the Magnet is inside of the Mac, there is really nothing to worry about. I've been using MacBook Pros since the Core Duo 17", and never once did this thought come into my head.
 
marty1990 said:
Is it strong enough to mess up an electrical appliance like a cell phone, or a watch or something.

It sounds stupid, but my Dad told me to keep the charger away from things like that, so I do so, but I don't know whether it's necessary.
Click to expand...

Not only this magnet. Be careful with some cards. The magnets inside the speakers (can) erase information on the magnetic strip and make the cards useless.
 
slapple said:
Apple has a warning about the MagSafe port:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/macbook_pro_15inch_early2011.pdf

"The MagSafe power port contains a magnet that can erase data on a credit card, iPod, or other device. To preserve your data, don’t place these or other magnetically sensitive material or devices within 1 inch (25 mm) of this port."
Click to expand...

I was about to post that quote. Realistically you are very unlikely to do any damage to anything, but it's worth keeping in mind.

I once managed to wipe a USB data stick using a 2 tesla magnet, but this thing was the size of my torso and so strong that it pulled the USB right out of my hand from more than a foot away. It took three people to prize it off!
 
I usually have to have someone help me pull it out. Good thing I don't need to take my laptop too many places!
 
borisiii said:
I was about to post that quote. Realistically you are very unlikely to do any damage to anything, but it's worth keeping in mind.

I once managed to wipe a USB data stick using a 2 tesla magnet, but this thing was the size of my torso and so strong that it pulled the USB right out of my hand from more than a foot away. It took three people to prize it off!
Click to expand...

2T? holy jesus christ lol
 
I hope you're right and it doesn't damage anything... especially since I just tried charging my Mac using the wrong port, the one in front of the charging port. I even did it a couple of times thinking the charging cable lost it's magnetism.

It's late, it's dark, and Family Guy is on. I don't work well in these conditions.

Oh. Having read this topic again... the magnet is in the MacBook? Whaaaaaa. Crazy times. I should keep my Tissot and phone away from my Mac at all times then. WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
 
NZed said:
A magnet fridge made my cousins hard drive go wonky once. Had to buy a new one.
Click to expand...
Just to prove a guy wrong once, I stuck and moderatly strong industrial magnet directly on my hard drive. We held it there and then moved it around for about 2 minutes. I didn't lose a bit. I did it to a credit card, a computer mouse, and even my iPhone 3GS. Not one issue with any of them. I did refuse to try it on a CRT because that could cause issues. I'm not sure if they would be permanent though.
 
grapes911 said:
I did refuse to try it on a CRT because that could cause issues. I'm not sure if they would be permanent though.
Click to expand...

A small magnet is strong enough to cause serious blurring on the part of the CRT screen that you held the magnet against. But it would go away after a few hours.
 
slapple said:
A small magnet is strong enough to cause serious blurring on the part of the CRT screen that you held the magnet against. But it would go away after a few hours.
Click to expand...

or you could just degauss the screen and the problem would go away immediately.
 
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