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CES 2017: Griffin Announces 100W Hi-Power Breakaway MagSafe-Style Cable for MacBook Pro

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Griffin today announced several new additions to its line of BreakSafe products, adding to the original BreakSafe magnetic USB-C cable that it introduced in January of 2016.

The new 100-watt BreakSafe Hi-Power Magnetic USB-C Breakaway Cable, the BreakSafe USB Breakaway Adapter, the BreakSafe Car Charger, and the BreakSafe Wall Charger all include a patented MagSafe-style quick-release magnetic connectors.
"Last year at CES 2016, our acclaimed BreakSafe Magnetic USB-C Power Cable stole the show with its innovation and Type-C support," said Rick Kennedy, Category Manager of Cables at Griffin. "We're proud to continue that legacy by extending the BreakSafe experience to more audiences beyond USB-C. Now, whether users are at their laptops or on the go, they get the safety that comes from a magnetic breakaway cable on any device."
Click to expand...
Griffin's new 100-watt BreakSafe Hi-Power Breakaway cable, coming in the second quarter of 2017 for $39.99, is designed for use with the new MacBook Pro. Like the original BreakSafe cable, it's designed to safely disconnected when accidentally pulled away from the MacBook.

griffinbreaksafehipower.jpg

The BreakSafe Magnetic USB Breakaway Adapter ($19.99), which features standard USB power and data speeds of up to 480Mb/s, adds BreakSafe capabilities to any standard USB-A device and will be coming during the first quarter of 2017.

griffinbreaksafeadapter.jpg

The BreakSafe Car Charger and the BreakSafe Wall Charger are both designed for USB devices like tablets and smartphones, with the ability to deliver up to 15 watts of power to accessories. Each accessory is priced at $39.99 and will be available in Q2 2017.

griffincarandusb.jpg

A popular Kickstarter project, the MagNeo, has been receiving a lot of attention lately and is similar to the new Griffin MacBook Pro Hi-Power cable but promises to offer more than just power. The MagNeo, priced at $35 for Kickstarter backers, promises to combine MagSafe-style connectivity with a USB-C Adapter that offers 100W charging, data, and video capabilities, but it remains to be seen if the product will be able to offer all of that functionality.

magneo.jpg

The MagNeo lists an estimated delivery date of January 2017, but potential backers should be aware that Kickstarter estimates are often off by months as new designers tend to underestimate the time required for manufacturing and ramping up from a testing phase to mass production.

Article Link: CES 2017: Griffin Announces 100W Hi-Power Breakaway MagSafe-Style Cable for MacBook Pro
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/04/ces-2017-griffin-magsafe-breakaway-cable/
cmChimera

cmChimera

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I'll buy the griffin, at least for times when I'm at work or traveling.
 
Mac Fly (film)

Mac Fly (film)

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What annoys me even more is the lack of orange/green status lights for charging in the new machines. That was a godsend. Apple should add a hidden (visible only when ON) status light somewhere on the new machines in the next design tweak to let users know when their closed-lid machine has reached 100%. Orange could mean 15 or 75 percent, yes, but green only always means 100%. There's a feeling of familiarity and confidence that comes with that, and it was totally reliable. And I never tripped over my MagSafe once and I've owned three MBA's. What I did love MagSafe for however was the ease of magnetic connection daily. I'd find it much easier to live without MagSafe than that status light. It's a step backward in design ease of use now. It's not just a change—it's worse.
 
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Spectrum

Spectrum

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rjtyork said:
Why did they have to screw up MagSafe so bad?! First they move to a T cable instead of keeping the L cable and then they get rid of it altogether?! What would Steve say, Tim?! WHAT WOULD STEVE SAY?!?!
Click to expand...
The T cable actually came first...
But I agree with your sentiment: I'm going to miss Magsafe a lot.
And the charging light indicators
And the ability to wrap the charging cable up neatly around the pull-out tabs on the charger.

All this so that 0.001% of the owners can plug in four 5K displays...
I really do find these new design decisions rather odd, and out of kilter with what most users of a portable laptop actually find useful.
 
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CrickettGrrrl

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These are sad days. Apple made an elegant & functional design several years ago, dropped it like a MacBook crashing to the floor, and competitors still can't come up with anything as beautiful.
:(
 
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konqerror

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Spectrum said:
All this so that 0.001% of the owners can plug in four 5K displays...
I really do find these new design decisions rather odd, and out of kilter with what most users of a portable laptop actually find useful.
Click to expand...

Hardly 0.001%. Don't own a 5K display, but the new USB-C works better for anybody who docks. Old way: get to desk and plug in MagSafe, TB Ethernet, Displayport, USB hub. New way: plug in single USB-C.
 
cult hero

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It's a shame that Apple is completely closed on existing MagSafe. A small adapter allowing USB-C machines to charge on existing Apple adapters would have been the best. If such a thing existed, I could still charge from my older monitors, not to mention the small army of MagSafe chargers I have between home and office. They created an adapter for MagSafe 1 to 2. Plus, it would fit in basically everything. (Of course, non-Apple devices could use it too and... oh the humanity, right?)

Which honestly, is the nicest thing about Apple going to USB-C for charging. For the time being, the connector is not proprietary which prevents the above nonsense. (For instance, using a Thunderbolt dock + the older 27" LED Display, I couldn't use the charger from the monitor because of the position. Do MagSafe extensions exist? No. Why? No one can make them but Apple and... they don't.)

I don't really miss MagSafe itself. It was handy when I was charging while not working at a desk. That scenario has been basically never since I get a MacBook Air in 2013. If I'm not at my desk, I'm not charging (or I've put the laptop down for the night to charge which... do people do that in an area where tripping is actually a concern?).
 
cult hero

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rjtyork said:
Why did they have to screw up MagSafe so bad?! First they move to a T cable instead of keeping the L cable and then they get rid of it altogether?! What would Steve say, Tim?! WHAT WOULD STEVE SAY?!?!
Click to expand...

They moved back to the T cable from the L cable because if a laptop go yanked from the back, the L cable wouldn't always come loose. It made sense for connections on the monitors because no one was going to be tripping over those, but the L connector was a terrible design in terms of what MagSafe is actually designed to do.

(Everything about this comment is so MacRumors.)
 
Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

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SoyCapitanSoyCapitan said:
Lol


And now you have a visible example why MagSafe couldn't merge with USB C charging.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. All this represents is why Griffin can't design a decent MagSafe clone. Apple could have designed a great USB-C version but it would have cost extra money in R&D and then cost considerably more to produce than just a simple USB-C cable. In Tim Cook's Apple it doesn't spend $1 unless it's going to make back $100. Apple decided to weather the "no Magsafe" storm, knowing it would blow over, saving the expenses all around, even while jacking up the price of the MBP anyway. Heck, forget MagSafe, Apple doesn't even include an extension cable in the new MBP, just the USB-C cable and charger. That's how penny pinching Apple has become.
 
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autrefois

autrefois

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Mac Fly (film) said:
Apple should add a hidden (visible only when ON) status light somewhere on the new machines in the next design tweak to let users know when their closed-lid machine has reached 100%. Orange could mean 15 or 75 percent, yes, but green only always means 100%.
Click to expand...

Apple recently took away the option to display the time remaining in the menu bar. I don't see them making it easier for you to tell your battery status; if anything I wouldn't be surprised if it's less obvious to tell in a future machine.

Although it's good someone is stepping up to the plate in Apple's absence, Griffin's offering doesn't seem to be anywhere near as good as MagSafe was and nothing probably ever will be.

(Note: Kind of funny I suppose; typing Magsafe with the lowercase s autocorrects to MagSafe. Apple seems more interested in spelling their copyright correctly than actually implementing the technology).
 
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