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Apple Files Patent Infringement Suit Over 'Knock-Off' Power Adapters

mcmlxix said:
but it’s nearly impossible to use it in my lap while sitting cross-legged. That lifts the connector up and it pops out.
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yeah, i agree that the magnetic connector sucks. i like to work hanging upside down about 12 feet off the ground, the actual transformer is so heavy that the magsafe pop out, and i have to call my nanny every 5 minutes and get her to reconnect it.

mcmlxix said:
It’s also ironic that this so-called enhancement didn’t go through enough user acceptance testing to see how real people will sit with it.
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exactly, i wonder how much they tested the magsafe with people like us who can't sit at a desk or place the laptop on our lap.

there, it's popped out again! Nanny! Nanny, help!!!!
 
Mattie Num Nums said:
If it has GSM support, you must pay the people who invented it. The Nokia suit is pretty open and closed.

nalyst Ben Wood was quoted as saying, “It is almost inconceivable that someone can produce a mobile phone without using Nokia patented technologies.”
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Now we're on phones... interesting...
 
PeckhamBog said:
I bought what I thought was an Apple adapter for my MacBook from an ebay reseller. Regrettably it was an unbranded pattern part. Advertised as an Apple adapter. It lasted four months! Then heated up and stopped working.
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Sounds like it's working just like the real Apple adapters.
 
Scallywag said:
Anything that Apple makes with a cord really sucks.

Their headphones are awful and it amazes me that people spend all this money on an iPhone/iPod, but then use those cheap, crap headphones that come with it. Their in-ear phones also suck...as does the quality of their power adapters.
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I agree. No Apple cord or adaptor I've had, has lasted more than a year!
iPhone connector is particularly bad...
Classic case of deliberate 'built-in obsolescence' on Apple's part if you ask me.
Mind you, this is not just Apple. It's something all manufacturers try to get away with.
Good job most of their computers last a long time!
 
Apple has been going a bit overboard..... It's just not fun anymore.

I might just start taking my business elsewhere...... I am sure others feel the same way.
 
Scallywag said:
You know, I did buy some Sony's after the Apple In-ears broke for the second time... the Sony's lasted 3 months, ugh.

I like my Apple products, but man I've been through 4 pairs of their headphones, 2 bower bricks (3 for my girlfriends Powerbook), 2 iphone usb cords, etc.

Oh well, I imagine they'll be moving to wireless everything soon enough:)
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You sound like you have terrible luck with anything wired, haha.

I have rendered maybe two pairs of headphones useless (wrapping them around my MP3 player) and my power brick for my old dell laptop finally gave out after two years (well, two years after I bought it from a pawn shop). No other problems to report :]

As for magsafe adapters... I don't know how I feel about pumping all that power through small contact points. I'm just a little paranoid about it and would feel better if Apple used a standard male-female connection.

I would also need an Apple notebook for my worries to matter more :]
 
Mattie Num Nums said:
If it has GSM support, you must pay the people who invented it. The Nokia suit is pretty open and closed.

nalyst Ben Wood was quoted as saying, “It is almost inconceivable that someone can produce a mobile phone without using Nokia patented technologies.”
Click to expand...

So? Until a court renders it’s decision or until we know any facts on the case (such as weather or not this is based on a license dispute and not based on theft as implied) all that remains are allegations. You and I are not the ones that are allowed to call Apple thieves - only a judge can do that and we are nowhere near that phase.

Remember - Apple, like many other tech companies, is regularly sued. Until the cases are decided, we cannot really judge their merits accurately. For all we know, this lawsuit could be a bargaining technique by Nokia - not unheard of.
 
StuPidQPid said:
I agree. No Apple cord or adaptor I've had, has lasted more than a year!
iPhone connector is particularly bad...
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what the h*ll are you doing with your equipment?
the power unit for my titanium G4 is still fully functional, i have had 7 apple laptops, and so far not a singe cord or adapter has broken, the only breakdowns i've heard about in my circle is where somebody actually dropped power unit in the bath...
my iphone cable is in excellent working order, original iphone, gets crammed into bag every day... no problems.
my laptops get used in a lot of different conditions, outdoor video shoots, hot rooms, cold rooms, never had a problem. of course you do need to treat your stuff with a modicum of "handle with care" and it'll serve you a long time.

best
B
 
chrismezz said:
Apple has been going a bit overboard..... It's just not fun anymore.

I might just start taking my business elsewhere...... I am sure others feel the same way.
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You do know that almost every computer maker uses proprietary connections on their power supplies right?
 
kyeblue said:
I am with multiple repliers above. the magsafe patent is ridiculous. I have a hot water pot with magnetic plug for ten years. and I am sure that such thing has been around for much longer than 10 years. Apple shamelessly filed patent for an idea that was clearly stolen from somewhere else.
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Oh well... I guess they overlooked the obvious while they were being so innovative he he!
Like taking a shower with no soap! Whoever patents something first and they get it... it's theirs bro! This is AMERICA! There's always other places to live if you don't like it!
 
chrismezz said:
Apple has been going a bit overboard..... It's just not fun anymore.

I might just start taking my business elsewhere...... I am sure others feel the same way.
Click to expand...
I don't!!!

I love how you guy's get on here and speak for the masses...
 
pdjudd said:
So? Until a court renders it’s decision or until we know any facts on the case (such as weather or not this is based on a license dispute and not based on theft as implied) all that remains are allegations. You and I are not the ones that are allowed to call Apple thieves - only a judge can do that and we are nowhere near that phase.

Remember - Apple, like many other tech companies, is regularly sued. Until the cases are decided, we cannot really judge their merits accurately. For all we know, this lawsuit could be a bargaining technique by Nokia - not unheard of.
Click to expand...

we do know that apple hasn't paid licensing fees to nokia and we do know that you can't make gsm/3g phones without using patents granted to nokia. so yes, we can say that apple is thief.

there is no bargaining that nokia needs to do. those patents are widely recognized and apple needs to license them if they make gsm/3g phones. simple as that.

if apple had found some way to invent around them, well in that case apple would have patented those innovations. there is no patent granted to apple related to basic gsm/3g technologies.
 
Berio said:
what the h*ll are you doing with your equipment?
the power unit for my titanium G4 is still fully functional, i have had 7 apple laptops, and so far not a singe cord or adapter has broken, the only breakdowns i've heard about in my circle is where somebody actually dropped power unit in the bath...
my iphone cable is in excellent working order, original iphone, gets crammed into bag every day... no problems.
my laptops get used in a lot of different conditions, outdoor video shoots, hot rooms, cold rooms, never had a problem. of course you do need to treat your stuff with a modicum of "handle with care" and it'll serve you a long time.

best
B
Click to expand...
Right on! It's just these people could break an IRON HORSE so who care's if they whine about having to buy crap all the time he he... They had that habit as children destroying everything the touched and their parents would go get a new one but now that they have to buy it, it's Apples fault because it's so expensive... well, take care of your stuff and use some common sense or else don't break your budget buying a Mac!! If you can't afford a Mac without going broke, you don't have the money it takes to own a Mac... it's just like being with a beautifully hot female! These guy's salivate all over them but they can't keep them... they are way too much maintenance for them. This same analogy is true for everything. it's just "out of your means" so you have to compromise until you have the discipline to own expensive items.
 
chrismezz said:
Apple has been going a bit overboard..... It's just not fun anymore.
Click to expand...

if it's no fun, you might try your hand at something else completely? maybe something involving wood, or earth?

chrismezz said:
I might just start taking my business elsewhere...... I am sure others feel the same way.
Click to expand...

you mean that apple's attempt to stop another company from producing and selling power-units is having a profound effect on you and your level of "fun"? how odd.
probably best to stay away from newspapers and tv if you're this sensitive, also stay away from the net. as i said above, you can always dedicate yourself to a life of gardening, and don't forget to stop the birds from eating bugs, being witness to that carnage could also unbalance your "fun" levels.
 
Can't people understand that Apple have been granted the patent and they have no other choice but to protect it?

If it is a fair patent or not is a different issue completely. If they let others use/steal their patents without any kind of resistance then where does it end?
 
I agree with Apple on this one. Have you ever tried to buy a power adapter on eBay? You have to wade through pages of junk to find the real thing.

My laptop is my meal ticket and I'm not plugging anything into that doesn't come straight from Cupertino (or an authorized Chinese province.)
 
Snowy_River said:
There are countless examples of the patent office granting patents that should be deemed as knowledge in the public domain. One that I shake my head at is the fact that Motorola got a patent on clamshell phones hanging up when the clamshell is closed. Every cell phone for decades that had this behavior had to be licensed from Moto.
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For decades? The flip cellphone has only been around a little over 15 years.
 
JohnCalvi said:
I had the beginnings of one of those too, with meltdown and smoke as I typed.

What really gripes me is that there would be no market for knock-off adaptors if APPLE made theirs correctly!!

On the dark-side I used the same adaptor for 4 and a half years with my Dell. My APPLE adaptor showed signs of weakness after only 6 months!!
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Yeah... this is what happens when you live filthy and get a bunch of iron filings in there because you have a cloud of dust following you around like pig-pen on charlie brown... figures! I never had a problem with mine but I don't lay in the dirt when I use my laptops... it's just common sense since they have fans in them and they are air cooled let alone knowing the connections are magnetic!
Whatever...
 
Who actually WANTS a cheapass knockoff?

Here's what I don't understand: who actually wants a knockoff power supply?

Is saving less than $20 (the price difference, after you peel off the Fedex shipping charge for the knockoff) worth potentially destroying a $1k+ laptop?
 
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