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Apple Selling New $49 Braided MagSafe Cable and $99 140W Power Adapter for 16-Inch MacBook Pro

sudo-sandwich said:
More nickel and dime-ing with accessories. This is the one part of the Apple customer experience that has always sucked.
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Well, you have to look at it from Apple's point of view. With old pre-USB-C chargers when the cable wore out you'd sprint to the store and buy a whole new charger for $75. Then they went modular on USB-C chargers in 2016 and they couldn't go back to that model because it would piss people off and be regressive. But they still want to squeeze the consumer for money as before. So they found the middle ground - we'll give you your separate cable *but* we'll charge you an arm and a leg for it so as to compensate for not selling an entire charger. I think that's the general thinking behind this whole concept.
 
MacRumors said:


To go along with the updated MacBook Pro models that are launching next week, Apple is stocking accessories for the machines.

macbook-pro-16-accessories.jpg

There's a 140W USB-C power adapter, which is Apple's most expensive power adapter to date at $99. There's also a $49 braided USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable for charging the MacBook Pro.

Combined, it's going to cost right around $150 to get a new charging setup for the 16-inch MacBook Pro machines should you need a secondary power adapter and cable, though charging is still possible using a USB-C port and cable instead of MagSafe. You do get an initial set with the purchase of a new MacBook Pro, however.

The new MagSafe cable and 140W power adapter are required to take advantage of fast charging, which allows a MacBook Pro to charge from zero to 50 percent in 30 minutes.

MagSafe also has the benefit of a quick release feature should someone pull on the cable or trip over it accidentally. Both new accessories can be purchased from the online Apple Store as of today and will arrive next week.

Article Link: Apple Selling New $49 Braided MagSafe Cable and $99 140W Power Adapter for 16-Inch MacBook Pro
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Seems like a real marketing/sales blunder to finally bring back MagSafe and then call the 2 charger options on their store “USB-C Power Adaptor” with NO mention of MagSafe.. I get that the power brick itself is indeed USB-C (and I like that) but I was totally bewildered and combing over their store/ordering options looking for MagSafe.. They just spent 6yrs acclimating everyone to USB-C chargers and when I saw “USB-C Power Adaptor” I thought “no I want MagSafe, where’s the MagSafe charger option and how much extra does it cost?”
 
Would be awesome if the new MagSafe is compatible with the old one, so I can use the extra charger I bought a couple of years back. They look quite similar, both having 5 pins. But I somewhat doubt Apple would allow us to recycle old chargers instead of buying new ones 😉
 
m00f said:
Seems like a real marketing/sales blunder to finally bring back MagSafe and then call the 2 charger options on their store “USB-C Power Adaptor” with NO mention of MagSafe.. I get that the power brick itself is indeed USB-C (and I like that) but I was totally bewildered and combing over their store/ordering options looking for MagSafe.. They just spent 6yrs acclimating everyone to USB-C chargers and when I saw “USB-C Power Adaptor” I thought “no I want MagSafe, where’s the MagSafe charger option and how much extra does it cost?”
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It literally is a type-C power adapter and nothing more. The cable is what's different. It would be inaccurate to call the power adapter Magsafe if it doesn't include a Magsafe cable, and they aren't including the cable which is the same thing they did before with the type-C power adapters.
 
$150 for 140 W charger and USB Type C to MagSafe 3 connector? 💸😒 I could get a 100 W USB-C charger plus USB Type C to USB Type C cable for under $50 nowadays.
 
Synchromesh said:
Well, you have to look at it from Apple's point of view. With old pre-USB-C chargers when the cable wore out you'd sprint to the store and buy a whole new charger for $75. Then they went modular on USB-C chargers in 2016 and they couldn't go back to that model because it would piss people off and be regressive. But they still want to squeeze the consumer for money as before. So they found the middle ground - we'll give you your separate cable *but* we'll charge you an arm and a leg for it so as to compensate for not selling an entire charger. I think that's the general thinking behind this whole concept.
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Yeah, I know what Apple's idea is, squeeze the customer for money. So cost-conscious users are looking around for third party stuff instead when Apple could have just provided it near-cost instead. They give all sorts of free tech support to make owning a Mac a trouble-free experience, but finding Mac accessories at non-gouge prices is a chore. Also their cables have a track record for horrible quality.

IRL I see it. People have 3P or even non-mfi Lightning cables more often than Apple ones, and the Apple ones are frayed. Everyone with a 2016+ MBP carries around dongles, purchased from random online sources. Before 2016, those MagSafe chargers were an even bigger pain, and people were buying knockoffs. Poor experience.
 
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januarydrive7 said:
I'm happy to see MagSafe return --- I keep fearing I'll break either end of the ucb-c ports on my 16" with the slightest vertical movement (which oftentimes causes interruption in charging) --- fast charging and replaceable cables makes this a win-win in my book.
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I've managed not to break a USB-C charging port in 6 years now...
 
dannys1 said:
I've managed not to break a USB-C charging port in 6 years now...
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I'm not suggesting I have or even would break it, but it feels unsteady, and consistently drops connection with even slightest lateral movement, to where I have to wiggle it slightly to get it re-connected.
 
My 2018 MacBook Pro that came with a USB-C cable for charging still remains white and no sign of discolouration. Meanwhile, the past 3 MacBook Pros with their MagSafe cables and their subsequent replacement all turned yellow, and started ripping apart with the jacket coming apart. Couldn't risk fire, so of course you replace it.

I hope these newer MagSafe cables are better.
 
dannys1 said:
Yes! The return of a proprietary connector that easily wears out and breaks and falls out when you use it on your knee. FINALLY!

Edit: Yes i'm fully aware you can still charge with USB-C, I was being facetious. It's good the cable is still USB-C at the end and now braided. At least you can just replace the cable and use it with USB-C so it retains some flexibility and easy to repair/replace unlike the original.
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Considering how fragile the USB-C connector is, I would much prefer to charge by MagSafe. Not only do you get the fast charging, but the connector’s not going to break. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve had to spend over the years replacing motherboards and daughtercards because the stupid male connector inside the USB-C port broke and couldn’t hold a cable anymore. Charging requires removing and inserting the cable over and over again, which is why the port breaks so easily. I think all the warranty repairs Apple has had to make because of the piss-poor USB-C connector is why MagSafe is back. USB 4 has a nice feature set, but it is a physically bad connector. I’d much rather the cable break than have the connector break.
 
zoom25 said:
My 2018 MacBook Pro that came with a USB-C cable for charging still remains white and no sign of discolouration. Meanwhile, the past 3 MacBook Pros with their MagSafe cables and their subsequent replacement all turned yellow, and started ripping apart with the jacket coming apart. Couldn't risk fire, so of course you replace it.

I hope these newer MagSafe cables are better.
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Meanwhile, the USB-C cable that came with my 2019 MBP has noticeable yellowing at both ends of the cable. My 2012 MBP required a replacement after 4 years of use. Both of our experiences are anecdotal, but highlight results from potentially different use cases. The fact that you can still charge from any of the USB-C type ports is another win-win.
 
januarydrive7 said:
I'm not suggesting I have or even would break it, but it feels unsteady, and consistently drops connection with even slightest lateral movement, to where I have to wiggle it slightly to get it re-connected.
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That sounds like a cable issue - this has never happened to be ever with an USB-C plug...it's one of the most stable and reliable connections ever made.
 
tobybrut said:
Considering how fragile the USB-C connector is, I would much prefer to charge by MagSafe. Not only do you get the fast charging, but the connector’s not going to break. You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve had to spend over the years replacing motherboards and daughtercards because the stupid male connector inside the USB-C port broke and couldn’t hold a cable anymore. Charging requires removing and inserting the cable over and over again, which is why the port breaks so easily. I think all the warranty repairs Apple has had to make because of the piss-poor USB-C connector is why MagSafe is back. USB 4 has a nice feature set, but it is a physically bad connector. I’d much rather the cable break than have the connector break.
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The USB-C connector is the most robust connector ever made, it's 4x more robust than USB-A and mini/micro USB so that's nonsense. It's rated for 1.5 million insertions. I'd hazard a guess you've made up the amount of times you've replaced motherboards...you've not replaced any, you're taking utter nonsense.
 
dannys1 said:
That sounds like a cable issue - this has never happened to be ever with an USB-C plug...it's one of the most stable and reliable connections ever made.
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I don't doubt USB-C's stability, when inserted and removed in a normal fashion. But the cable being tripped over (more than once) by kids running around while working from home is not removal in a normal fashion. In these cases, which are common for portable computers, MagSafe is a huge benefit.

The fact is, not everyone uses their laptop like a desktop, so the lateral stress on the port and cable leads to breakdown sooner than the ideal usage ratings.
 
I've commented elsewhere, but I think the return of MagSafe was handled about as well as it could have been. USB-C charging is still there so you can still grab basically any charger which has saved me on more than one occasion. Plus, docking stations are just damn nice. But when MagSafe is nice, it's nice.

Icing? A braided cable instead of Apple's patented "off white that crumbles and cracks easily and often turns yellow" versions. Expensive? Yes, but not in a way that's new for Apple. One of the nicest things about USB-C charging is that since 2016 I have not used an Apple cable for charging. The bricks are fine, but the cables have been terrible since the original MagSafe machines came out. The number of adapters I replaced for friends and family because of fraying was more than I care to admit—and although the brick was fine, the proprietary connector was jacked.

I was very much opposed to MagSafe's return because in my head it was at the cost of USB-C charging. I'm pleasantly surprised with all of this.

Synchromesh said:
Also, I wish they just put in the 4th thunderbolt port instead of hdmi. It was more versatile anyway.
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I'm not sure if it's either/or. I'm not excited about HDMI overall, but I don't know that it came at the cost of a Thunderbolt 4 port. This might be a limitation of the current Apple silicon just like the first gen M1 machines had limited external display support and the weird "Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4" ports instead of Thunderbolt 4 ports. Also, just two ports on all the machines—even the M1 iMacs have only two Thunderbolt ports. The M1 Pro/Max machines are rolling with actual Thunderbolt 4 and more displays.

It could be that three ports are all the silicon supports right now. The presence of HDMI in that spot is better than nothing (although I would have actually preferred USB-A, but my video friends really like the return of that port FWIW). I think the physical positioning leads people (including me) to believe a port was removed but looking at things, I'm not sure that's what happened.

I've never personally needed four of those ports and, the other thing, is that I can still charge on both sides. When hooking my laptop up to a desk in a docking situation, I loved having the hookup on the right side of the machine, so that's still there too.
 
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