Apple's New 16-Inch MacBook Pro Charger Has a Compatibility Issue

[Kelly the Dude]

Me when they switched from USB-C to lightning: “These people complaining are living in the past.”

Me when they change the end of this 25 year old power cable: “Cupertino—We riot at dawn.”

 

[tonmischa]

No, it's literally EU law that manufacturers can't include chargers in the box.

This is simply not true and I expect you to retract that claim.

 

[delsoul]

16” MBP m5 max and my 140w charger is like usual one on the left

 

[jlc1978]

Tim Cook supporters would be happy if Cook decided to greedily remove chargers from the box and charge extra money for them, just like he did with iPhones.

IIRC correctly, multiple jurisdictions wanted them to remove chargers to reduce ewaste.

 

[jarman92]

This is simply not true and I expect you to retract that claim.

Really?

 

[amaze1499]

I suspect this to be fake. If that would be an official charger issued by Apple, they would have added a sutiable extension cable to the store.

Power Adapter Extension Cable

Power Adapter Extension Cable makes it easy to add extra length to your Apple power adapter. Get fast, free shipping when you shop online.

www.apple.com

 

[amaze1499]

This is simply not true and I expect you to retract that claim.

Manufacturers must also offer the device without a charger, is what the EU directive says. The countries have to translate that into national law.

 

[SoyMaxV]

The old form is also a standard, and any 2-prong cable will fit in there - like if you have one from a PS2, you can use it with this adapter.

The new one isn't a standard that I've ever seen before.

Yeah...this is an absolute AH move and completely unnecessary.

 

[ikramerica]

The first model is a directional plug meant to correspond with a directional pin end that goes into a 110V receptacle.

The second model is completely reversible for a 220V feed.

I would really prefer that a grounded option was available anyway.

 

[ikramerica]

I am not an electrician, is there any benefit to this change?

One is reversible, one is direction.

 

[ikramerica]

16” MBP m5 max and my 140w charger is like usual one on the left

Is yours from a 110V or 220V country.

 

[ikramerica]

Yeah...this is an absolute AH move and completely unnecessary.

“Any 2 prong” is simply not true.

There are various 2 prong female standards and they all don’t fit in that adapter.

 

[tonmischa]

Really?

Yes, really.
Let me walk you through this.

Sentence 1: (Emphasis added)
"No, it's literally EU law that manufacturers CAN'T include chargers in the box."
--> You claim that manufacturers ARE NOT ALLOWED to include chargers EVER.

---

Sentence 2: (Emphasis added) - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32022L2380
"Where an economic operator offers to consumers and other end-users the possibility to acquire the radio equipment referred to in Article 3(4) together with a charging device, the economic operator SHALL ALSO OFFER the consumers and other end-users the possibility of acquiring that radio equipment without any charging device."

--> This is LITERALLY the EU law, that says that IF a manufacturer offers a version with a charger (which he is obviously allowed to do), THEN they must also offer a version without a charger.

Surely you are able to see that there is a difference between these two statements, aren't you?

 

[goonie4life9]

Folks, it’s really not that complex. At the very last minute, out of nowhere, the person responsible discovered the two standards were simply a bag of hurt and not ready to truly delight customers with the game-changing 160W charger that takes fast charging to a whole new level. So, this person changed to truly pro-level pins. Believe you me, this caught Apple completely by surprise. As a tiny startup, they simply don’t have the resources to immediately clarify this on their website, let alone mass produce new sets of extensions. Not to worry, though, because this adapter is just getting started and has lots of head room. Stay tuned for what Apple has in store.

 

[jarman92]

Sentence 1: (Emphasis added)
"No, it's literally EU law that manufacturers CAN'T include chargers in the box."
--> You claim that manufacturers ARE NOT ALLOWED to include chargers EVER

Those 2 statements are not the same.

This is LITERALLY THE EU LAW, that says that IF a manufacturer offers a version with a charger, THEN they must also offer a version without a charger.

Yes, if a manufacturer does something that no manufacturer would do (ie sell at least 2 SKUs of every product), then it’s technically legal. I suppose if Apple made a laptop that didn’t need to be charged then it could leave the charger out, too. Neither is particularly likely.

 

[tonmischa]

Those 2 statements are not the same.

Really? Please elaborate.

EDIT: I'm serious. English is - very obviously - not my native language.
I do believe that "manufacturers CAN'T include chargers" and "manufacturers ARE NOT ALLOWED to include chargers" have the same meaning. But maybe I missed something?

 

[mansplains]

As long as it is compatible with the Apple Polishing Cloth, I don’t care

 

[delsoul]

Is yours from a 110V or 220V country.

USA. We are a mixture of 110 and 220v inside our homes for the most part. 110v for standard devices.

 

[aleni]

They better include chargers for iPhones and iPads again. No more excuses for saving the planet.

 

[wikiverse]

The new design has been spotted in Australia and China, but other customers have said their power adapters are not affected, so it is a hit-or-miss situation. We have yet to confirm exactly which countries are impacted by this issue, or if the 140W USB-C Power Adapter that Apple sells separately is affected by this change anywhere.

Australia and China both use the same Type-I plugs and sockets. There's no real reason why the design would need to change for that though, since that's on the other end of the cable.

 

[urtules]

I hope this is some kind of factory **** up, or prototype which was accidentally mass produced. I have 3 extension cable lying in my house which could be used for 100-200 more years, now their lives is shortened to just 10-20 years.

 

[HazeAndHahmahneez]

hope this is due to some EU b******’ & moanin’ type of stuff and not some sort of tim apple penny pinch Maneuva…could be one rolled right into the other LMAO smh

 

[timonz]

I hope this is some kind of factory **** up, or prototype which was accidentally mass produced. I have 3 extension cable lying in my house which could be used for 100-200 more years, now their lives is shortened to just 10-20 years.

My need for extension cables disappeared when I got 3m long USB-C cables.

 

[bobnugget]

The first model is a directional plug meant to correspond with a directional pin end that goes into a 110V receptacle.

The second model is completely reversible for a 220V feed.

I would really prefer that a grounded option was available anyway.

The original model is also reversible at 110-250v, just not with grounding. It’s a standard C7/figure-8 cable.

Both models feature grounding through the metal pin which holds the plug in place, however it is only wired on the extension cord on the old model, which doesn’t seem to be an option on the new vendor lock-in special

 

[vanishing]

Really? Please elaborate.

EDIT: I'm serious. English is - very obviously - not my native language.
I do believe that "manufacturers CAN'T include chargers" and "manufacturers ARE NOT ALLOWED to include chargers" have the same meaning. But maybe I missed something?

You are correct, the law says if you include one with a charger then you have to include one without a charger. The spirit of the law was to offer choice and reduce waste.

Apple decided that if they didn’t include ANY chargers (EU) then they would not contravene the law - as there is no law to say that you must include a charger in the first place.

The Apple application is within the law but goes against the intended spirit, it benefits Apple by saving money on a charger but also by reducing weight (and in turn shipping costs - wholesale & retail) and is a detriment to the customer who didn’t save any money on the product without a charger and will now have to pay for an appropriate one.