iMac Magnet Warning (front row version)

[macrlz9]

just to let everyone know i agree that it is very overrated and i doubt this magnet will have any kind of effect at all. i just wanted to show that it is documented so apple is covering their rear

 

[aquajet]

yeah a non-issue, apple is just playing it safe

 

[cblackburn]

Magnetic fields fall off at the cube of distance,

It's inversely proportional to the square of the distance IIRC

(And actually, if it's in the dock, the metal case of the iPod's drive is probably grounded, in which case I don't think the magnet couldn't have any effect at all as it's basically a Faraday Cage at that point.)

The faraday cage effect only works for electric fields IIRC.

Bottom line: I wouldn't lean my external hard drive against that corner of the iMac, but so long as you give stuff a couple inches clearance it'll never be an issue.

Hard drives have a pair of Neodymium magnets in them to move the heads and they are *substantially* more powerful than the one that will be used in the iMac G5. I very much doubt it will be a problem.

Chris

 

[joker2]

Try this, take a magnet, and a credit card, like your backup one in case your paranoid. Rub the magnet all over the "mag-strip". Now take that card and try and buy something with it where they run it through a mag strip reader.

It still works. How can this be? Because stray magnetic signals are in general not enough to accidently erase magnetic media. Even strong and close. In general your ipod will not be close enough, and even if it was, it wouldn't rewrite your hard drive.

<off topic> ...why is it that certain cards in my wallet lose their "magnetic strip" every couple of months or so? I continually have to get new cards, (especially the BP cards) as they no longer scan. (and with the exception of the BP card, it's usually different cards, not the same one each time.)</offtopic>

 

[Jay42]

Would be very cool if it was an electro-magnet that you could turn off and on through sys. prefs! That way you could turn it off if you weren't using it. Why don't I work for Apple?

 

[jared_kipe]

Would be very cool if it was an electro-magnet that you could turn off and on through sys. prefs! That way you could turn it off if you weren't using it. Why don't I work for Apple?

Because an electromagnet would constantly eat up power?

 

[Koodauw]

Watch sales associates... sometimes they're not careful and lay the CC down on the counter and that spot might have a strong magnet thingie to demagnetize for security objects and whatnots.

Actually, I think that is over rated as well. I have set my credit on those things numerous time and have nothing happen to the card.

Also, the PB has a small magnet in it and perhaps the iBook does too, but idk.
Its apart of the locking mechanism in the latch.

 

[eva01]

Actually, I think that is over rated as well. I have set my credit on those things numerous time and have nothing happen to the card.

That isn't overrated for the reason that those things at stores, you have to hit a button before the magnet reacts. It is how at least borders kills those security devices you step on a button and it sends a magnetic pulse out. If your credit card is on there when the button is pressed, say goodbye.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Computer speakers are shielded so there's no worry. The magnet in the iMac might be shielded too. Either that, or not even powerful enough to wipe a hard drive

SOME computer speakers are shielded.

Magnetic field strength follows the inverse square rule: If you are 2 x farther away, the field is 4 x weaker. If you are 3 x farther away, it is 9 x weaker.
So it hardly takes any distance at all to nullify the effects of a small magnet. The only possible effect would be if you made a habit of rubbing the iPod against the iMac right where the magnet is (perhaps in an attempt to get them to breed? Envisions a G5 computer on a lanyard around the neck, or an iPod with a 17" screen... scary)

This is also only a concern for hard disk based iPods - and although hard drives aren't particularly magnetically shielded, between the HD casing and the body of the iPod, I can't see a little magnet getting anywhere close to the platters.

Now this bad boy however:

 

[Koodauw]

That isn't overrated for the reason that those things at stores, you have to hit a button before the magnet reacts. It is how at least borders kills those security devices you step on a button and it sends a magnetic pulse out. If your credit card is on there when the button is pressed, say goodbye.

Well back in the day, before all this fancy " push a button before the magnet reacts" type device, there was simply a magnetic square on the counter. basically a magnet that looks like a mouse pad. That was what I was referring too. They never erased any CC of mine.

I don't know about the newer type. Have to try it. Ill report back later with details.

 

[prostuff1]

Apple is just covering there butts by putting the warning in the Manual.

I highly doubt that the magnet in the new iMacs would do anything. The magnet is probably to weak to do anything permentant.

On another note about the mag-strips on CC. They did an expirement on myth busters about this and found that it takes a VERY strong magnet to make the strip not work. The magnet they ended up using was like the size of 2-3 quarters stacked on top of each other and i think the thing could hold somehting like 35 pounds a piece. In other words...a very strong magnet!!! And that was the magnet they had to use to get the mag-strip to not work.

 

[eva01]

Well back in the day, before all this fancy " push a button before the magnet reacts" type device, there was simply a magnetic square on the counter. basically a magnet that looks like a mouse pad. That was what I was referring too. They never erased any CC of mine.

I don't know about the newer type. Have to try it. Ill report back later with details.

ah i see, sorry, i am almost certain that, that happened at least once at borders.

could have been just a problem with the persons card that it was dying anyways

 

[Mechcozmo]

taken directly off of apple's user manual...

Thank you, Mr. Lawyers. Any **** who looses data would blame Apple, despite the fact that the ****'s data was lost due to them dropping it while the hard drive was spinning.

I hate evil lawyers.