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Magsafe 2 , Bleh....
- Thread starter Jazwire
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Dang, get over yourself lol. You probably stink because you don't have time to shower or brush your teeth due to WASTED PRODUCTIVITY!
How can you quantify how much someone else's time is worth? It totally interrupts your workflow when your power cord comes out when it's not supposed to. 🙄 If this happens several times a day it becomes old fast. Free time doesn't factor in. I'd rather take the 1/10,000 chance I (or someone else) trip over my power cord on any given day than have this major annoyance.
Frankly, if you're careless to the point where MagSafe 2 actually becomes useful and balances out the annoyance factor, then you probably deserve to have your laptop broken anyway. 😉 Besides, with solid state storage it's not like you're even likely to lose any data if your laptop falls. And it becomes even less likely that your laptop will be damaged in the first place if you have a case on it. It's even unlikely that it'll get damaged (beyond cosmetic dents on the aluminium) due to how robust they are nowadays… At least a case is optional - I can't even buy a third-party MagSafe adapter with a stronger magnet or a different shape because Apple has an exclusive patent on the connector.
If Apple were so concerned about falls on their devices, why did it make the iPhone's back out of glass? Hell, why's the power cord so special? I have an Ethernet cord running from my Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter to the wall at work right now - what if someone trips on that? What's the point of having "robust strong beams" and "rigidity" in your industrial design when you still need a weak power connector to prevent the laptop from falling to the ground in one specific scenario, all while your laptop could get damaged in a variety of other ways that MagSafe does nothing to protect against?
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Trey M
macrumors 6502a
Lol, man it's a charger plug dude. No need to go on a rant.
Just because you don't see yourself ever tripping over a power cord doesn't make it a stupid feature. There are so, so, so many different use cases for laptops. A few years ago a friend showed me a video of a DJ on stage with wires everywhere because of speakers and such, and he was using an HP. As the performer was getting on stage he kicked the power cord and the laptop fell, smashed, and the music stopped. It can come in handy, trust me. It's a $2000 laptop, I'm glad Apple pays attention to the little details and does things like this to protect a big investment. That's why I trust Apple, because they care about seemingly dumb stuff that turns out to be pretty great.
That being said, I do think the new charger is a step backwards- completely opinionated- but I liked the L shape a lot more.
AZREOSpecialist
Suspended
Upgrading to a RMBP from a 2007 17" MBP, I guess I don't understand what all the fuss is about. My old MBP has the same t-style Magsafe connector as the new RMBP. I never even knew they went to a different design between 2007 and now. Ignorance is bliss, I guess, because for me it's the same as what I'm accustomed to and I haven't had any problems.
Here's a great tip for you, we'll work out reimbursement for time/productivity saved later.
If the magsafe falls out of your laptop, there is a system inside the laptop which will switch from A/C to Battery seemlessly. You won't even notice if you don't look at the indicator icon. Wait until you have a second gap in between deep thoughts and plug it back in then. You don't even have to do it immediately, you can wait up to 9 hours to do this! 🙂
I'm contributing nothing to this thread outside of my utter disdain for the new form factor and how my knee is constantly knocking it out of the slot. I miss the L.
Agreed. The L shape design was so elegant and "out of the way". Even that Pogue guy from the NYT wrote a hit piece about how they screwed the pooch on the redesign.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/one-of-apples-best-ideas-ever-made-worse/
\-V-/
Suspended
Yeah... pretty much the most annoying thing in the world. I have to place it on my lap a specific way so the cord doesn't come out. Gotta bare-leg-it with no blankets cuz the extra cushioning dislodges the Magsafe. :/
Things I noticed with my Magsafe 2:
- It charges faster. 20 vs 16.5
- It isn't as hot as the old L shape magsafe1
- It pops out easier (both good and bad).
I liked the look and unintrusiveness of the L shape, but my L shapes wore out faster for me than the old Ts. L shapes work great for headphones and earbud cords, but in practice on a laptop I found that the wire was being placed at more extreme and awkward angles. This lead to more wear and tear on the cord.
So yeah, it was less intrusive, but I was replacing it more often. The replacement cords aren't exactly cheap as far as charging cables go.
- It charges faster. 20 vs 16.5
- It isn't as hot as the old L shape magsafe1
- It pops out easier (both good and bad).
I liked the look and unintrusiveness of the L shape, but my L shapes wore out faster for me than the old Ts. L shapes work great for headphones and earbud cords, but in practice on a laptop I found that the wire was being placed at more extreme and awkward angles. This lead to more wear and tear on the cord.
So yeah, it was less intrusive, but I was replacing it more often. The replacement cords aren't exactly cheap as far as charging cables go.
Doesn't help. The adapter adds 1/2" to the length so the disconnect problem of the MagSafe 2 still happens.
TheMacBookPro
macrumors 68020
Works if all you want to do is have the cable running parallel to the computer for use on a stand etc
I suspect the MS2's disconnect 'problem' isn't actually a problem, but rather something they designed for it to do. Many complaints saying the L magsafe didn't disconnect in cases when it was supposed to.
I think you may be right there. I found the L to be difficult at times. And again, it wore out pretty quickly for me because of the odd angles the L would have to be put in at times. I went through two in two years. Before that, I had a T that lasted 3.
What a nonsensical statement. A broken power connector is probably the most frequent type of damage done to laptops. I have personally owned a PowerBook with the older concentric power connector and had the connector torn off the motherboard when a clumsy girlfriend tripped over the power cable. I had the jack on a Toshiba laptop break as well.
Try doing a Google search on "broken dc jack laptop". You'll get six million hits, among them a whole raft of repair shops offering to repair the problem for $99.
Personally, I think the MagSafe is an incredibly innovative solution to a very common problem.
Here here. Its a huge issue, especially in a household with kids, on a college campus, or in a public place like a Starbucks. People don't pay attention, and wires get tripped on. I've seen netbooks get ripped off a table and clatter to the ground because someone tripped on the power cord. It happens, and fall damage is arguably far worst than a torn connector. Either way, they're both issues that are avoided with magsafe.
A crowded office may be a completely different environment. Everyone may have a laptop, so most people would be cognizant of a common hazard like power cords.
ixodes
macrumors 601
Oh my... you have a good point, I had no idea there were so many clumsy people around. I guess it's time to bonus our employees for saving the company so much money, without even having mag safe on their ThinkPads.
Oh and by the way? as of this writing the Google search said: about 6,070,000 results (0.29 seconds)
That's 70,000 more than you called to my attention.
Excuse me while I go cut some bonus checks. 😱
urkel
macrumors 68030
How do your power adapters "wear out"? Ive got a bunch of various MagSafe adapters over the years and, except for one that melted and Apple replaced, they all work and look fine so I'm wondering what is happening to yours.
themumu
macrumors 6502a
Even if you assume that office folks are less clumsy than those in coffee shops, homes and university campuses, there is still the issue of what happens when those mobile computers are taken out of the office - as they often are. They are now in those coffee shops on a business trip, or at home with wild children running around.
My 2 cents is that I too am not overly fond of the new MagSafe. I find that it disconnects far easier than the first generation, and while I can see that it's probably by design, I don't think it should disconnect as easily as it does.
For example, when I move my rMBP off my lap and onto my side table, it comes out, even though there is plenty of slack on the line.
And the picture that started this thread is accurate for me. I guess I liken it to having an airbag. Airbag's don't deploy if you're going under 30kph and hit something. And that's probably good. There'd be no need for it to.
My MagSafe disconnects when there's little tension on the cord, and that's not good. So unless mine is defective, I'm just saying I'd prefer the amount of tension before it disconnects to be somewhere in the middle of where it is now, and when it was with the 1st generation.
For example, when I move my rMBP off my lap and onto my side table, it comes out, even though there is plenty of slack on the line.
And the picture that started this thread is accurate for me. I guess I liken it to having an airbag. Airbag's don't deploy if you're going under 30kph and hit something. And that's probably good. There'd be no need for it to.
My MagSafe disconnects when there's little tension on the cord, and that's not good. So unless mine is defective, I'm just saying I'd prefer the amount of tension before it disconnects to be somewhere in the middle of where it is now, and when it was with the 1st generation.
The wire themselves wear out. The rubber coating gives way over time due to the stress of how the wire gets angled. This is usually right at the end of the wire where it meets the MBP (or where it meets the power brick). Sometimes the rubber gives and the wire becomes exposed and eventually fails to complete a circuit. I've seen this happen to a few friends and family members. But with me, the wire itself seems to run in to issue before the rubber coating gives. Especially on the L design. Kind of like a faulty connection that you might get on earbud or headphone wires.
Just google search "frayed/worn out macbook charger" if you want a visual image or some blog testimonies. It isn't unique to Macbook chargers. Lots of cables will run in to this kind of wear and tear. Usually, charging cables are thicker than the ones on Macbooks, so the heat may be a factor (given that the issue is usually near the tip or where it meets the brick). I've seen it in USBs, mice, keyboards, some game console controllers as well. Not all necessarily mine, mind you.
I've been in school, so I don't always access my Macbook from the same spot on the same desk. Sofas, my bed, coffee shop table, libraries, class rooms, etc. In a few of these environments, the cable might be put at an extreme angle. Like in a classroom where I can only access a wall charger that is on my right. MBP always have magsafe on the left. So the cable gets angled and stretched, and thusly undergoes stress. With time, that can wear out the cable, and they'll stop charging your battery because they can't complete a circuit. At which point, I just replace them.
I don't always have a choice in the situation, so its just something that I've accepted over time, like tire tread wear. I'm not complaining about it, since I know I put my MBP in that position at times. I simply noticed that my Ls didn't seem to last as long. Which I found odd, because they should be able to reach that right side socket a little easier. I have noticed that, unlike the original T, they get stressed out by reaching for a left. The L shape's design simply seems stiffer and more apt to run in to the issue. And yes, I usually use the extension cord that comes included with every MBP.
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