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Why MagSafe is a bad thing

Ifti said:
I agree - I prefer charging via any of the USB-C ports on my 2019 MBP. In fact, I would have preferred they kept 4 USB-C/TB4 ports on the new MacBooks along with the SD card reader. Do away with the HDMI and MagSafe altogether!
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remember, those 2016-2019 MBP had 4 Tb3 ports..but you could have only 1 on each side 40gbs
here ,all 3 have their own 40gbs
so 1 half 20gbs we lost for hdmi+sd card+charging port, so far a better trade
 
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Serban55 said:
remember, those 2016-2019 MBP had 4 Tb3 ports..but you could have only 1 on each side 40gbs
here ,all 3 have their own 40gbs
so 1 half 20gbs we lost for hdmi+sd card+charging port, so far a better trade
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Ah I didnt know that - yes the 2019 MBP had two TB bus's (one on each side). So with the new MBP each port is on its own separate bus?
 
DarrylMusashi said:
All of the reviewers and early adopters gushing over MagSafe has made me wonder, who the hell goes around tripping over their charging cable every other day?
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I’ve seen several laptops saved by MagSafe. Working in a studio-type environment or on location for a shoot, it’s not uncommon to see janky charging setups.

DarrylMusashi said:
Jokes aside I guess people with kids could benefit from it, but I have never experienced nor have I heard of anyone tripping over their charging cable and having their laptop fall in the floor. Which is seemingly the only reason MagSafe exists.
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MagSafe had the added benefit of holding itself in more securely. I rarely have an issue with USB C charging but every now and then lll move my laptop while it’s plugged in only to find later that the charger slipped out slightly and it was no longer charging.

DarrylMusashi said:
USB-C is superior in that it is as close to a universal port as we are likely to get this lifetime, it is small, it carries data, there’s one on each side of the laptop so you don’t need to wrap your cable around the device.
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You can still charge by USB C, so I’m not sure what the issue is here.

DarrylMusashi said:
So I hear some of you saying, since I prefer USB-C why don’t I use that and you use what you prefer, choice! Right?
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Yup. It’s still there. It’s the most common port on the machine.

DarrylMusashi said:
Well on the surface this is a good argument, except the I believe the introduction of MagSafe will all but kill USB-C. We all know how other manufacturers like to copy apple, I expect it to be the same for power delivery, each one will invent their own MagSafe and we will end up with many different standards. I guess we will see what happens to MagSafe in the future, but if lightning is any indication apple will milk it until it’s bone dry. Meaning it might be the only charging port next time around.
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This is a terrible conclusion with absolutely nothing to back it up. I can assure you we’re stuck with USB C for data transfer for the foreseeable future.

DarrylMusashi said:
In the end I’m disappointed, apple drove usb c adoption in a big way and I doubt it has the impetus to continue without apples help. I made a small trip the other weekend with my iPhone, iPad and new MacBook, I had to bring two chargers, who the hell would want to bring three?
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It already has continued. Almost every laptop or android device sold today is using USB C. Most consumer electronics and pro electronics are using it. Hell, Apple hasn’t even implemented the latest 240W charging spec in these machines, they’re not even leading the pack on USBC capability. If Apple would just drop lightning, they could have a universal charging connector across their entire product line (except the watch, for obvious reasons), but regardless of what they do, USB C and Thunderbolt are here to stay.
 
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I think the true benefit for MagSafe is for people who use their MBPs in public. It seems much more likely for there to be a "cable trip" accident at a Starbucks or in an airport lounge than at home. (Although, truth be told, I once trashed a laptop by drooping it right onto the charging plug while it was plugged in)

For the home office, I do prefer charging via USB. I like being able to use a single USB-C cable to charge/run an external monitor/connect to an external drive via a hub.

It's important to remember too that everyone's use case is unique. But I will say, no other laptop manufacturer has done magnetic charging connections as well as Apple has.
 
DarrylMusashi said:
But you just lost one usb c port for MagSafe
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Unlike intel macs that had two ports per single thunderbolt controller, M1 macs have one port per one controller.
If i need more than 3 ports i likely need more than 4 ports anyway so i need a hub.
Good thing about these is that you get more throughput although less ports
 
DarrylMusashi said:
All of the reviewers and early adopters gushing over MagSafe has made me wonder, who the hell goes around tripping over their charging cable every other day?

Jokes aside I guess people with kids could benefit from it, but I have never experienced nor have I heard of anyone tripping over their charging cable and having their laptop fall in the floor. Which is seemingly the only reason MagSafe exists.

USB-C is superior in that it is as close to a universal port as we are likely to get this lifetime, it is small, it carries data, there’s one on each side of the laptop so you don’t need to wrap your cable around the device.

So I hear some of you saying, since I prefer USB-C why don’t I use that and you use what you prefer, choice! Right?

Well on the surface this is a good argument, except the I believe the introduction of MagSafe will all but kill USB-C. We all know how other manufacturers like to copy apple, I expect it to be the same for power delivery, each one will invent their own MagSafe and we will end up with many different standards. I guess we will see what happens to MagSafe in the future, but if lightning is any indication apple will milk it until it’s bone dry. Meaning it might be the only charging port next time around.

In the end I’m disappointed, apple drove usb c adoption in a big way and I doubt it has the impetus to continue without apples help. I made a small trip the other weekend with my iPhone, iPad and new MacBook, I had to bring two chargers, who the hell would want to bring three?
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I know, Magsafe is bad bad thing.Also puppies and kittens are horrible.

Magsafe will not kill usb-c, you don't need to worry. Magsafe was there before they had USB C on the laptop.
Apple used magsafe for about 10 years and nobody (as far as I can think of) copied it.
MagSafe is a godsent, you might disagree, but one trip over a cable and your computer might be in pieces.
If that cable reassures, that your computer might not get broken, even 1x in its life time, then it was a good thing.

USB-C is not supperior for charging. It is lower power, it is not a strong connector to trip over, doesnt have led to know your charging status, cannot plug it without looking at it properly, as it is small and fiddly, compared to MagSafe

You mean, you needed to carry all 2 cables?
I will keep your suffering in mind, while I carry my 20+ kg of gear for my 1 day work.

Keenly awaiting your negative feedback to my comment :)
 
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DarrylMusashi said:
I thought it was a forum for discussing all things mac related, am I not allowed to voice my opinion? I thought that if I conducted myself in a civil manner and presented my opinion I could have an honest discussion. I guess I was wrong, instead I’m being derided for having the “wrong” opinion.
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No one derided you. There are just many people who are not your opinion and who detailed why which very specific and detailed statements. But there also are some people who share your opinion. But I think you already knew that before you knowingly posted an unpopular opinion on a forum. You should be able to deal with answers that don't reflect your opinion.
boss.king said:
Hell, Apple hasn’t even implemented the latest 240W charging spec in these machines, they’re not even leading the pack on USBC capability.
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As others already mentioned here, Apple is kind of leading in this regard, too. The 140 W chargers and the new MacBook Pros do support USB 3.1 PowerDelivery, the standard you're referring to. At the moment there are just no USB cables available because the spec for the cables was only finished in September. So at some time next year you will be able to charge your new MacBook Pro with 140 W over USB-C.
 
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Zdigital2015 said:
MagSafe connector is modular and with a USB-C plug at the end of it to allow for easy replacement or for the user to use a regular USB-C cable in lieu of MagSafe. Your daft. Check and mate. Mods, please close this thread.
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Noooo. What are forums if not for respectful exchange of ideas and opinions?

Let’s not end our bastion of friendly discussions over disagreements.
 
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Juuro said:
No one derided you. There are just many people who are not your opinion and who detailed why which very specific and detailed statements. But there also are some people who share your opinion. But I think you already knew that before you knowingly posted an unpopular opinion on a forum. You should be able to deal with answers that don't reflect your opinion.

As others already mentioned here, Apple is kind of leading in this regard, too. The 140 W chargers and the new MacBook Pros do support USB 3.1 PowerDelivery, the standard you're referring to. At the moment there are just no USB cables available because the spec for the cables was only finished in September. So at some time next year you will be able to charge your new MacBook Pro with 140 W over USB-C.
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Do you have any official statements or sources or anything on that? Not saying I don’t believe you, I just haven’t seen anything that confirms that the current Pros can support the 240W spec.
 
JM said:
Noooo. What are forums if not for respectful exchange of ideas and opinions?

Let’s not end our bastion of friendly discussions over disagreements.
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When someone can make a cogent argument that MagSafe is ACTUALLy a bad thing, then get back to me. I've read so many axe grinder threads since the MacBook Pros came out that its either paid actors or people who really shouldn't even be here. It gets old really quick.

No one lost a Thunderbolt 4 port to MagSafe, they lost a TB4 port to HDMI and the SD Card, which I've heard people cry and whine about needing for the past 5 years and they said the same about MagSafe. Well, they're all back and I don't care to hear inane arguments about a safety feature that we essentially get for free. Apple implemented it the right way too with having the other end be USB-C. It's a win-win, there is no "bad thing" about MagSafe. In essence, no one lost a Thunderbolt port. This whole thread is pointless.
 
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Still haven't ordered my new MBP, but my M1 was my first foray into USB-C only.

There are things I like about USB-C charging, not the least of which is "one cable docking" and I'm glad the new ones can still charge over USB-C.

IMO, Magsafe is far superior for using a laptop as a laptop(meaning something I hold on my lap) as my M1 HAS taken a few spills off the couch or a TV tray by the couch that Magsafe would have saved(and has saved for me in the past on other computers). Fortunately it was fine from all of them, although I have bent a few USB-C cables.

At the same time, when I sit down at my desk I can still plug my one USB-C cable in and I'm set to go. I don't see it going away either.

I just need to make up my mind on what to order.
 
RedTomato said:
My partner and I worked from home, with macbooks on the kitchen table. And we have kids.

MagSafe saves our laptops about once every two days on average. Yup every two days on average someone trips over a cable or steps on it at the wrong place or brushes by the table accidentally pulling on a cable. That's about $1000 saved every two days, which works out to about $180,000 saved for us over one year of pandemic lockdown. Silly numbers but so is the OP's statement.
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Bingo. Some people always look at their own perspective as the perfect world everyone resides in. "I never tripped over my USB-C cable therefore it never happened anywhere from anyone. Therefore Magsafe is pointless because accidents never happen from anyone."
 
All it takes is one time tripping on the power cord. The screen broke on my MacBook Pro after my wife tripped on it while it was plugged into the wall during a Zoom call after the battery had almost died.
 
DarrylMusashi said:
All of the reviewers and early adopters gushing over MagSafe has made me wonder, who the hell goes around tripping over their charging cable every other day?

Jokes aside I guess people with kids could benefit from it, but I have never experienced nor have I heard of anyone tripping over their charging cable and having their laptop fall in the floor. Which is seemingly the only reason MagSafe exists.

USB-C is superior in that it is as close to a universal port as we are likely to get this lifetime, it is small, it carries data, there’s one on each side of the laptop so you don’t need to wrap your cable around the device.

So I hear some of you saying, since I prefer USB-C why don’t I use that and you use what you prefer, choice! Right?

Well on the surface this is a good argument, except the I believe the introduction of MagSafe will all but kill USB-C. We all know how other manufacturers like to copy apple, I expect it to be the same for power delivery, each one will invent their own MagSafe and we will end up with many different standards. I guess we will see what happens to MagSafe in the future, but if lightning is any indication apple will milk it until it’s bone dry. Meaning it might be the only charging port next time around.

In the end I’m disappointed, apple drove usb c adoption in a big way and I doubt it has the impetus to continue without apples help. I made a small trip the other weekend with my iPhone, iPad and new MacBook, I had to bring two chargers, who the hell would want to bring three?
Click to expand...
It happened almost every two days on my old 2014 MBP. I broke different USB-C cables and got even a small dent in the body of my USB-C only 2017 MBP. I am so glad MagSafe is back!
 
Actually i appreciate that magsafe is back.
When i'm on the couch i like it, sometimes a dog jumps up, or i accidentally pull on it.

when i got to the studio and have a dock, i can just plug to the dock into the usb-c and leave magsafe at home.

best of both imo. i hope they keep usb-c charging.
 
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MisterSavage said:
I don't get the "every other day" part. If it can save me from a rare scenario where my Mac could be damaged I think that's great.
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Why is your charging cable that long to begin with? Just bring the cable up the back of the desk, or better yet, plug it into your desktop/laptop.
 
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