magsafe - Gizmodo

posts about #magsafe more →
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WyldeChef
09/11/09

In reply to PowerCurl Tidys Up Mac MagSafe Wires, Cures Cord OCD
We can put a man on the moon but we need to use 15 cords to set up a computer??
Reply

Lizard_King promoted this comment WyldeChef was starred WyldeChef was unstarred

Lizard_King
09/11/09

@WyldeChef: Who says we put a man on the moon? Didn't Neil Armstrong just admit it was a ruse?
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fastm3driver
09/11/09

In reply to PowerCurl Tidys Up Mac MagSafe Wires, Cures Cord OCD
Just like the standard Dell power adapter has had for like 10 years. nice!
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appletoad
09/11/09

@fastm3driver: Nice try. Show me this built in cord winder.
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quayzar
09/11/09

@appletoad: Or Apple's yoyo adapters ten years ago.
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(Starman) Starman
09/11/09

In reply to PowerCurl Tidys Up Mac MagSafe Wires, Cures Cord OCD
I wish Apple still made the cool retractable ones...
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AustinMiniMan
09/11/09

@(Starman) AnalysisDialysis:

They looked nice, but I think the problem was that people didn't always unwind them completely when using them. When you left them plugged in and half wound up, they had a tendency to over heat. So I could see why they'd be hesitant to do that again. That, and they're really lazy designers.
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RicketyCricket
09/11/09

In reply to PowerCurl Tidys Up Mac MagSafe Wires, Cures Cord OCD
I'm going to wait and see if they release one that has a built in camera . . .
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Barry99705
09/11/09

In reply to PowerCurl Tidys Up Mac MagSafe Wires, Cures Cord OCD
Why not just use the built in cord wrapper thingies. Yea, that's a technical term......
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BlowfishAvenger
09/11/09

@Barry99705: If you look for them you can find lots of reports where people claim using the built in wrapper thingies (tm) allow the cord to be wrapped too tightly and so cause wires and nerves to fray.
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Joanna Stern
09/11/09

@Barry99705: And that thing never keeps the wires held in place IMHO
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appletoad
09/11/09

@Barry99705: Mine broke off.
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OMG! Ponies!
09/11/09

@BlowfishAvenger: It's not a bug, it's a feature.

Go sit at a Genius Bar and watch the people coming in with frayed cords. The orangeshirts send them to the merchandise floor to spend $80 to buy a new power adapter. AppleCare covers defects in workmanship, not wear-and-tear.
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Edited by OMG! Ponies! at 09/11/09 9:58 AM OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

appletoad
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Weird. I always give free replacements. =]

In fact, if you bitch and say the words "fire hazard" to a manager, you should end up with a free replacement. (unless you are an asshole, or it if like super obviously abusively smashed)
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OMG! Ponies! promoted this comment Edited by appletoad at 09/11/09 10:09 AM appletoad was starred appletoad was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
09/11/09

@appletoad: This may be unique to the SoHo store. When I had a Genius Bar appointment (and waited 45 minutes after the scheduled time to be seen), I saw the orangeshirt point every person with a frayed MagSafe downstairs to buy a new adapter.
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Kaiser-Machead
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: There are ways around that, though it varies from "genius" to "genius". When I replaced the blackbook's power brick, it was because the base of the cable had started to fray and I bitched and moaned about possibly setting my place on fire and got a free one out of them. If my Macbook is in warranty, no way on Satan's Green Earth I'm paying for those replacements.
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appletoad
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Sometimes they try getting you to buy a new one to save the genius bar time when they are behind on appointments. When the genius bar is falling behind, it is usually their fault, and management gets pissed about it, telling them to do something about it.
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Edited by appletoad at 09/11/09 10:17 AM appletoad was starred appletoad was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
09/11/09

@appletoad: yeah pretty much. If you're pressed for time, or give them a convincing sob story, you can cut people on line at the Genius Bar too. Screw society!
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appletoad
09/11/09

@Kaiser-Machead: Usually they are too lazy to check warranty. Management especially. The cashier is usually your friend, too. If you are gonna give a sob story/pull a slick one, they are the ones to do so on, NOT geniuses/orange shirts
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Kaiser-Machead
09/11/09

@appletoad: It depends. Orange-shirts can and have pulled items off shelves to make an exchange. In the case of that power brick, I got him to unpackage one and he gave it to me at no charge. I didn't have to go through a cashier at all. I gave the sob story to the orange shirt so I didn't have to bother with that lousy queue and got my Macbook repaired over the course of a weekend. Because of the huge lines at checkout at the stores here, I tend to avoid the cashiers.
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Edited by Kaiser-Machead at 09/11/09 10:30 AM Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

appletoad
09/11/09

@Kaiser-Machead: Yeah, I don't what Apple store you're going to, but lines are an awful problem here in Chicago. Generally, if your nice, and have an honest problem, anyone in that store will wanna hook you up. But if your shady about it/are 100% obviously at fault for breaking it etc, then there are things you can do to your advantage.
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Daveinva
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!:
These two strings walk up to a bar.
The first string walks in and orders and the bartender throws him out and yells "I don't serve strings in this bar.
The other string ruffs himself up on the street and curls up and orders.
The bartender shouts, "Hey, didn't you hear what I told your buddy?"
The string says "Yeah."
The bartender says, "aren't you a string?"
The string says, "No, I'm a frayed knot..."
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Jim Topoleski
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Really? I have yet to pay for my replacement one in over 3 years.
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Barry99705
09/11/09

@appletoad: I give replacements too. Though I'm not an Apple Genius, I am an authorized repair tech though. I jut put it into GSX as a defective part.
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madog
09/11/09

@BlowfishAvenger: It's not that "people claim using the built in wrapper thingies (tm) allow the cord to be wrapped too tightly", it's that people wrapped the things too damn tightly as if any hint of slack would cause their family to get cancer.
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madog
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: Possibly. The original ones have since been reinforced at the ends to help from people wrapping them too tightly, but it was typically replaced under warranty.

They might be a little more strict these days because stupid can't be fixed under warranty, but I would imagine they still replace some.

That orangeshirt man might just have been a dick.
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Edited by madog at 09/11/09 12:29 PM madog was starred madog was unstarred

superberg
09/11/09

@OMG! Ponies!: I've only had my MagSafe fray once -- at the winding edge -- and it was replaced free of charge. I'm more careful with the new one, and haven't had any issues in almost a year.
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fuchikoma
05/20/09

In reply to The Not-So-Safe Apple MagSafe Gallery
This looks like it happens where the cord would flex the most - maybe an internal break and short out?

Personally I charge my MBP in a stack of other laptops propped against a wall, and I run the cord up between the other laptops, hold it in place with the Macbook leaning on it, and then loop it around in a 4-6" loop that goes smoothly into the magsafe connector on top.
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ripfire
05/20/09

In reply to The Not-So-Safe Apple MagSafe Gallery
How many of you guys leave your power connector on 24/7?
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Sean Masters
05/20/09

@ripfire: How is that relevant? Literally millions of electronics devices are plugged in across the USA, 24/7/365, and there are rarely any problems (and, when there are problems, those issues become news and manufacturers fix them, like what's happening now with the MagSafe).
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ripfire
05/20/09

@Sean Masters: Why so defensive? I was just trying to say that leaving your power connector on actually wears out your battery faster than if you would charge it full then remove the connector.

Statistically speaking, the less time you have the power connector on further reduces the probability of such failure to occur (rare or not). At the same time, you save your battery from wearing out faster.
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The Lab
05/20/09

@ripfire: Actually I don't think this is true. Leaving some "dumb" products plugged in will damage the battery but I am 99% sure that Apple products more closely monitor battery charge and top it off only when necessary. I think it is actually better to leave it plugged in whenever possible.
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ripfire
05/20/09

@The Lab:

Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.

You can read the rest here.
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Curtis Dietrick
05/20/09

In reply to The Not-So-Safe Apple MagSafe Gallery
Users cant expect their power adapters to last forever. Im sure most of these are a result of people continueing to use the plugs after they showed some sort of minimal wear/damage. My magsafe plug got a small hole near the plug. I called apple and they replaced it, for free, with a slightyly redesigned one that is less apt to this type of wear.
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Kaiser-Machead
05/20/09

@Curtis Dietrick: I'd agree if we were looking at a last gen Macbook, but the unibody models are brand spanking new, whereas my black Macbook, after over 3 years of use, showed nary a sign of burnout from the plug.
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zenpoet
05/20/09

In reply to The Not-So-Safe Apple MagSafe Gallery
That is why I only use my laptop while in the bath tub. It is much safer.
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Bob_Dole
05/20/09

@zenpoet: Of course. Nothing's more safe when your laptop accidentally submerges into the water and you suddenly feel a shock running through your balls (and many other things).
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zenpoet
05/20/09

@Bob_Dole: See, i would only submerge it if it caught on fire. I can't forsee any problems with my plan what so ever.
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Kaiser-Machead
05/20/09

In reply to The Not-So-Safe Apple MagSafe Gallery
Oh Murphy, must your law be so cruel to the Magsafe?
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
05/20/09

@Kaiser-Machead: I don't know why you people keep quoting Murphy's Law here. This has nothing to do with Murphy's Law. If you read the writings of Nostradamus you'd know to stay clear of the magsafe.

"Sparks will lead to destruction when the great fruit burns." - Nostradamus 1558

and

"Terror will come from improperly engineered MagSafe connections." Nostradamus 1560
Reply

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