61–70 of 170 posts
Sounds like a reasonable tradeoff to me. I can understand why some people might not think that way but don't be surprised that there are some people who do.
These poorly-designed adapters have a history of shorting out and catching fire. Yes, I am surprised that anybody would think "looks nice" is a more important feature than "won't burn our customers' houses down".
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Huh? My power outlet is nearly always right behind where my laptop is. A cord facing out the back of the laptop is perfect for this - no more 90 degree turn.
You're right, I generalized: the position of the power outlet varies with every place you plug in your laptop. However, I often find myself with the outlet behind me (i.e. sitting against the wall at an airport, restaurants; I take my laptop out of the house with me frequently), so I run into this problem. I liked the perpendicular adapter because in the worst case, the cord had to make a 90 degree turn.
Except, there are strain relief features built in to Apple power adapters. Power Adapter: http://cl.ly/0r2n2S2z1b3K0L1E0R3t LED Cinema Display Power Adapter: http://www.cl.ly/3i1B3R142q0S25223q2U These may not be adequate, but clearly Apple industrial design has taken a pass at the problem. Anybody have photos of older power adapters to see if that sheathing has always been there?
Yeah, here's the adapter from my 2004 PowerBook: http://imgur.com/RTLKM
This is the same design used on older (circa 1994) Powerbooks, like the 520.
Here is a generic adapter for a 520. You can see the same connector...
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Huh? My power outlet is nearly always right behind where my laptop is. A cord facing out the back of the laptop is perfect for this - no more 90 degree turn.
You're right, I generalized: the position of the power outlet varies with every place you plug in your laptop. However, I often find myself with the outlet behind me (i.e. sitting against the wall at an airport, restaurants; I take my laptop out of the house with me frequently), so I run into this problem. I liked the perpendicular adapter because in the worst case, the cord had to make a 90 degree turn.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're right, I generalized: the position of the power outlet varies with every place you plug in your laptop. However, I often find myself with the outlet behind me (i.e. sitting against the wall at an airport, restaurants; I take my laptop out of the house with me frequently), so I run into this problem. I liked the perpendicular adapter because in the worst case, the cord had to make a 90 degree turn.
Out of curiosity, how often are you using the Ethernet port at those places?
I understand the æsthetic decision, but there is no reason why Apple couldn't have made the wire that runs from the brick to your laptop detachable. That way I could actually replace it for a reasonable amount.
This. Over the past five years I have had to replace four Apple power adapters. Two caught on fire, one just stopped working, and one only worked when I duct taped it to death. They replaced all but one under warranty. But when I asked the Apple Genius in SoHo if this "whole catching on fire thing" happened often, he didn't say no. He just told me he wasn't allowed to answer that.
One with the RCA/headphone power and one with the magnetic connector.
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well, that still wouldn't satisfy the designers because now they have a "flimsy" plastic tube on their adapter. (not saying it's not a good idea, my pile of broken cables is evidence of that!)
I think if it was any harder than "flimsy" (on a scale from flimsy to unbendable), the stress angle would happen at the end of the stress relief part, which would be the same thing as not having the stress relief part. So, I think there needs to be some compromise that leverages the durability of the old model, but the design of the new model (I think it's better to have a more functionally-durable product, than desi…
...or using a hot glue gun to 'decorate' a flexible, protective layer around the wire/connector.
I wonder if this applies to the problem I've had ever since I've gotten a MBP in the fall. I am now on my 4th charger. No matter how I handle the adapter, it still manages to stop working within 3-4 months. The first one was probably my fault as I didn't keep the brick as ventilated as I could've, so I think it eventually fried itself. The second one is still a mystery as I tried to use it one day and it didn't work.…
To provide a counterpoint, I've had my MacbookPro for over 3 years now and still have the same power cable and adapter as when I bought it. I never wrap it, toss it around in my bag with all my other junk, carry it in all weather, and I use it every day. My connection works fine and my brick hasn't overheated. Not to say you're not having those issues, just that there are good experiences and bad experiences with eve…
I do wrap the thin cable around the little hinges when I take it with me.
I understand the æsthetic decision, but there is no reason why Apple couldn't have made the wire that runs from the brick to your laptop detachable. That way I could actually replace it for a reasonable amount.
Surely the mag-safe cables shouldn't get so damaged, because the cable detaches from the laptop under significant strain? In terms of mag-safe on iOS devices, I guess it's not feasible due to it transmitting data.
Different kind of force.
