

Apple Fails When It Comes To “Basic Durable Product Design”? - cskau
http://gadgetizor.com/apple-durable-product-design/7386/

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lordlarm
I do not find this to be true as I have had multiple connectors with the
design proposed as 'durable' in the article and they have simply began to to
fray some other place.

As proven in the original reddit-thread[1] you can easily find proof of other
designs - broken [2].

[1]:
[http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/gd2lm/apple_has_yet_to...](http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/gd2lm/apple_has_yet_to_learn_the_very_basics_of_durable/)

[2]: <http://i.imgur.com/KFIhV.jpg>

EDIT: formatting

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timerickson
Id wager that while some of Apple's design can lead to fraying or other
failure, they have done a lot in recent years to improve the quality of their
products and cables.

1\. The introduction of the UniBody design and manafacturing process has made
their MacBook Pro laptops much stronger than previous versions and competing
plastic laptops.

2\. The introduction of the MagSafe charging cable design has been the
lifesavor of accidental tugs and trips. As well the second iterative design of
the cable (introduced with the MacBook Air) has even further reduced fraying.

~~~
Vitaly
MagSafe WAS great, and now they broke it in the new models. The cable was
pointing outwards in the old design and it really was almost impossible to
pull your laptop when you pull the cable in any way. Now the cable is pointing
back (or forward) and its actually quite easy to pull the laptop (especially
the lite air models). I almost dropped it few times because of that

~~~
StavrosK
I don't understand. If anything, the new MagSafe design creates a lever when
you pull the cable and snaps the charger out much more easily.

Oh, do you mean you pull the cable in parallel with the body, rather than
outwards?

~~~
z2amiller
I find that with the new 90 degree connector it is much more likely to be
yanked in parallel to the machine. The metal mount is much more durable but
I've had my laptop nearly pulled out of my hands a few times by someone
tripping/yanking on the cord and pulling the machine straight back.

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Typhon
Apple products don't need durability, since they release a new version of a
product by the time the current generation is no longer new. Why would you
want your ipad or iphone to last more than one year, when the new iphone or
ipad will make you look obsolete ? Why cling to those past inferior versions ?
Just buy the newest ones !

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence>

~~~
ams6110
I sense some sarcasm in your response but it's basically true, at least for
portable devices (and not just Apple). Try to go into the Verizon store and
buy a charger, case, or any other accessory for a phone that more than about
12 - 18 months old, they won't have them anymore... they've moved on to the
next model. And WHY do device manufactures change the connectors with every
generation so the old chargers you had can't be kept as spares... so if you
lose your charger you can be pressured to just upgrade your whole phone. At
least the Apple products are better in that regard.

The problem with the MagSafe strain relief has been addressed... all companies
have these little issues and I certainly don't think you can make a blanket
statement that Apple products aren't durable due to this specific issue
(typing this on a 12" PowerBook G4, ca 2002).

~~~
bryanlarsen
"And WHY do device manufactures change the connectors with every generation"

Have you looked closely at the last generation of changes? Pretty much every
single phone except for the iPhone now uses micro-USB. So yes, it's annoying
that everybody changed in the last generation, but everybody changing to the
same thing is double-plus good.

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phreeza
I think the Kindle connector cable gets the balance between prettiness and
durability just right.

<http://www.harinair.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/111.jpg>

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zdw
If you don't take care of stuff, it won't take care of you. I do work with
people who must torture their stuff - every cable is kinked or bent in some
way, or fraying at the end. Some of this might be faulty cables - I've had a
Dr. Bott ADC to DVI cable just fall apart after 3 insertions - but on the
whole I tend to think it's how people treat their stuff.

On an Apple square supply for the lead to the computer rather than pulling it
at an angle straight to the winding clips, you put a small loop in the wire
right where it exits the block, then wrap it around. No stress on where it
exits the block - I've had the same one in my bag for 4 years now. I've seen
people who just yank that sucker in one direction as hard as they can then
wrap it around, and yes, that will cause the wire to break there...

Also, it's worth buying an extra power supply as backup. Apple has kept
compatibility with most things - the original 85W supply used from the first
MacBook Pro will still work with the newest unit today.

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defroost
Coincidentally, I am furiously trying to read HN before my MacBook's battery
runs out, as my "elegant" white connector is frayed, making it useless. As
this is the second cord I'm buying, while the black industrial cords are ugly,
I'll take function over form any day.

~~~
z2amiller
With some of the first magsafe-based macs, I was buying a new power adapter
every three months or so. The cord would fray at the end of the way-too-small
strain relief between the magsafe connector and the cord. I had one nearly
catch on fire (melted a bunch of the plastic covering) when it wore enough
that it shorted. I figured that this was the recurring part of the 'Apple
tax'.

To be fair though, in the last couple years the connectors have gotten much
better - I think they extended the strain relief collar so that it does not
get bent at as sharp of an angle. Also the new unibody macs have a 90-degree
magsafe connector which eliminates a lot of the strain. (Unfortunately I think
it is also a less safe design - it takes much more force to disengage the
magnets at most angles where the cord would actually get pulled)

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atirip
Most durable interconnects have, by design, poor usability - they are bulky,
big (also by diameter), too stiff, etc.

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JCB_K
Those cables aren't great indeed, but the newest magsafe design is a great
improvement. I wouldn't be surprised if they copy that to their other cables.

(not the fact that it's vertical of course, that wouldn't be very practical.)

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maigret
Not only the cable issue... The most un-durable design from Apple in my
opinion is the unchangeable battery for iPod, iPhones and iPads.

~~~
ams6110
As Typhoon pointed out, for those devices Apple apparently have made the
(reasonable IMHO) assumption that most people will be ready to upgrade to a
new model by the time the battery would need to be changed, and so could use a
sleeker one-piece design rather than one with an ugly battery door. For those
that don't want to upgrade, it's possible to change the battery, just not
convenient.

~~~
nickbp
So if you want something disposable, pay a couple hundred _extra_ for a Mac.

Right.

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Cherad
The customer service in any Apple store is excellent though, I haven't seen
similar anywhere else. Not everyone has the luxury of one nearby but the store
staff seem to have a lot of personal discretion in replacing things that are
out of warranty.

Of course, the huge sales margins help to make this possible. Take advantage
of this if you can. I've stood in their flagship store on Oxford Street and
told a passing employee that my power supply had caught fire (slight
exaggeration - minor scorching around the frayed part when it shorted) and
been whisked away quickly and given a replacement.

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tluyben2
All cables from all manufacturers break fast for me; doesn't really matter how
they were made. I have 100s of cables + headphones, all broken like this.
Maybe i'm not very careful!

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srgseg
Anyone else have an iPod touch/iPhone that is unusable because the apple dock
socket no longer works unless you push down on it while it's connected?

Great business model though, why pay $100 to get it fixed when I can put that
money towards an iPad 2...

EDIT: Actually, it'd cost me $199
<http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/prices/>

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rheide
Wow. Those repair prices are ridiculous enough to warrant an article of their
own. There's really no point in fixing a broken iPod when it's cheaper to buy
a new one.

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grammaton
It seems like the author of the piece points to a frayed connector and says
"see! Their products aren't durable!" Jumping to conclusions, in other words.

That said I _am_ on my second Macbook, and I _do_ notice they don't seem to
take punishment quite as gracefully as other laptops...

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mambodog
I had this problem with the cable going into the Magsafe connector on my last
Macbook, still functional but concerningly wires were visible. On the charger
of my newer MBP (2009) the cable-plug join is notably bigger/thicker and
hasn't given me any problems. I think they've learned and improved.

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naner
Related Zed rant:

<http://zedshaw.com/essays/apple_sux.html>

