
Apple is killing off MagSafe, one of the MacBook’s best features - rashkov
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/27/13441150/rip-magsafe-apple-macbook-pro-charging-cable-usb-c
======
mikestew
It's the only thing that makes me hesitate replacing my current MBP.
Seriously, I can live with whatever ports the put on it, remove a headphone
jack, I don't care, but don't take my MagSafe. It's not often that the MagSafe
earns it's keep, but when you've got 70kg of dogs wrestling in the living
room, sometimes MagSafe alone is worth the price of admission.

~~~
otterley
[https://griffintechnology.com/us/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-
po...](https://griffintechnology.com/us/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-power-cable)

~~~
mikestew
Because sometimes an upvote isn't enough: thanks for the pointer, that would
be an acceptable compromise for me.

~~~
anentropic
Well... if you have the new MBP and the new LG display then this won't do
(assuming you charge the MBP from the display as intended)

That Griffin adapter is "power only, no data"

We need the equivalent but as a full-featured TB3 connector

~~~
otterley
In such a situation, both your computer and your monitor are likely to be on a
desktop, relatively near one another, so the chance of sudden accidental
separation is much lower.

------
a-no-n
Apple, as a laptop manufacturer, is done.

The company is continuing to regress, having lost its edge (SJ).

They're completely on the process bandwagon of requiring more accessories,
having lost the beauty and functionality of clever, practical simplicity which
advances the user experience, instead of making it crappier and inconvenient
for change's sake.

Tim Cook's gotta go, they need a more forceful visionary than a bean-counter.
MacBook Pro's need to consider detachable displays, alternatives to keyboards,
other modes of interaction, so on.

~~~
aikah
Tim Cook is fine. Ive need to quit.

~~~
lostlogin
I haven't seen "Ive" at the beginning of a sentence before and it's
surprisingly hard to parse.

------
raarts
Completely agree. I need to replace my macbook air, but am seriously stumped:
no more 12 hr battery, no more magsafe, a much higher price, and can't even
stay on the MBA because the 16GB I was hoping for did not appear on the MBA.

Really. Don't know what to do now. I can't switch to Windows, don't want to go
back to Linux. I feel like Apple has left me.

~~~
toomuchtodo
I'm buying 1-2 refurbished current gen Macbook Pros, and just hoping those and
my current one will last me the next decade or so (its all solid state, so
hopefully it will).

~~~
khattam
Just buy an old one after your current one breaks if you love Magsafe so much.
I'm sure many will be willing to sell their old 2015 Macbook pros when one
with wireless charging comes out in 2023.

~~~
toomuchtodo
* MagSafe

* USB

* Not needing a $25 adapter just to charge my iPhone

* Thunderbolt for my _two Thunderbolt displays_

Hopefully the used supply of MBP will stay deep for years.

~~~
daughart
You don't need a $25 adaptor, just a $25 cable!

[http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-
lightni...](http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-
cable-1-m?fnode=97&fs=f%3Dcable%26fh%3D458e%252B45c4)

Seriously though the next iPhone/iPad will surely going to use USB-C also and
ditch Lightning, which will dramatically simplify the connector situation
going on at Apple.

~~~
gambiting
If they were going to do that, then iphone 7 would have released with USB-C.
At the moment I guess they don't want to break compatibility with every iPhone
accessory on the market - but then again, they were never a company that cared
about breaking standards, so I have no idea why the hesitation now.

------
jowiar
The big advantage with Magsafe was when battery life was ~2 hours and it was a
necessity to haul a power cord around all day and the laptop was primarily
plugged in. Now? My power cord lives permanently at my desk -- I can't think
of the last time my power cord was in a trippable location.

~~~
brazzledazzle
Yeah but unplugging for meetings is annoying enough with a magsafe. The real
problem there that needs fixing is the meeting obsessed culture but in the
meantime I have to do what I can to make things easier on myself.

------
nomel
There are many third party solutions, like the Griffin Breaksafe. It eats a
port, but that's better than the MacBook flying onto the ground. :-\

------
totalZero
This is good for people who want to use one simple docking connector.

Still, every buyer who breaks his LCD screen after tripping over the power
cord is going to resent Apple for this. It seems to me a poor choice.

Many users share one charger between devices (for example, a study group in a
dorm lounge).

On the bright side, USB-C is a good standard and it deserves this kind of
major love.

------
rmason
We just got over the huge uproar when Apple removed the headphone jack from
the iPhone. Once this sinks in I think the dissent will be even louder.

Not everyone uses headphones, but everyone eventually has to charge their
laptop. When I think of the times I've been saved by MagSafe I shudder.

~~~
andrei_says_
Speak for yourself ;)

I haven't gotten over Apple crippling their devices (no standard audio output
from an "audio" device, inability to charge while listening to music (on
headphones), replacing bulletproof technology with much more complex, battery-
operated tech, something I can only explain with the intention to monetize on
what used to be a patent-free audio standard.

I'm not over it and I'm no longer excited about supporting their vision with
my money.

Yes, I will likely move away from the iPhone which would be much easier if I
could transfer the licenses for the apps I purchased.

Same for the MacBooks. All I can say is that they look cheaper to produce, are
impossible to service and upgrade and are actively eliminating useful
features.

Maybe I am no longer their demographic, I imagine these are the result of
marketing research and so will sell better than I expect them to.

Just not to me.

------
Inconel
I really don't understand how companies go about making these decisions
sometimes. MagSafe seems like such a simple and elegant solution to me. I
understand that USB-C is the future and that with much better battery life I'm
sure people aren't leaving their MacBooks plugged in as much as they were in
the past, negating some of it's usefulness. I can also accept that on
something like the 12" MacBook it might not work well since those are so light
weight and thinness/compactness seems to be a selling point, so I get why it
was removed.

I would have loved to see Apple include MagSafe charging in addition to USB
charging in these new rMBP's. I can't imagine it would have been much of an
engineering feat to include both methods of charging and I doubt including a
MagSafe charger would have added much cost. Personally I would be willing to
lose a USB port in favor of keeping MagSafe.

------
robert_foss
For people not stuck in Apple lock-in, USB-C charging is definitely a positive
thing.

Have you laptop charge using you phone adapter, or the other way around.
Currently on my desk I have 2 laptops and one phone, all of them are USB-C
capable.

Was the magsafe connector ever anything more than a marketing gimmick? Do you
fall over your laptop power chord daily? Weekly? Has is ever occurred?

~~~
jlawer
Yes, because my phone charger is going to supply 90W.....

~~~
zimpenfish
MacBook Pro only needs 61W - [https://www.apple.com/macbook-
pro/specs/](https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/)

Admittedly, your phone charger is probably going to struggle with that too.

------
tmnvix
Hypothetically speaking, if Apple had a patent on the 'magnetic power adaptor'
and discontinued it in their own products, would this mean that nobody could
produce such a thing. That seems like it would be a ludicrous situation.

~~~
malcolmgreaves
Yes - they can do exactly what you have described.

------
brosephli
Maybe the MacBook is too light for MagSafe to work safely. Also the adapters
tend to fray after a while.

------
gambiting
If apple stops using MagSafe currently, will their patent on it expire
eventually?

------
itazula
Someone will create a magsafe adapter that lies relatively flat against the
port.

