Apple Plans Upgraded MacBook Pros With Return of Magnetic Charging (bloomberg.com) 102
Apple is planning upgraded MacBook Pro laptops this year with much faster processors, updated displays and the return of its magnetic charger, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing a person with knowledge of the plans. From the report: The new laptops are planned to come in two screen sizes, a 14-inch model codenamed J314 and a 16-inch version internally dubbed J316. Both will use next-generation versions of Apple's in-house Mac processors, upgraded with more cores and enhanced graphics, the person said, asking not to be named as the products are not yet announced.
These devices will mark Apple's first high-end laptops to move away from Intel components. The company updated its base 13-inch MacBook Pro with its own M1 chip in November, to broadly positive reviews. Beyond the more powerful chips, Apple is also planning to step up the displays in its new MacBook Pros with brighter, higher-contrast panels, the person said. The new Macs will look similar to the current versions, albeit with minor design changes. Apple is aiming to launch the new MacBook Pros around the middle of the year. A major change to the new computers will be how they charge. Over the past five years, Apple has relied on USB-C ports for both power and data transfer on its laptops, making them compatible with other manufacturers' chargers. But the company is now bringing back MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter that means any accidental yanking of the power cable would simply detach it from the laptop rather than pull down the entire computer.
These devices will mark Apple's first high-end laptops to move away from Intel components. The company updated its base 13-inch MacBook Pro with its own M1 chip in November, to broadly positive reviews. Beyond the more powerful chips, Apple is also planning to step up the displays in its new MacBook Pros with brighter, higher-contrast panels, the person said. The new Macs will look similar to the current versions, albeit with minor design changes. Apple is aiming to launch the new MacBook Pros around the middle of the year. A major change to the new computers will be how they charge. Over the past five years, Apple has relied on USB-C ports for both power and data transfer on its laptops, making them compatible with other manufacturers' chargers. But the company is now bringing back MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter that means any accidental yanking of the power cable would simply detach it from the laptop rather than pull down the entire computer.
Title Much? (Score:2)
Re: Title Much? (Score:2)
Are you suggesting that the electric and the magnetic field aren't inherently coupled?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe the new one will be called MagSafe(exponent 2).
Fuck you Slashdot for still not supporting UTF-8 in freakin' 2021.
Re: (Score:2)
Leave it to Apple, to confuse the living shit out of people.
I'd say "Leave it to Bloomberg to confuse the living shit out of people," because their article's page was correctly HTML titled with "Apple (AAPL) MacBook Pros With MagSafe Return in the Works" and then they used the term "Magnetic Charging" throughout the article text instead of "MagSafe."
Re: (Score:2)
What electric field and magnetic field are you referring to and what do you mean by "inherently coupled"?
Laptops aren't charged by an "electric field", and no, the electrical connection that charges a Mac laptop is NOT "inherently coupled" to the magnetic fields holding a MagSafe connector on.
Re: (Score:3)
I think you failed physics class. You do realize you can measure current through a wire..by the coupling of the electric field to the magnetic field, right?
Just because you're not taking advantage of it doesn't mean it isn't happening.
Re: (Score:3)
Not only that, but I should point out that a changing magnetic field will induce a current in a wire. Just in case you missed that.
It's kind of important for inductive charging, as well.
Re:Title Much? (Score:5, Insightful)
Proprietary or not, MagSafe was really good and it was unfortunate that it was lost in the USB-C transition. Ideally they'd support both MagSafe and USB-C charging.
Re: (Score:3)
Proprietary or not, MagSafe was really good and it was unfortunate that it was lost in the USB-C transition.
They took that away? That was literally the only good thing about MacBooks.
Re: (Score:3)
I think "literally" was used in a figurative sense.
Re: (Score:2)
I loved MagSafe, but I must say USB-C charging has a lot of advantages too.
- You can attach the power cable on either side, left or right, with 4 ports to choose from.
- The cable between the charger brick and the laptop is an ordinary USB-C cable which can be detached and replaced. If your MagSafe cable wore out, you had to buy a new charger because the cable was permanently attached to it.
- In a pinch, you can also use that very same cable to connect your laptop to something else, for example a USB-C iPad.
Re: (Score:2)
I loved MagSafe, but I must say USB-C charging has a lot of advantages too.
- You can attach the power cable on either side, left or right, with 4 ports to choose from.
So you can still charge after you yank the cord so hard that you break one of the ports. :-D
- The cable between the charger brick and the laptop is an ordinary USB-C cable which can be detached and replaced. If your MagSafe cable wore out, you had to buy a new charger because the cable was permanently attached to it.
An ideal MagSafe implementation would involve using the existing USB-C bricks and a custom cable. If they do that, they could cut the number of laptop chargers that they're simultaneously manufacturing from 9 (three MagSafe 1, three MagSafe 2, and three USB-C) down to just three (or even one, ostensibly), so there is the potential for huge savings with that approach.
- In a pinch, you can also use that very same cable to connect your laptop to something else, for example a USB-C iPad.
True. Maybe rather than a full custom cable, it s
Re: (Score:2)
An ideal MagSafe implementation would involve using the existing USB-C bricks and a custom cable.
Alternatively, you could have a USB-C port that's magnetically attached to the laptop. You could even recess the magnetic coupling so the USB-C port itself is flush with the side of the laptop.
Re: (Score:2)
I've replaced the cables on a few MagSafe chargers. Parts are widely available.
Re: (Score:1)
Yep. When they took that away, kept raising the price to nosebleed levels, and had massive amounts of software quality issues I was done. Honestly the only thing I miss is the magsafe charger.
I just picked up 2 System76 laptops for the price of a macbook. So far I'm very impressed. They definitely blow the doors off a lot of cheap laptops, and the OS seems really well designed to support laptop functions. I have no love for a barrel charger, but at least one put it on the back of the laptop, along with an H
Re: (Score:2)
Not really. They would randomly stop working with a specific charger and you would be forced to swap it for another one until the original one, which was perfectly fine, would work with that particular laptop again.
I own nothing of Apple's personally, except by proxy, some stocks, but I have had to work, intermittently, with them at work for years.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Never heard about that.
Perhaps you should use a tooth pick once a while and clean the charging port and the charger connector?
Re: (Score:2)
If you hate someone, a great practical joke is to dip their magsafe in fine metal filings.
It will take them a while to figure out what the problem is and then another hour to pick all the filings out of the port with a toothpick and tweezers. Heh heh.
Re: (Score:2)
I agree, it was a few times that people were actually excited about a power cable.
Having to resolder laptops power connectors back. or sometime mangle a case so I can can fit in a new connector. The current methods of these connectors are just really bad.
I am unsure why USB-C wasn't setup in a way it could be magnetically connected.
I tend to tirelessly charge my Cell Phone, vs USB C Charging, mostly because before Wireless charging, my phones would wear out faster, because the plug to connect them just gets
Just screw it! (Re:Title Much?) (Score:1)
Magnets wear out too.
A magnetic power connector is nice but magnets will fade in the amount of force they can hold over time. I don't know if connecting and disconnecting will make any measurable difference in how long the magnet will last.
I will sometimes miss the thumbscrews on connectors before things like USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI came along. These weren't perfect since I've managed to break off and bend plenty of thumbscrews on computer connectors. Magnet connections are nice but I wonder how long they
Re: (Score:2)
magnets will fade in the amount of force they can hold over time.
Realistically speaking, magnets don't wear out.
A permanent magnet, if kept and used in optimum working conditions, will keep its magnetism for years and years. For example, it is estimated that a neodymium magnet loses approximately 5% of its magnetism every 100 years. https://www.first4magnets.com/... [first4magnets.com]
Interpolating that information means that after 20 years your magnet will still deliver 99% of the original holding force. That's probably longer than the designed lifespan of the computer or charger.
Re: (Score:2)
Unless you get your magsafe port up to the Curie temperature of the neodymium magnets you will not realistically see any change in their holding strength over the lifetime of the computer, and probably nothing noticeable over the typical human lifespan. Where exactly did you see a MagSafe adapter lose its holding ability due to waning magnetic attraction?
Re: (Score:2)
I have not seen MagSafe fail to hold but I have seen magnets fade for laptop lids, cabinet doors, refrigerator magnets, and tote bag flap closures. If someone wants to claim that is because these were not high quality magnets then that's fine but it does show that magnets will fade in time.
If someone was going to make a USB-C cable that was held in place by a magnet then I'd be reluctant to buy it. I've seen far too many cheap magnets fade and far too many cheap USB-C cables fail. Just because the cable
Re: (Score:2)
Sort of good. Plagued with premature failures, partly because there was no strain relief at the connector - much like any Apple charger ever. There was a class action lawsuit about it. It was a great idea, but a mediocre implementation.
Re: (Score:2)
Sort of good. Plagued with premature failures, partly because there was no strain relief at the connector - much like any Apple charger ever. There was a class action lawsuit about it. It was a great idea, but a mediocre implementation.
The lack of strain relief wasn't the main problem. The main problem was that you couldn't replace the cord when it failed; you had to replace the entire $80 brick because a $5 cable went bad. :-(
But now, they have to keep manufacturing USB-C power supplies anyway, realistically, so this is the perfect opportunity to consolidate their power supply designs by building a single set of USB-C chargers, and selling replaceable MagSafe cables that can connect them to your Mac, or use normal USB-C cables if you pr
Re: (Score:2)
It really was the main problem. How many other brands of laptop have you EVER needed to worry about the plug end fraying? The only reason it needs to be replaceable is because it was a defective design to begin with.
Re: (Score:2)
It really was the main problem. How many other brands of laptop have you EVER needed to worry about the plug end fraying? The only reason it needs to be replaceable is because it was a defective design to begin with.
It wasn't a problem at all. Apple actually put quite a bit of strain relief into subsequent versions of the design (the version with L connectors, as opposed to T connectors). They still failed. Frequently. Strain reliefs do help with wires breaking at the spot where the wire goes in, but if the cable isn't strong enough, strain reliefs just shift the new point of breakage to the end of the strain relief, and that's exactly what happens with Apple's cables.
The real design flaw in the cable was the decis
Re: (Score:1)
Was it?
https://www.macworld.co.uk/new... [macworld.co.uk]
But no this is just americans showing there inability to put things in stupid places.
Mac's are shit. But for other reasons.
Re: (Score:2)
Magnets interfere with pacemakers. MagSafe uses magnets. It's not exactly unique to MagSafe. I'm sure you'll find that if you put anything with a magnet on it on your chest above your pacemaker, you'll have issues.
Maybe don't press your MagSafe power connector over your heart; unlike a phone, you're probably not going to be putting a laptop there.
Re: (Score:2)
The *second* iteration of MagSafe was good.
The *first* was capable of picking up a used (opened and curved) staple to land in such a way that it would short the terminals and blow the fuse in the charging circuitry, preventing charging or running off battery. This required replacement of the motherboard. (At least with the MacPortable and Powerbook series, you could unsolder and replace the fuse . . .)
Keep USB-C charging, Apple! (Re:Title Much?) (Score:2)
Ideally they'd support both MagSafe and USB-C charging.
I hope that this is the case as well. I recall Lenovo went this route, they have laptops that will support charging from both USB-C as well as their own 20 VDC power connector. At one place I worked they had a lot of Lenovo equipment and I recall Lenovo using this same power connector for nearly everything. The good side of this is it ended the need to track a dozen different kinds of power bricks for LCD displays, laptops, and so on. The downside is the same as with the switch to USB-C, not every power
Re: (Score:2)
When did they get rid of the magnetic connector? Seriously, did they do something utterly stupid like USB-C for charging the newer mac books? I'm still on the MacBook Pro 2015.
Re: (Score:2)
You missed a lot of mistakes, my friend. The new ones indeed use USB-C for charging. You also missed multiple generations of really bad keyboards.
Fortunately for you, it seems your next laptop will have both a good keyboard and magnetic ports (if this rumour has any truth to it).
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And now that new Macs will have magnetic power cables and good keyboards again, I can finally upgrade from my 2010 Mac mini. Oh wait...
Proprietary or Nothing (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Now they just have to invent some.
Re: (Score:3)
Why not both? (Score:5, Interesting)
Magsafe was awesome. Everyone loved it. It worked precisely as designed, produced less wear and tear from daily proper usage, and has saved MANY laptops. Not only was it effective, it just 'felt' cool to hear that snap when you got the cable close enough.
I would love to see them keep the same brick, but introduce a new USB-C to magsafe3 cable. Their base would go nuts.
If I were apple, I would be more concerned about the early wear and tear on the warrantied laptops USB-C produces. Apple is arguably more a luxury goods provider than a hardware provider. I think charger cables are small fries in profitability, so they don't gain much by forcing you to use a proprietary charger. They gain more by not having to service dropped laptops as well as the sales factor of people seeing shiny, new macbook pros owned by their friends and wanting to buy one themselves. That is greatly diminished if your friend's macbook has battle scars: scrapes, dents, gashes.
That is why I am hopeful, they will play nice and produce a USB-C to magsafe and still allow USB charging, call it innovation, and let the 3rd party manufacturers fill the gaps needed, like battery packs, chargers, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
Magsafe was awesome. Everyone loved it.
Not everyone. In my opinion it fell off too easily. And like most Apple products of the time, the cable had no strain relief whatsoever so the cable would split and break next to the connector.
It's a neat solution but I can't recall ever tripping on a laptop power cable. Spinning hard drives are rare to find in laptops now, so there is much less chance of breakage even if a device does fall off a desk.
Re: (Score:2)
And like most Apple products of the time, the cable had no strain relief whatsoever so the cable would split and break next to the connector.
I'm starting to think I'm the only person on the planet who never had this problem... Lucky me!
Re: (Score:1)
Magsafe was awesome. Everyone loved it. It worked precisely as designed, produced less wear and tear from daily proper usage, and has saved MANY laptops.
Never heard anyone saying his laptop broke because of lack of magsafe. Never.
Not only was it effective, it just 'felt' cool to hear that snap when you got the cable close enough.
Can't argue with you here. Typical Apple user I guess. The real reason to use Apple is because of how it feels. It doesn't matter how crappy or overpriced the product is, as long as it feels good.
Re: (Score:3)
And yet, broken power jacks are one of the most common problems in laptops. Enough so that many teardowns see if the power jack is soldered to a circuit board or plugs into the motherboard because it's a common replacement item.
And there are countless examples where someone has tripped over a power cable and sent the attached laptop to the floor.
I've even seen it done by the presenter at a seminar.
Anyhow, there's nothing to say App
Re: (Score:1)
And yet, broken power jacks are one of the most common problems in laptops. [...]And there are countless examples where someone has tripped over a
So common I have never heard about it.
Re: (Score:2)
The real reason to use a Mac is: it runs Unix out of the box.
No idea why you are an Apple Users Hater, though.
Re: (Score:1)
The real reason to use a Mac is: it runs Unix out of the box.
99% of Apple users couldn't care less about Unix and never use the terminal on their Mac. Not sure there is even one on iOS, or anything left from Unix accessible to the end user.
Re: (Score:2)
Your iOS critics you could extend to Android.
Most if not all laptop/desktop users I know, actually do use the terminal. And that again, actually, has nothing to do with unix or not.
Macs run on Unix, so do basically all Apple devices, even the watches. No idea what there is to argue about.
Re: (Score:2)
I was not criticizing iOS. I was criticizing your claim that the "real reason to use a Mac" is because it runs Unix.
Newflash : nobody buys an Android because it runs Linux is also true.
Re: (Score:2)
For most apple users, it is :D
No idea about android users, I guess many simply try to find a phone with good price/performance ratio. However many are moving to true linux phones.
Re: (Score:2)
For most apple users, it is :D
No, it isn't. Most Apple users don't even know what Unix is.
Re: (Score:2)
No, it isn't. Most Apple users don't even know what Unix is.
Butter know what Windows is?
Sersously, why shame people you have no ida about?
Re: (Score:2)
what's your point? Yes, most people know what Windows is and most people do not know what Unix is. And this is also true for Apple users.
Re: (Score:2)
And I'm convinced you are wrong :P As most Apple users are software developers, oops. That was actually pretty clear or not?
Re: (Score:2)
As most Apple users are software developers
wrong again
Re: (Score:2)
Actually: nope.
Even if it is only 51% (which it is not): I'm right, pfft.
Re: (Score:2)
yes, but if it's like 10-15% (much more likely), then you are wrong
Mabye you have not been around kids, dogs or wives (Score:2)
Never heard anyone saying his laptop broke because of lack of magsafe. Never.
If you've never seen a laptop or any device fall because someone tripped on a cable, I would guess you haven't used it very often near kids, in airports, conference rooms at conventions or large companies, dogs, even my cat, and especially my wife. My wife drops hers all the time. It's a serious risk if you use one on a couch or bed. Also, with kids and dogs running around, you get up, place it on the coffee table and someone runs near it and sends it on the floor. Only adults who are paying attention te
Re: (Score:2)
Never heard anyone saying his laptop broke because of lack of magsafe. Never.
If you've never seen a laptop or any device fall because someone tripped on a cable, I would guess you haven't used it very often near kids, in airports, conference rooms at conventions or large companies, dogs, even my cat, and especially my wife.
I do that all the time, yes. Except being near your cat and wife.
You know most of big tech uses Apple laptops, right? For me, it's my programming workstation issued by my employer.
Even if it were true, it doesn't make it the typical Apple user. Apple's market share in the corporate world is even lower than its global share.
the best selling laptop
Again not sure if it really is the single best selling laptop (which one? the Mac Book Air?), but given it probably has something like 5% of the market, I don't see what is your point. That the competition (non-Apple PC makers) is healthy and divided between many different brands and models people can
Re: (Score:2)
Some people are happy paying more for a better product. Some people are happy paying less for a "good enough" product. That's market segmentation, and people in both segments are both right, for what they want.
Re: (Score:2)
The problem with Apple is that many people would can't afford it spend way too much money on iDevices. As a shareholder, I'm glad. But from a society perspective I find it pathetic.
Re: (Score:1)
Why not really have both... (Score:1)
Why not allow both? We're both speculating, but they gain nothing by removing USB-C charging
My prediction, because it's such an obvious thing to do, is that Apple will offer a Magsafe connector - but in the middle of the Magsafe connector on the laptop, will also be a USB-C port. So you could charge either with the Magsafe cable, or a standard USB-C cable, and also the Magsafe port is not taking up one of the USB-C slots when you are not charging.
Re: (Score:2)
There are a number of companies selling things somewhat like this - adapters so that you plug a magnetic connector into USB-c on your laptop, then use a cable that's magnetic on the end. It's a bit of a hassle because there's a thing sticking out the side of your otherwise nice looking laptop, and a random little adapter to keep track of if you take it out.
What would be ideal (IMO) would be that there's one magnetic connector that's power + everything else, and then a few USB-c connectors just like now. So
Re: (Score:1)
Yes, that would be best if the magnetic connector could hook up a whole dock of all other connectors, almost like a custom USB-C port that could also support faster charging or maybe even multiple USB-C buses (not sure what the proper term for that would be)..
Re: (Score:2)
Oh yes, I remember the magsafe proprietary chargers that cost well over $100 CAD and that broke constantly. Awesome!
I'll stick to standards, thanks. USB-C is just fine. If you want magsafe, here you go:
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=usb+c+magnetic+charging+cable&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
I moved off an iPhone to a Samsung phone that used USB-C... I then needed to buy a set of charging options that Used USB-C because I had USB-A and Micro-USB charging options with all my other technology.
Now granted I got my wife a new laptop, which had USB-C charging, so Now if my phone needs a Charge I can use her laptops charger, which is nice... However the question is when I get new devices in the next 4-8 years will USB-C still be common, or would there be USB-D or companies all decided to go back to
Re: (Score:3)
What a stupid comment. The only -- literally, the ONLY -- proprietary connectors Apple has used in the last 20 years are:
iPod connector (and its successor the Lightning connector)
Pre-USB-C charging cables (which were amazing)
In the 20 years before that I guess you had the ADB connector.
Beyond that Apple's laptops and desktops have had a greater array of standard I/O connectors than most PCs.
Re: (Score:2)
In the 20 years before that I guess you had the ADB connector.
Even that wasn't proprietary. Mechanically, it was a commonly available connector that wasn't designed specifically for Apple (and, in fact, was also broadly used for S-Video on a large number of TVs, VCRs, camcorders, and DVD players) In fact, Apple wasn't even the only company that manufactured computers and keyboards/mice that used ADB. NeXT also did (for many years).
Of course, to be pedantic, Apple is currently the only company that ever manufactured any computers that use ADB, because it owns the on
Re: (Score:2)
Apple tends to introduce proprietary connectors when the standards aren't good enough. For example, in the olden days when networking was insanely expensive and fragile, Apple built it in standard into all their computers, making network super-cheap, using a connector Apple invented. Then when Ethernet got cheap, they eliminated the proprietary connector and used Ethernet. Same deal with ADB getting replaced by USB. And their display connectors. And so on. Yes, Apple does proprietary things to be better tha
Re: (Score:2)
Oh yeah! I forgot about those. I actually still have a box of AppleTalk adapters (not sure what their name is), some of which used phone lines for networking, and, IIRC, some of which used rj45 cable.
Re: (Score:2)
Magsafe and iPod/Lightning are the only connectors that Apple has used in the last 20 years. Maybe there was a Mac in 2000 that still had an ADB connector? Not sure.
You and another commenter reminded me of LocalTalk/AppleTalk. That was such a great networking setup. Made it super easy to transition to 10bt and TCP/IP as that evolved. Far easier than Win3.1 and Trumpet Winsock at the same time.
I am very glad I live in a country where a largely unaccountable central government doesn't control minutia like wha
Re: (Score:2)
Magsafe and iPod/Lightning are the only connectors that Apple has used in the last 20 years.
MagSafe and Lightning predate USB-C so it's not like Apple had some standard to follow.
Before MagSafe it seemed every model of laptop had it's own power connector specific to that model. MagSafe made a standard that was common among multiple Models. This changed slightly with the introduction of MagSafe2 but a simple adapter allowed compatibility between the two.
There were some "universal" laptop power supplies on the market that had a high probability to charging many popular brands and models of laptops
Re: (Score:2)
I realize I am responding late, but I thought you might get a kick out of this.
At work I have a closet with old macs in it (we've actually needed to access old files that are only only weird media several times in the last decade).
I have one of the Blue&White Power Mac G3s, with an ADB port (and two firewire ports, Ethernet, 2 USB, built-in modem, mic in and audio out, VGA on an expansion card, SCSI on an expansion card, and Ultra2 SCSI on a different expansion card), and a manufacture date of 2/1999. N
Why not both? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, for power connectors, the PC world didn't have standards for laptops either. Even from the same manufacturer you'd have multiple types of chargers, different voltage levels, etc.
The magnetic connector for the Mac has had more than one style as well, as it shrunk on one occasion at least; though I have seen a simple (tiny) adapter being used so that you could keep the old power supply.
Re: (Score:2)
Don't pretend that other laptop makers don't also make their power bricks proprietary. Apple is actually pretty good about opening up their ecosystem to 3rd party manufacturers. I was able to replace my MBP's power brick with a $30 unit off Amazon.
Also OG Magsafe was one of those things that Apple just knocked out of the park. It was a shame when they discontinued it for USB-C. It'd be really cool if they could find a way to support both technologies.
Re: Proprietary or Nothing (Score:2)
Apple just can't stand to have a standard connector on any of their products. Can't have people buying inexpensive, non-Apple accessories.
When Apple switched from MagSafe to standard USB-C Charging, the entire planet screeched and moaned, lamenting the cruel removal of that most-beloved feature.
Now you are whining that it may require a return to a proprietary power connector?!? Make up my mind, willya!!!
So long as they continue to support USB-C charging, then who cares if they also allow MagSafe with a proprietary connector? Could that new MagSafe connector just be the power pins from USB-C, to simplify internal circuitry?
Rumors (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Wish Apple would post an approximate release schedule, just so people and businesses knew when to make purchases. Nothing sucks more than making a mass purchase right before a refresh.
Waiting impatiently for the new Macbook 16 (Score:2)
Confused author (Score:5, Interesting)
Before MacBooks used USB-C with a USB-C charger, Apple used a charger called "MagSafe". Just a normal charger, except it had a MAGnet connecting it to the Mac, so if you run over the cable your MacBook doesn't start flying through the room, but the cable SAFEly detaches from the Mac. Very nice, but the only thing magnetic about it is using a magnet to attach it to your Mac.
For newer iPhones, Apple has a wireless charger, which is about the most stupid and useless product you can think of, and which is confusingly also called MagSafe because it attaches to your phone with a magnet. A total waste of time and money.
So Apple has TWO different MagSafes: One useful and missed, one totally useless. Nobody knows from this article what Apple is doing.
There's going to be a branding problem (Score:2)
MagSafe was a beloved feature on Apple laptops, so users will applaud having it back - no more having your expensive laptop fly off the table when somebody walks into the charger cord stretched to find a distant outlet. But now that Apple is calling the magnetic back of recent iPhones 'MagSafe', what are they going to call the old-is-new-again magnetic laptop cable?
IT's a rumor (Score:2)
Apple is using the trademark on a different solution currently and the rumor of the the loved MagSafe connector returning could likely be some variation of the iPhone MagSafe rather than what everybody has wanted since they screwed up on their laptops YEARS ago (starting with the keyboard.)
Re: (Score:2)
Induction charging can't provide the wattage that a power cable can, at least not on consumer scale devices. Though who knows - perhaps the ARM Mac's are power efficient enough that an induction charger could be sufficient?
Re: (Score:2)
The old laptop connector was not induction charging. It was just a breakaway charging connector held in magnetically.
MagSafe (Score:1)
2 bad MBPs - I'll wait for the new one! (Score:1)
Good. MacBook crash to the floor (Score:2)
The USB-C cord got wrapped around the wheeled desk chair. When I pushed the chair away from the desk the MacBook was jerked off of the desk. That never would have happened with MagSafe. Luckily it landed on edge. The USB-C connector was bent and non-functional. I was able to get another charging cable just before the computer ran out of charge a couple days later.
Re: Good. MacBook crash to the floor (Score:2)
Liar.
Either you cord was not designed to spec or defective, or Apple deliberately designed it to be stuck, or you just made this up.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple deliberately designed the USB-C connector to be stuck in the computer, especially when pulling on it at a 90 degree angle (the situation I experienced from computer on desk and chair in front). MagSafe cables would pop free if there would be a tug on them from any direction.
Nothing about my anecdote is a untrue.
Bullshit! (Score:2)
1. Pulling on USB-C pulls out the plug too! It is specifically designed that way?
2. The EU law that laptops MUST have USB-C charging is coming, make no mistake.
With teeth that will make you bleed millions for every DAY you missed complying, mind you! (Been there, done that to MS.)