These cables are damaged because they are removed by pulling on the cable instead of pulling on the connector.
You nailed it right there. That happened to me with my MB connector about a year ago. They exchanged it at the store and advised to 1) always pull from the mag connector itself and 2) don't leave the MB pulling on the cable for extended lengths of time... Pretty simple stuff I guess, and the replacement cable looks brand new after one year following those points
What the hell @ people who think 'it hasn't happened to me, so this is bullshit.'
My cable popped, crackled and melted through while I was editing a project for work. I do not do acrobatics with my MacBook, I do not wrap the cable in stupid ways. It's either on the desk or on my lap, I'm glad I am not the only one this has happened to. I'd be interested to see if this has happened to the some of the Air's MagSafe cables.
Legally notarized? Just a photo should be fine. Anything higher is way too high of a standard to demand here, this isn't a court or even Night Court. If you don't want the same applied to you when you make claims, you should avoid spouting that at others.
You're not making any sense.
I don't believe most of these claims. It is anecdotal nonsense that directly counters what has time and time again been stated publicly about Apple by third parties and consumers. And these individuals are also suspect in the way they handle or have handled the cord/adapter/plug.
I wasn't actually asking for admissible pics in the expectation of getting any or in the expectation that the individual could provide them, LOL!! I was making a statement, though a subtle one. And whatever claims I make around here, like those of others, have no legal context and no legal impact on anyone or any organization, unlike the claim made by the individual whom I called out.
I've had this problem with Apple portables since a PowerBook 1400. It's power adaptor went in exactly the same place. My 2001 iBook has been through 3 adaptors, both yo-yo and brick style. The white brick also had a problem at the brick end of the cable from winding around the cable prongs.
It comes down to Apple's miniturisation. Compare Apple's charging cables with any other company's, and Apple's are considerably thinner and more flexible (and so more likely to knot).
It comes down to Apple's miniturisation. Compare Apple's charging cables with any other company's, and Apple's are considerably thinner and more flexible (and so more likely to knot).
As I said- form over function bites again.
I frankly could care less how thin my cord or connector is- whatever is more efficient works for me. Those recent mini iPod charging cable connectors look like trouble too.
What the hell @ people who think 'it hasn't happened to me, so this is bullshit.'
My cable popped, crackled and melted through while I was editing a project for work. I do not do acrobatics with my MacBook, I do not wrap the cable in stupid ways. It's either on the desk or on my lap, I'm glad I am not the only one this has happened to. I'd be interested to see if this has happened to the some of the Air's MagSafe cables.
The crackling is caused by the broken conductor wires in the cable, these then short and spark inside the sheath. This is caused by stress on the cable and stretching/bending.
This is not solely an Apple issue, all manufacturers use slimmer wires now and your mileage may vary. Acer seem to be a big culprit and when you complain to them they pretty much tell you to F off. At least Apple replace the units no questions asked.
Just checked the support database. We have had to replace 2 Apple magsafe power supplies since April 2008 (both for free through Apple) out of a total of 38 Macbooks. In the same period of time we had to replace 14 Dell power supplies (we replaced these with 3rd party multi units) out of 63 units. And 19 Acer power supplies out of 56 units (again with 3rd party units) . Acer is no longer on our approved list for portables (or desktops for that matter)
The cable issues seemed to be caused by wrapping them up around the power bricks. We now supply soft velcro straps and get the users to loop the wires now and not wrap them. I thought everyone knew not to wrap wires as even back in the days of the Atari consoles etc you knew that wrapping the cables around the jousticks etc broke them over time.
Eh. As an industrial designer, I don't really think that's an excuse. A LOT of people are going to yank the cord. They shouldn't, but they will. It's convenient and 99.9% of the time the cord will be fine... so people will do it.
As a designer you should design a solution that accounts for how your users will interact, for better or worse, with your product. Look at the cord on an iron. The plug is big and grippy to indicate "I'm supposed to be grabbed," but just in case the user yanks the cord, the cord is thick and reinforced at the plug.
I'm not saying Apple needs to go back to 1999 and bring back the big fat power cord, but they could make some small design tweaks to address this. The connector could have some affordances that speak to "grab" and "pull here" (grippy lines, thumb indentation, etc.) Moreover, the cable could have a discreet rubber shield that stresses the mag safe connector, not the internal wiring.
I agree with what you're saying here totally, but I don't believe that pulling on the cord is the issue for magsafe connectors.
The one thing they (presumably) *are* designed for specifically is detachment by yanking on the cord. It's their entire raison d'etre as it were.
Apple has a history of designing things to rather fine tolerances and their designers place a premium on thin-ness, as well as keeping things to the smallest size possible for their use. I would suspect that the conductors in the wire are the minimum required so as not to overheat with the resistance and the cable packing/sheathing/whatever is as minimal as it can be also.
Given that, all it takes is a strong person with a penchant for winding their cords with more force than the designer expected, and some of the wires inside will eventually break. This could easily leads to overheating, possible additional wires breaking and a snowball effect wherein the wire becomes either dangerously hot or broken or both.
IMO it's the minimalist design coupled with the failure to expect that a giant truck driver might also buy that laptop instead of the usual effete Apple-eque latte drinker that's at fault.
It also struck me as a bad idea that they continue to encourage users to wind their cords around the adapter horns. Being practical and having had it drilled into me since birth not to overly wind cords on electrical equipment I've never had a problem, but given these wire problems started appearing years ago, Apple should probably have started discouraging the practice given that an un-careful "winder" can cause so much damage.
As a side note if Apple focuses to much on making the environmentalist happy you can expect even more durability problems in the future. Not that I support pollution just that sometimes the environmentalist have ill advised policies.
I understand that this is a "side note," but can you explain what that comment has to do with ANYTHING? It certainly doesn't have anything to do with reality. There is absolutely no reason something can't be environmentally friendly AND durable without a little know-how, and anybody who wants to argue otherwise is just too ignorant or too lazy to make it happen.
My original larger magsafe (the earlier units for the 17 MBP were bigger) failed after about 6 months just like in the photo in the original article ...melted through and eventually stopped working, I would spark if flexed near the melt. The replacement also a larger one is still going strong but I did have to pay for it and it took 3 weeks to get it. Feeling that maybe it was the repeated wrapping up that caused the problem I purchased a new one that was one of the redesigned versions that is physically smaller. That one failed in a similar fashion but up at where it attached to the white brick. Once more I attempted to get the Apple store to replace it and this time I was successful. That was about a year ago. Both adapters continue to function however I now seldom carry them. I keep one at home and one at the office...only when I know I need more time that the battery will last do I pack one up.
I don't believe most of these claims. It is anecdotal nonsense that directly counters what has time and time again been stated publicly about Apple by third parties and consumers. And these individuals are also suspect in the way they handle or have handled the cord/adapter/plug.
I wasn't actually asking for admissible pics in the expectation of getting any or in the expectation that the individual could provide them, LOL!! I was making a statement, though a subtle one. And whatever claims I make around here, like those of others, have no legal context and no legal impact on anyone or any organization, unlike the claim made by the individual whom I called out.
No, what you're really saying is that you've already made up your mind, closed it and locked it, i.e. nothing could reasonably done to change it. And the person you leveled that against also didn't suggest a legal context either, so it looks like you're just running a case of special pleading.
You're also saying that someone's experience didn't actually happen, as if they're relating some sort of hearsay and not personal experience. Unlike some other people, it wasn't a person that said all the adapters were bad, suggest that it was a widespread problem, or even mention what they thought of the case, just that they had that experience. Seems like you picked the most innocuous post to level that kind of response when there were other people that are suggesting that Apple's products are defective by design.
The final thing you're saying is that you're calling that person a liar without being bold enough to just say that rather than being so roundabout.
There's a lot of confusion here, so I'll explain exactly what the problem is ? it happened to mine just a couple months ago. (It's still under warranty so of course Apple replaced it.)
When the cord is bent too far in any direction near the magsafe plug, the wiring inside get pressed hard against the insulation and heats it up, eventually burning a hole right through it. (I noticed the problem when I touched the cable and it nearly burned me.)
This is not an issue of abuse ? this can easily happen if your cable bends back behind your computer, as was the case with mine. I had absolutely no reason to think that a minor bend in the cable would be enough to destroy it. It should not do so.
I do believe that this is a problem with the products themselves, not their abuse.
This then is a problem with ALL cables. Any cord that is bent TOO far by definition exceeds it's design intent.
The final thing you're saying is that you're calling that person a liar.
Bingo!
Unless they can substantiate such wild claims, they are. Unfortunately in this case it's guilty until proven innocent, in my book. Too many trolls running wild with this fire/explosion idea that started as one or two isolated incidents long ago (misuse and abuse being just as likely causes as anything else), and then multiplied a hundredfold by the usual suspects. I don't buy it and I'm being up-front about it.
We need to be very careful when it comes to these wild negative claims abourt Apple products, especially since they are hardly widesperead. But when you get every second or third person (or troll) saying "me too!", then something is definitely fishy.
But that's just my persepective on the issue, and I'm certainly allowed to have it. Others have their own, obviously, etc.
Unless they can substantiate such wild claims, they are. Unfortunately in this case it's guilty until proven innocent, in my book. Too many trolls running wild with this fire/explosion idea that started as one or two isolated incidents long ago (misuse and abuse being just as likely causes as anything else), and then multiplied a hundredfold by the usual suspects. I don't buy it and I'm being up-front about it.
We need to be very careful when it comes to these wild negative claims abourt Apple products, especially since they are hardly widesperead. But when you get every second or third person (or troll) saying "me too!", then something is definitely fishy.
But that's just my persepective on the issue, and I'm certainly allowed to have it. Others have their own, obviously, etc.
The problem is that it looks like you got unhinged on the wrong person because that person didn't say what you think they said. You're reading in so much that you're more or less reading into it what you wanted to see. Or it was as if you were unloading all of your baggage on the wrong person. I will quote the post that you responded to:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Julio
We smelled it and looked around the house for 20 minutes before we figured out what was burning. It looked exactly like a picture. She kept it plugged in all the time, and only used it as her home adapter.
Julio
I think all your accusations against Julio look to be false, assumed or trumped up and really make you look like the jerk here, not Julio.
Comments
These cables are damaged because they are removed by pulling on the cable instead of pulling on the connector.
You nailed it right there. That happened to me with my MB connector about a year ago. They exchanged it at the store and advised to 1) always pull from the mag connector itself and 2) don't leave the MB pulling on the cable for extended lengths of time... Pretty simple stuff I guess, and the replacement cable looks brand new after one year following those points
My cable popped, crackled and melted through while I was editing a project for work. I do not do acrobatics with my MacBook, I do not wrap the cable in stupid ways. It's either on the desk or on my lap, I'm glad I am not the only one this has happened to. I'd be interested to see if this has happened to the some of the Air's MagSafe cables.
Legally notarized? Just a photo should be fine. Anything higher is way too high of a standard to demand here, this isn't a court or even Night Court. If you don't want the same applied to you when you make claims, you should avoid spouting that at others.
You're not making any sense.
I don't believe most of these claims. It is anecdotal nonsense that directly counters what has time and time again been stated publicly about Apple by third parties and consumers. And these individuals are also suspect in the way they handle or have handled the cord/adapter/plug.
I wasn't actually asking for admissible pics in the expectation of getting any or in the expectation that the individual could provide them, LOL!! I was making a statement, though a subtle one. And whatever claims I make around here, like those of others, have no legal context and no legal impact on anyone or any organization, unlike the claim made by the individual whom I called out.
It comes down to Apple's miniturisation. Compare Apple's charging cables with any other company's, and Apple's are considerably thinner and more flexible (and so more likely to knot).
It comes down to Apple's miniturisation. Compare Apple's charging cables with any other company's, and Apple's are considerably thinner and more flexible (and so more likely to knot).
As I said- form over function bites again.
I frankly could care less how thin my cord or connector is- whatever is more efficient works for me. Those recent mini iPod charging cable connectors look like trouble too.
What the hell @ people who think 'it hasn't happened to me, so this is bullshit.'
My cable popped, crackled and melted through while I was editing a project for work. I do not do acrobatics with my MacBook, I do not wrap the cable in stupid ways. It's either on the desk or on my lap, I'm glad I am not the only one this has happened to. I'd be interested to see if this has happened to the some of the Air's MagSafe cables.
The crackling is caused by the broken conductor wires in the cable, these then short and spark inside the sheath. This is caused by stress on the cable and stretching/bending.
This is not solely an Apple issue, all manufacturers use slimmer wires now and your mileage may vary. Acer seem to be a big culprit and when you complain to them they pretty much tell you to F off. At least Apple replace the units no questions asked.
Just checked the support database. We have had to replace 2 Apple magsafe power supplies since April 2008 (both for free through Apple) out of a total of 38 Macbooks. In the same period of time we had to replace 14 Dell power supplies (we replaced these with 3rd party multi units) out of 63 units. And 19 Acer power supplies out of 56 units (again with 3rd party units) . Acer is no longer on our approved list for portables (or desktops for that matter)
The cable issues seemed to be caused by wrapping them up around the power bricks. We now supply soft velcro straps and get the users to loop the wires now and not wrap them. I thought everyone knew not to wrap wires as even back in the days of the Atari consoles etc you knew that wrapping the cables around the jousticks etc broke them over time.
think about it...
the iPhone 3G plug and now this and many other past products.
Hmm...looks to me like these folks are trying to create their own "economic stimulus" at Apple's expense.
Wrong. These cables go bad prematurely. Why do people like you always blame the victim instead of the offender?
Why does Apple design products that cause fire? LOL
think about it...
the iPhone 3G plug and now this and many other past products.
They don't.
People need to start taking care of their stuff, and a certain select few need to sop lying in forums.
Eh. As an industrial designer, I don't really think that's an excuse. A LOT of people are going to yank the cord. They shouldn't, but they will. It's convenient and 99.9% of the time the cord will be fine... so people will do it.
As a designer you should design a solution that accounts for how your users will interact, for better or worse, with your product. Look at the cord on an iron. The plug is big and grippy to indicate "I'm supposed to be grabbed," but just in case the user yanks the cord, the cord is thick and reinforced at the plug.
I'm not saying Apple needs to go back to 1999 and bring back the big fat power cord, but they could make some small design tweaks to address this. The connector could have some affordances that speak to "grab" and "pull here" (grippy lines, thumb indentation, etc.) Moreover, the cable could have a discreet rubber shield that stresses the mag safe connector, not the internal wiring.
I agree with what you're saying here totally, but I don't believe that pulling on the cord is the issue for magsafe connectors.
The one thing they (presumably) *are* designed for specifically is detachment by yanking on the cord. It's their entire raison d'etre as it were.
Apple has a history of designing things to rather fine tolerances and their designers place a premium on thin-ness, as well as keeping things to the smallest size possible for their use. I would suspect that the conductors in the wire are the minimum required so as not to overheat with the resistance and the cable packing/sheathing/whatever is as minimal as it can be also.
Given that, all it takes is a strong person with a penchant for winding their cords with more force than the designer expected, and some of the wires inside will eventually break. This could easily leads to overheating, possible additional wires breaking and a snowball effect wherein the wire becomes either dangerously hot or broken or both.
IMO it's the minimalist design coupled with the failure to expect that a giant truck driver might also buy that laptop instead of the usual effete Apple-eque latte drinker that's at fault.
It also struck me as a bad idea that they continue to encourage users to wind their cords around the adapter horns. Being practical and having had it drilled into me since birth not to overly wind cords on electrical equipment I've never had a problem, but given these wire problems started appearing years ago, Apple should probably have started discouraging the practice given that an un-careful "winder" can cause so much damage.
As a side note if Apple focuses to much on making the environmentalist happy you can expect even more durability problems in the future. Not that I support pollution just that sometimes the environmentalist have ill advised policies.
I understand that this is a "side note," but can you explain what that comment has to do with ANYTHING? It certainly doesn't have anything to do with reality. There is absolutely no reason something can't be environmentally friendly AND durable without a little know-how, and anybody who wants to argue otherwise is just too ignorant or too lazy to make it happen.
People need to start taking care of their stuff, and a certain select few need to sop lying in forums.
Italiankid is a moron; just don't respond to him. I know; it's hard.
You're not making any sense.
I don't believe most of these claims. It is anecdotal nonsense that directly counters what has time and time again been stated publicly about Apple by third parties and consumers. And these individuals are also suspect in the way they handle or have handled the cord/adapter/plug.
I wasn't actually asking for admissible pics in the expectation of getting any or in the expectation that the individual could provide them, LOL!! I was making a statement, though a subtle one. And whatever claims I make around here, like those of others, have no legal context and no legal impact on anyone or any organization, unlike the claim made by the individual whom I called out.
No, what you're really saying is that you've already made up your mind, closed it and locked it, i.e. nothing could reasonably done to change it. And the person you leveled that against also didn't suggest a legal context either, so it looks like you're just running a case of special pleading.
You're also saying that someone's experience didn't actually happen, as if they're relating some sort of hearsay and not personal experience. Unlike some other people, it wasn't a person that said all the adapters were bad, suggest that it was a widespread problem, or even mention what they thought of the case, just that they had that experience. Seems like you picked the most innocuous post to level that kind of response when there were other people that are suggesting that Apple's products are defective by design.
The final thing you're saying is that you're calling that person a liar without being bold enough to just say that rather than being so roundabout.
Blitheness over seriousness once again bites you.
The sad fact is, you don't (perhaps can't) even see it.
It's OK. "techstud" has yet to figure out that he is neither.
There's a lot of confusion here, so I'll explain exactly what the problem is ? it happened to mine just a couple months ago. (It's still under warranty so of course Apple replaced it.)
When the cord is bent too far in any direction near the magsafe plug, the wiring inside get pressed hard against the insulation and heats it up, eventually burning a hole right through it. (I noticed the problem when I touched the cable and it nearly burned me.)
This is not an issue of abuse ? this can easily happen if your cable bends back behind your computer, as was the case with mine. I had absolutely no reason to think that a minor bend in the cable would be enough to destroy it. It should not do so.
I do believe that this is a problem with the products themselves, not their abuse.
This then is a problem with ALL cables. Any cord that is bent TOO far by definition exceeds it's design intent.
The final thing you're saying is that you're calling that person a liar.
Bingo!
Unless they can substantiate such wild claims, they are. Unfortunately in this case it's guilty until proven innocent, in my book. Too many trolls running wild with this fire/explosion idea that started as one or two isolated incidents long ago (misuse and abuse being just as likely causes as anything else), and then multiplied a hundredfold by the usual suspects. I don't buy it and I'm being up-front about it.
We need to be very careful when it comes to these wild negative claims abourt Apple products, especially since they are hardly widesperead. But when you get every second or third person (or troll) saying "me too!", then something is definitely fishy.
But that's just my persepective on the issue, and I'm certainly allowed to have it. Others have their own, obviously, etc.
Bingo!
Unless they can substantiate such wild claims, they are. Unfortunately in this case it's guilty until proven innocent, in my book. Too many trolls running wild with this fire/explosion idea that started as one or two isolated incidents long ago (misuse and abuse being just as likely causes as anything else), and then multiplied a hundredfold by the usual suspects. I don't buy it and I'm being up-front about it.
We need to be very careful when it comes to these wild negative claims abourt Apple products, especially since they are hardly widesperead. But when you get every second or third person (or troll) saying "me too!", then something is definitely fishy.
But that's just my persepective on the issue, and I'm certainly allowed to have it. Others have their own, obviously, etc.
The problem is that it looks like you got unhinged on the wrong person because that person didn't say what you think they said. You're reading in so much that you're more or less reading into it what you wanted to see. Or it was as if you were unloading all of your baggage on the wrong person. I will quote the post that you responded to:
We smelled it and looked around the house for 20 minutes before we figured out what was burning. It looked exactly like a picture. She kept it plugged in all the time, and only used it as her home adapter.
Julio
I think all your accusations against Julio look to be false, assumed or trumped up and really make you look like the jerk here, not Julio.