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th3champish3r3 · Mar 3, 2008, 12:05 AM

I have heard complaints in the past with the apple laptop chargers becoming frayed or melted. Is this a problem with the macbook and macbook pros chargers? How is the magnetized charger port? Also occasionally on here I see pictures of people with clear plastic desk stands for their laptops. It pretty much just keeps the laptop raised off the desk surface. Can anyone point me in the right direction of getting one?

Thanks alot.

MacosNerd · Mar 3, 2008, 08:32 AM

Well so far my 8 month old MBP has had 0 problems and I unplug/plug it in quite often. I keep an eye on it and so far things look good.

hardcat1970 · Mar 3, 2008, 11:14 AM

i am looking at mine all the time too, and i noticed if you don't bend the adapter angle too much it should work just fine.

mduell · Mar 3, 2008, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by th3champish3r3

I have heard complaints in the past with the apple laptop chargers becoming frayed or melted. Is this a problem with the macbook and macbook pros chargers? How is the magnetized charger port? Also occasionally on here I see pictures of people with clear plastic desk stands for their laptops. It pretty much just keeps the laptop raised off the desk surface. Can anyone point me in the right direction of getting one?

Yes it's still a problem and the magnetized port seems to have only made it worse.

Amazon.com: Griffin Technology iCurve Laptop Stand: Electronics is the stand you're after.

0157988944 · Mar 3, 2008, 05:07 PM

Its only a problem if you yank it by the cord, which you should never do with nay cord. Grab it by the head of the cord and tilt it and it pops right out. If you do that, there is no chance of it fraying unless you got a seriosuly screwed up one.

pento · Mar 6, 2008, 09:07 AM

You can pull your adapter out by the head and the fraying may still happen. IMO it's a design flaw. If you look at apple.com/store and check out the reviews for the adapter, most are 1/5 stars. I'm looking at my magsafe connector that's plugged into my macbook pro now and I can see that the cord is angled down because of good 'ol gravity--over time this cord moving up and down will put some wear and tear on it. It happened to my first adapter and Apple replaced it, no argument or complaining needed on my part. I always pulled it out by the head. I've never had this happen on any of the previous powerbooks I've owned(and I've owned a lot). I'm working on a first gen macbook pro; however, after seeing the replacement power adapter they gave me, it doesn't look any sturdier. Look at the cord that plugs into the wall, and its other end that connects to the adapter--it looks 100x more sturdy. We'll see what happens, hopefully I'm wrong and they have improved them. My new Penryn 17" should arrive anyday now! :-)

ghporter · Mar 6, 2008, 09:31 AM

I'm typing this on a 2-year old MBP. My MagSafe is still 100% intact. I don't know how people's cables break down, but the only thing I've done to protect mine is to make sure I don't bend or twist the cable within several inches of the connector. (This is a basic technique to protect cable ends of any type.) So to say that "every" power adapter cable is going to fray is a gross exaggeration, (I know nobody's come out and said that explicitly in this thread), but I think that it's something that Apple could still do a lot to prevent. A bit of a strain relief sleeve, for example, would make it much harder to start that sort of cable damage. So could just explaining to users how to wind up their cables without kinking them.

mduell · Mar 6, 2008, 12:32 PM

The new 90 degree head for the MBAir seems to work well, I wonder if they'll release a bigger power adapter with the same head.

SierraDragon · 02:13 PM

My 15 month old 17" C2D is used hard daily and 2 labradors constantly are knocking out the Magsafe connector. IMO the Magsafe is excellent; G4 power connectors failed all the time, often inside the laptop making for serious repair issues. No signs of "fraying" but if it did happen after more years of hard use I would just buy a new one, no big deal.

When I use a laptop hooked up to a full size keyboard I put the laptop on a clear acrylic printer stand that fits perfectly and has the space of a ream of paper underneath. It cost about $5 at an office supply place.

-Allen Wicks

Simon · Mar 6, 2008, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The new 90 degree head for the MBAir seems to work well, I wonder if they'll release a bigger power adapter with the same head.

I have been wondering the same thing. Personally, I'd love the MBA MagSafe connector for my MBP because it would make routing the cable out the back a lot nicer. But actually, I'd be surprised to see Apple really do it.

olePigeon · Mar 6, 2008, 03:26 PM

We have over 100 MacBooks at my work with zero problems in regards to anything melting or fraying.

Cadaver · Mar 7, 2008, 11:29 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The new 90 degree head for the MBAir seems to work well, I wonder if they'll release a bigger power adapter with the same head.

Speaking of which... has anyone tried the smaller 45W MBAir power adapter on regular MacBook (or MacBook Pro)? I'm sure it'll not charge the machine well, if at all if the machine is on, but anyone know if it will at least power the machine or charge it adequately while off?

I wouldn't mind saving myself a few ounces and cubic inches in my MacBook's laptop bag if the smaller adapter would work.

Just FYI, I used to use a MacBook Pro with the smaller (60W) MacBook adapter. Didn't charge as fast when the machine was on, but otherwise appears to work quite well.

imitchellg5 · Mar 7, 2008, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by SierraDragon

G4 power connectors failed all the time, often inside the laptop making for serious repair issues.

Yeah, but nothing compares to the not-so-trusty old PowerBook 5300.

0157988944 · Mar 7, 2008, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

Speaking of which... has anyone tried the smaller 45W MBAir power adapter on regular MacBook (or MacBook Pro)? I'm sure it'll not charge the machine well, if at all if the machine is on, but anyone know if it will at least power the machine or charge it adequately while off?

I wouldn't mind saving myself a few ounces and cubic inches in my MacBook's laptop bag if the smaller adapter would work.

Just FYI, I used to use a MacBook Pro with the smaller (60W) MacBook adapter. Didn't charge as fast when the machine was on, but otherwise appears to work quite well.

Yeah, its the exact same connector, it works fine.

mduell · Mar 8, 2008, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by Cadaver

Speaking of which... has anyone tried the smaller 45W MBAir power adapter on regular MacBook (or MacBook Pro)? I'm sure it'll not charge the machine well, if at all if the machine is on, but anyone know if it will at least power the machine or charge it adequately while off?

Should charge the MB/MBP fine at or slightly above idle... if Apple's battery live figures are to be believed those machines should idle around 15W consumption.

Wiskedjak · Mar 8, 2008, 02:08 AM

The connector for my iBook frayed. But, it took 5 years to do so.

drissa · Mar 9, 2008, 11:05 AM

This happened to the power adaptor of one of the MBPs I bought for work. There is an element to Apple design which just isn't fit for purpose - looks great, all white and sleek, but doesn't hold up to the professional environments in which the products are advertised. Apple's cables (for power adaptors, from keyboards, etc) always feel so light-weight. You do pay a price for the design, rather than gain it in addition to build quality. Compare with power adaptors of the cheapest PC laptop.