“The MagSafe power adapter has probably saved me from injury — I trip on my cords often — on more than a few occasions,” Dong Ngo writes for CNET. “But with Apple’s notebooks now going all USB-C, new MacBooks are no longer made with MagSafe adapters.”
“For an accident-prone guy like me, that’s a scary thought. While charging your computer through an USB-C port is cool and convenient, if you happen to step on the cable, you could send your machine flying, doing some serious damage,” Ngo writes. “The Griffin BreakSafe USB-C cable [US$29.99 at Amazon] is designed to prevent just that.”
“The cable is spec’ed to charge any USB-C device (including non-Apple products, such as the Google Chromebook) that requires 60 watts or less of power, so it’s not ideal for the 85 watt 15-inch MacBook Pro (though it worked in my trial),” Ngo writes. “And it would be nice to have it in colors other than black, something that maybe matches the MacBooks’ colors. But for less than $40, this is a great accessory that will likely save your computer more often than you might imagine, especially if you have a small child.”
Check out the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: This is a brilliant idea, if we don’t say so ourselves.
Now, we would love to see a tiny MagSafe adapter cap (or very short corded adapter) that sticks into the USB-C port for MagSafe power cords. That way we don’t have to regress in the name of progress. — MacDailyNews Take, March 11, 2015, two days after the new MacBook was unveiled
Fantastic and amazingly cheap considering. Now let’s hope that Apple does not do something stupid and sue Griffin for patent infringement.
This product’s been out since April. And since Apple’s clearly moving away from this simple yet elegant safeguard, it’d be the height of PR idiocy to sue others for picking up their slack.
Idiocy is Pipeline Timmy’s forté.
Your forte is apparently being as obnoxious as possible. You might want to look into your pathological hatred of Tim Cook.
here’s how things work in the real world, cupcake”
What if I’m not a U.S. Citizen but I plug in using my DON-GLE. Get it? Get it? DON-GLE.
#NMP
#NMFP
After eight years of your incessant and inappropriate whining and carping on this forum, you have no power to dictate anything to me or anyone else. You can hug Trump all you want and revel in your “victory.” The rest of us will remain vigilant against the idiocy that is already in progress.
I will ignore your nastiness because I know you must be grieving for the demise of your paragon of socialist tyranny, Fidel.
Yea the riots from the kids and other cry babies is idiotic!
Tim Cook got rid of Magsafe for one reason and one reason only… GREED!
Remember Cook’s qualities?
Lazy, Greedy, Incompetent… not necessarily in that order.
Easily the worst CEO in Apple history. He’s actually anti-Apple. Cook would rather make it easier for you to break your MBP and have to buy another than keep an ingenious invention that Jobs created to protect Apple users.
Shameful.
Disgraceful.
Despicable.
Reprehensible.
Cook has truly reached an absolute new low, when another company has to step forward and actually bring back a feature that was intentionally stripped away by Apple’s so called leader.
Cook is finished.
Are you saying that he wanted to earn a bit of extra profit by removing the expense of including magsafe in Macs? If he’s that greedy there’s plenty of other things he could skimp on. Say what you want about his decisions but I can’t think this is an example of monetary greed.
Is John Sculley still around? Maybe he should come back to Apple, he’s starting to look good.
For those who know and understand physics, we have long recognized the lower and lower mass of each successive laptop. At some point, the mass is so low that Mag-Safe connectors would also just pull the computer off the table. If you note how easy the Griffin magnetic connector falls off, you begin to see Apple’s logic: they don’t want people complaining that their Mag-Safe connectors fall off or that they don’t disconnect well on an accidental cord tug. It’s just logic folks.
yeah, magnetism is really heavy.
Sorry botty I believe that’s Eugene) but the weight (or lack of) is in the lighter Mac laptops. I am typing very slowly so that you will understand.
An ugly and unnecessary item. I am astounded that Apple chose to trash the venerable and practical MagSafe device it so fervently had prevented others from emulating. Tim Cook’s “one more thing” appears to be another failure in his list of bad decisions and consumer disappointments.
I’m okay with the change to USB-C only. I’ve had to replace a number of laptop chargers because the low power cord was broken. Once because the dog chewed through it, other times because it got damaged on sharp edges. The Apple Store even replaced one for free which was very good of them.
USB-C cords will be cheaper to replace if needed and I don’t necessarily need the charger when traveling for short trips.
The mag-safe cord is great to add back the functionality.
With change like this, you have to learn to adapt and you end up with a much better solution than before.
I have ordered a cable to go along with my new MBP when it arrives.
None of your “reasons” is a legitimate reasons to kill MagSafe.
Only a completely wireless charging system will eliminate the chance of a broken cord. MacBook 2016 is NOT wireless.
Muzzle your dog if it chews your gear.
Apple could have designed a charger without a strain relief and separate cord previously for all MacBooks from Day ONE but did not.
Apple can, if is so choose, provide all current pre-2016 McBook owners with a charger sans attached power cord, but, Apple won’t because Tim Cook is an ass.
The new 2016 MacBook does not have an integrated MagSafe attachment which is just plain stupid.
Tim Cook confuses dildos with dongles.
It’s TC master plan to part you from more of your hard earned cash, in case you damage your MBP due to the MagSafe delete.
This adapter was available for the Retina MacBook before the the new MacBook Pros were released. It’s rated up to 60W so can probably only be used for the 13 inch MacBook Pros. I have not seen a report of whether or not it will work slowly or not at all with the 15 inch MacBook Pros which come with an 85W charger.
This has me wondering too! My boss ordered 7 of these 15″ MacBook Pros and one is mine and was wanting a MagSafe adapter, but its not the same wattage. I would assume it will charge slowly, but that’s just an assumption. I have been unable to find “good” powered USB-C to USB 3.0 hubs for multiple drives being over 4 ports and also with camera card, and HDMi. Or even just a hub with over 4 ports that will take multiple hard drives and other things. Reviews are poor for aukey hubs and most that I seen all say under powered or HDMI is flaky or always something. Hopefully we’ll see some things coming soon to fix these limitations.
Check back a little while ago. I presented this very idea for those who were lamenting the end of the MagSafe charging port.
Melvin, it’s difficult to recall what is never read.
Pretty lukewarm reviews. For one thing- the embedded component sticks out too far- too much leverage…I hope someone makes a lower profile version. I’m going to wait a month or 2 before settling on that one.
I would also like an magsafe adaptor to use my existing magsafe bricks. I got about 4 between home, work and cinema monitor. The one I did see on amazon has s**t reviews…
It’s the first iteration. I’m sure plenty more will come along later. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple do. After all they have made mag safe adapters.
WTF! Apple should get it right the first time. You seem to think that Apple’s “first iteration” is a prototype that should have been rejected and modified before consumer release.
Huh? This “first iteration” is by Griffin. Apple has made their decision to move away from mag-safe.
For those who know and understand physics, we have long recognized the lower and lower mass of each successive laptop. At some point, the mass is so low that Mag-Safe connectors would also just pull the computer off the table. If you note how easy the Griffin magnetic connector falls off, you begin to see Apple’s logic: they don’t want people complaining that their Mag-Safe connectors fall off or that they don’t disconnect well on an accidental cord tug. It’s just logic folks.
I have mag-safes at work desk and home desk. I actually like the easy quick connect aspect of it and the fact that I can charge my (old) MBPro and Air intermittently through out the day off same magsafe. Admittedly, my use case is probably different than most folks- but the mag-safe is ingenious!
Mine works perfectly on my MacBook. I can’t believe Apple did away with it
It would be better if the break away part were placed down the cord so that the connector to the computer was normal size.
Why is it that Apple seems unable to do what everybody else can?
Fire Tim Cook!
This won’t happen because Apple under almost anyone can do the 1 thing most consumer tech companies can’t. MAKE Huge Margins no matter how bad the people that know better complain.
It is my conspiracy theory that seeing as Apple can’t charge extra for MagSafe, they removed it and have licensed the patent to these third party companies. Extra revenue for Apple to hell with their customers wallets.
When my Jack Russell flips his crazy switch he starts running and that includes running under the coffee table. When he comes out from under the table he invariably gets caught up in my wife’s Macbook Pro and disconnects the power cable. The MagSafe connector has saved us so many times. Yet another retrograde step from Apple.
Just what the MacBook Pro needs yet another dong-le. Lol. I wonder when someone will start selling the special case that you carry around with your laptop bag so you can carry all the dongle’s.
I have never ever tripped over my laptops cord. As such I don’t get all the love people have for Magsafe connector from a trip hazard perspective.
What I do know is that many people have had issues with Magsafe staying connected. You’d have to say that this is ought to be it’s primary objective, to charge the laptop.
So if it can’t do this properly having it removed seems to me like no great loss.
The thing that has changed is that the engineers and designers are getting away with stuff they never would have with Steve. When the product is ready, and Jony Ives stares sleepily over his countless awards, sips another bit of scotch, and blesses the thing, Tim Cook says fine by me. How else can you explain getting rid of Magsafe?
It’s Pipeline Timmy’s new Apple mantra: “Stink Different.”
Why are you here? I mean really?
fer sure, dude, why are YOU here, like, ya’ know, really.
idiot.
Apple hates cables. Always has. This has been a guiding philosophy in their design and engineering decisions since the earliest Macs (and arguably earlier).
Moving to USB-C to consolidate data transfer and power on laptops makes sense in light of this, but it is hard to ignore how “un-Apple” it seems to abandon a well-thought-out (and still relevant) feature like MagSafe, when they could have easily incorporated it with USB-C. There are no other signs that Apple is cutting corners on other aspects of laptop design, so, what’s going on here?
Here’s a thought – what if Apple is further along on bringing wireless charging to mobile and laptop devices than anyone realizes? And not just wireless contact charging, but wireless charging at distance (several feet). Apple is one of the few companies capable of pulling this off, and if they could, it would be a technology that would give them several years of competitive differentiation. It’s a prize worth throwing a ton of resources at, and a very neat explanation why Apple wouldn’t bother to retrofit USB-C with MagSafe.
Now, put the theory of wireless charging at a distance together with Apple’s recent (and unceremonious) dumping of AirPort wireless routers. Where did those engineers go? Better question; “where have they been?”, as Airport routers have been languishing for a couple of years. Dumping the existing product line may be a trailing indicator that they’ve been baking up something with far more implications to the product line than a handy accessory.
“Ok, let’s say your theory is true. Wireless charging still doesn’t eliminate the need for USB-C (and by extension, MagSafe), because it not only carries power, but does data transfer duties as well. Ha!”
True, but again – Apple hates cables. If they can invent a wireless protocol that carries power, it probably isn’t a stretch that they would design it to also carry data (since we do wireless data transfer without much effort now). In the long run, such a solution could eliminate the need for cables for either of those functions for mobile devices AND laptops. Apple would see the elimination of that sort of cable (Lightning for mobile and USB-C for laptops) as a huge win.
“Ok smartypants, what about Thunderbolt?” Sure, ok. If you can’t see that there’s nothing about Thunderbolt that couldn’t eventually ride on a wireless protocol, then yes, Apple could have a Thunderbolt port on higher-end devices for the time being. That wouldn’t in any way make the idea of transitioning away from Lighting and USB-C any less enticing for Apple.
Just a theory, but one that explains a lot of recent behavior.