“When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Pro laptop this week, he took a few minutes to highlight a nifty little feature called the MagSafe Connector,” Scott Ard blogs for CNET. “noted that the MagSafe is ‘patent pending,’ and to get a patent you generally have to be first to the market. The patent office looks for earlier, similar inventions, known as ‘prior art.’ Or in this case, fryer art.”
“According to this CNN article from 2001, the breakaway cord is a standard that was developed by Underwriters Laboratories and is used on countertop deep fryers, fondue sets and similar kitchen gadgets. It was designed to reduce burns caused when a child pulls on the cord,” Ard reports.
Full article here.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple posts Steve Jobs’ Macworld keynote via QuickTime – January 10, 2006
Apple introduces MacBook Pro; up to four times faster than PowerBook – January 10, 2006
MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ Macworld Expo Keynote – January 09, 2006
“Just make sure you have a working battery in your McBook so it does not get shut down completely when the cord is yanked.”
Right you are, but I think I rather have my MacBook suddenly shut off than fly across the room
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“Maybe I misunderstood the Stevenote, but I thought the big deal about the MagSafe was that the power adapter was built in to that little square part that attaches to the MacBook Pro. (Not just the fact that it can disconnect for safety).”
Mozfan: Wishful thinking. The MacBookPro’s power supply looks pretty much like the old PowerBook one, only it’s bigger. Probably because it’s 85w instead of 65w like the previous ones. Here’s the link on the Apple store:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/7200405/wo/Q61CKxzy4wy52QCy2M42yFGR2np/1.0.19.1.0.8.25.7.11.1.3
“If Underwriters Laboratories developed the standard, and Dell wants it, then there’s nothing you can do. Face it, you got stung and now the world knows. So just have some grace about it and shelve the patent ideas.”
LukSkystalker: Unless Apple’s MagSafe connector is identical to the one UL developed, then they still have a chance at a patent if they can prove they have made modifications that improve upon the UL design. For instance, Apple’s design is reversable, so you can plug it in either way. Apple’s is also certainly much smaller than the UL design as well. Why don’t you leave it up to the USPO to decide since you aren’t much of an expert on such matters…
AlanAudio wrote:
>The next logical step would be to standardise on a 12V power supply,
> so that people could use other power supplies wherever they are,
> rather than have to take a special power supply for each laptop. By
> opting for 12V it makes use in vehicles easier. If the computer
> needed higher voltages, DC-DC inverters are very compact and
> efficient these days.
12V is not a practical supply voltage; at the 85W the new adapter is rated at, that’s a hair over 7A. You’d require a very cable attached to your laptop to handle that current safely.
Existing Apple laptop power supplies run at 24V; I’d expect the new adapter is at least comparable and perhaps a tad higher. The cable is certainly comparably lightweight, which suggests to me they’re trying to stay around the 2.5A mark.
The most obvious question is whether the UL connector uses magnets like Apple’s MagSafe does. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and my guess is that the use of magnets make Apple’s implementation unique.
I’m wonderin’ if kensington will release an adapter tip for their auto/air power supply thingamajig.
I’m wonderin’ if kensington will release an adapter tip for their auto/air power supply thingamajig.
I’m wonderin’ if kensington will release an adapter tip for their auto/air power supply thingamajig.
I’m wonderin’ if kensington will release an adapter tip for their auto/air power supply thingamajig.