“One of the biggest complaints regarding the 12-inch MacBook has been the ports, or lack thereof, that the device offers,” Chance Miller reports for 9to5Mac.
“The MacBook features just as single USB-C port that you use for everything, including charging,” Miller reports. “This means that the MagSafe technology that Apple introduced 10 years ago and that we’ve all come to love is nowhere to be found. A new accessory introduced by Griffin today, however, aims to fix that problem [available in April for $39.99].”
“The BreakSafe cable comes in two parts. The first part is a 12.8mm small plug that you insert into the USB-C port on the MacBook,” Miller reports. “The second part is the 6-foot cable that connects magnetically to the 12.8mm dongle and features a USB-C connection on the other side.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Gee, we wonder where Griffin got that idea?
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
MDN, don’t get too head of yourselves… The original Xbox controllers had an inline solution similar to this, and that’s come from somewhere else obviously. The “stub” left at the other end after the cable detaches is potentially losable, which may be a problem for some. I hope Griffin includes spares.
It’s also potentially breakable.
MDN’s point was that, after almost ten years after introducing it, Apple decided to remove the MagSafe connector from the new MacBook. One of the most practical selling points of all Apple portable Macs (featured in the popular “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” series), MagSafe was immensely useful, saving hundreds of Macs from damage caused by tripping over wire. Then it disappears with no apparent reason.
Griffin is adapting Microsoft’s idea (breakout cable), as well as Apple’s idea (magnetic connection) to provide a work-around for something that Apple practically invented, and then abandoned without a good reason.
I’m usually one of the most rabid fans and defenders, yet I’m truly perplexed by the reasoning behind this decision. I’d love to hear a valid explanation, although I can’t imagine one.
Seconded. I was at MacWorld when MagSafe was introduced, and for me it was much cooler than the upgraded chips in the MacBooks that year. Innovation vs upgrade.
You wonder if the connection is as good, especially with data transfer.
It’s a power cable, not a data cable.
Looks like you’re right even though it says it’s a compatible USB Type C Cable. (Obviously it wouldn’t be good to have a cable magnetically pop off if data was being transmitted.)
More bloody bits to loose. Hopefully V2 of this will see the return of magsafe and a USB slot on the other side.
Apple took a perfectly designed, simple, elegant, useful, integrated attachment, and offers an expensive doodad that can be easily lost or misplaced. Way to go, Apple. What else will you F-up?
?! Griffin Technologies makes the doodad, not Apple.
I personally wish Apple had simply integrated MagSafe into their USB-C port.
Then again, as I read above in the thread, there is the critical concern of a MagSafe connection popping off during a data stream. That would majorly suck. So HUMPH!
Regardless, the doodad is required. Besides Apple cannot provide the doodad. A third party has to provide a solution to Apple’s f*ck up.
Yup. As I posted below, however, I wonder if Apple chucked the MagSafe option for fear of people knocking the connection out of place during a data transfer.
The Macbook should’ve included Apple’s version of this in the first place.
Steve would have demanded engineering figure out a way to keep the MagSafe.
Absolutely right this may not be the perfect solution but shows it can be done and Apple could and should having control over the device itself done something even better. You can’t introduce technology as an amazing step forward and then dump it as if it has outlived its usefulness, which in technical terms it certainly has not. When you are shown solutions exist then it looks even more cynical, a mere publicity ploy that over time has lost its effect, adds cost and therefore gets dropped. This simply feeds the critics.
That’s must by why Steve insisted on MagSafe connections on all iPhones and iPads. Classic Steve: always wanting magnets to things.
Anyone notice that the “doodad” is thicker than the MacBook? I know with Apple’s creative engineering department, they could have developed a MagSafe connector thin enough to use on the MacBook if that was the issue. I would love to see the MacBook have MagSafe on the left side and USB C on the right. Nice symmetry. For the life of me I can’t figure out why there is a headphone port on the thing. By eliminating ports, Apple is looking to the future (already here) where everything is wireless. You connect via WiFI (or LTE on your iPhone), your secondary display is connected wirelessly (AirPlay to Apple TV), your other devices sync wirelessly (iTunes option), your external drives are wireless (TimeCapsule and now third party hard drives and thumb drives), and your headphones are Bluetoo… HUH?! corded? seriously?