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Comment by CydeWeys | Hacker News Reader

The MagSafe cables, however, were terrible. I've burned through three so far (in almost as many years) from the cable sheathing failing near the connector. Other manufacturers have included strain relief at this critical junction in their cables for decades, but nooooo, that's too good for Apple. So instead I get this form-over-function cable that fails all too quickly and is expensive to replace to boot.

I much prefer USB-C, even if only because the cables themselves are better engineered.

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I'm really curious what you're doing with your cables. I'm on year 6 with my MBP adapter and that includes a year of traveling through Southeast Asia where I was constantly spooling and unspooling it, not to mention the number of times it got wet. It still works flawlessly. I also had a work MBP adapter for a number of years without any issue despite being spooled and unspooled each morning and evening.

Meanwhile, I've tripped over the wire countless times and been saved by the magsafe's ability to automatically disconnect rather than sending my 30-times-the-price laptop flying. It happens so often that USB-C charging is a non-starter for me. I'm buying older, refurb Macs until they realize their error. Short of that, I'm buying a bargain-basement PC that I can replace for under $1k because I know that kind of accident is going to happen eventually.

My experience could not be more different from you. My cable started fraying badly after 1-2 years and finally died after 3.5 years. I have only used it at home and a handful of trips where it been packed most of the time. I tripped on a laptop cable exactly zero times in my life. I accidentally brushed off the cable almost every single fucking day. I love this laptop but I hate this adapter. The brick is way to big and falls of of most outlets. The extensions cable helps but makes it way too long and akward to roll up.

My point isn't to say that your experience is less valid but the benefit of an open charging standard is that we each can pick power adapters that we fit our use case.

Edit: Also, my and his cable probably died because of using it on our laps.

Completely disagree with your disagreement. The brick definitely does not "fall out of most outlets."

I've had the same macbook air since 2011 that I have now donated to another family member. I also gave them the original charging cable with it. I have taken at least 20 flights with it. You just need to be more careful with your things.

MagSafe was _amazing_ because if someone snags the wire your laptop doesn't fall off the desk.

Did you notice the hypocrisy of your comment? I need to be more careful because my cable frayed but MagSafe is amazing because of all these people are so clumsy that they are tripping over the cable and launching laptops onto the floor.

If was using the same argument form as you I would say: Who are all this people that don't notice they are tripping on a cable? If you are not in an infomercial you will stop before launching a laptop onto a floor. I know a ton of people with windows computers and exactly zero of them have died from people tripping on the cable. MagSafe fixes a non-issue and is constantly annoyingly falling out.

I don't actually believe this but it is a silly and borderline rude way to argue. For some reason, you are in situations that benefit from MagSafe. This is a valid request, but I don't think is close to as common as you think. Since USB-C is open, you can get an adapter with a magnetic rip away section.

I am not excessively rough with my laptop. I used a badly frayed cable for 2 years without it breaking. I guarantee that you are not taking off and putting in your adapter multiple times per day and you are not using your laptop on your lap. Look at other peoples power adapters. The thin cable is not build to last and frays at both ends if you actually use the stupid wrapping things

Edit: I misspoke with regards to the size of the plug. Most of the outlets I used results in a delicate balance for the plug to stay in. Slight movements of the cable results in the plug falling out. Also, the folding plug makes it pain to plug into some hard to reach outlets.

It's possible they improved their production over the years without updating model numbers.'

Personally, I put a circle of electrical tape over each end to provide strain relief.

Nothing. I barely ever bring my laptop (and thus charging cables) anywhere. And yet I've had several failures.

He is pulling at the cable when unplugging, not the metal dongle. This friction plus sweat/dirt dissolves the cable.

My cables stay pristine over years of heavy travel, my co-workers are all in pieces - so I wanted to know why.

Apple cables are too thin and grossly overpriced.

Family probably went through at least half a dozen.

Never had a plain USB cable disintegrate on me IIRC.

I have an original 2011MBP MagSafe charger and a 2015MBP MagSafe 2 charger. The cable on the newer is stiffer has yellowed at the neck and feels gummier. It has been replaced by Apple twice.

My old MagSafe charger is still the original. The cable feels very flexible, and the only discoloration it has is from being dragged around and stepped on.

Whatever formulation Apple has changed in manufacturing the new MagSafe has shortened its lifespan.

I have the newer stiffer yellowing one that degrades and literally falls apart in pieces. I think they cheaped out on materials or something.

I similarly am using a charger right now that's maybe 8 years old and has no fraying. The first models were notoriously bad, but they got better over time.

So the MagSage concept is good, but Apple's implementation isn't.

I use a somewhat similar concept for some of my mobile devices (Magsafe-like adapter) to charge and transfer data. I'm not sure how frowned upon it is to link to a specific manufacturer here, but I assume a USB-C adapter could be attractive to someone on a new MacBook Pro that miss the MagSafe connector.

Is the strain relief not good enough, or is it not present? Isn't that strain relief below the MagSafe connector shown here?

https://imgur.com/ZCt8R5g

Of course it’s a strain relief.

It really bugs me when people complain about Apple cables not having strain reliefs. They don’t have huge ugly strain reliefs, and maybe that means they aren’t good enough, but they definitely exist.

Why even have a strain relief if it's not good enough.

And a not good-enough strain relief is no relief at all.

Because this isn’t true. A moderate strain relief is far better than none.

The strain reliefs Apple uses work fine for a lot of people. I used to use an MBP with a MagSafe connector and never had any strain relief problems.

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