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Comment by shams93 | Hacker News Reader

This is why I upgraded from a 2010 thinpad to a 2017 macbook air. Sure for a designer this screen might suck but I do music and web development. Turns out having usb A ports built in is very very handy when you can just plug your DJ and midi controllers straight into the laptop instead of diving into dongle hell. It still has the amazing magnetic charger, sure not usb C but its more robust when you're playing a live show compared to a small, potentially easy to break usb c slot when you're playing in a nightclub with poor lighting where its easy for someone to step on your power cable by mistake.

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The display in the 2017 MBA is atrocious, and the processors are really old at this point. USB-C is better than magsafe at this point, because charger interchangeability is amazing, and it doesn't lock into laptops like the old barrel jack connectors. It lets go when needed without damage in my experience. Durability hasn't been a problem on a single USB-C device that I own. Do you not think smartphones get abused more than laptops? Yet the port continues working fine.

Why not just get a decent Windows laptop, if you want nice port selection? The X1 Carbon is incredible, while Dell, Microsoft, and more offer yet other options. If you truly love MagSafe, the Microsoft Surface series offers magnetic charge connectors, good displays, and regular USB.

If you wanted a laptop from 2014, there were plenty of ways to get one without paying Apple their premium price.

It's not just about port durability. USB-C disengages easier than barrel jacks, but it's still often enough to pull the laptop off the desk/table. Magsafe 1&2 let go without moving the laptop much, meaning it's very unlikely to be knocked off.

If someone is that concerned, Amazon is full of magnetic breakaway adapters for USB-C, bringing MagSafe into the USB-C era. I also mentioned the Surface, which uses a MagSafe-like connector.

I had noted those magnetic connectors over at AliExpress, e.g. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Micro-USB-Magnetic-Cable-Qui...

Any cons to using them like MagSafe?

Yeah, but they don't really seem to work well at all. A friend of mine who works in IT bought a bunch of these to test for work laptops, according to him they are all basically crap, with maybe one or two half decent. And they don't have the handy charging light indicator either, like on the old magsafe.

Sadly, none of them are any good. :( Read the reviews for details.

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