vacputer
Well-known member
I've just had my last intact 65w G4-era AC adapter lose one of its cable-winding wings to a slight bit of jostling in my bag, joining several others I've had with the same issue.
It seems that Apple is obsessed with making their power adapters worse with every new revision.
The big grey PowerBook (180, etc) bricks were indestructable
The small grey PowerBook (500) bricks were indestructable and able to be used internationally
The black PowerBook (5300, etc) bricks were the same way, and had a handy winding area!
The hockey pucks shipped with iBooks, etc were compact, stylish, and generally amazing, but the cable was a bit on the delicate side.
The white bricks made for icebooks and G4 PBs are not only larger than old adapters, they're also designed in a way that adds needless strain to the wound cable, and the hooks for doing so are seemingly attached with wet paper.
Magsafe adapters have mostly useless strain relief on top of all that, and fray nearly instantly.
New Magsafe adapters have equally ineffective strain relief, but with the DC connector in a new shape that seems to encourage even more cable strain.
Magsafe 2 adapters are evidently made of tinfoil and bubble gum for how often they seem to fail despite reverting to a sensible connector shape.
The last three generations of adapters haven't had any substantial stylistic changes, yet are getting worse and worse.
That seems to rule out runaway form-over-function issues...
Anyone care for some pointless hypothesizing as to what's causing this?
It seems that Apple is obsessed with making their power adapters worse with every new revision.
The big grey PowerBook (180, etc) bricks were indestructable
The small grey PowerBook (500) bricks were indestructable and able to be used internationally
The black PowerBook (5300, etc) bricks were the same way, and had a handy winding area!
The hockey pucks shipped with iBooks, etc were compact, stylish, and generally amazing, but the cable was a bit on the delicate side.
The white bricks made for icebooks and G4 PBs are not only larger than old adapters, they're also designed in a way that adds needless strain to the wound cable, and the hooks for doing so are seemingly attached with wet paper.
Magsafe adapters have mostly useless strain relief on top of all that, and fray nearly instantly.
New Magsafe adapters have equally ineffective strain relief, but with the DC connector in a new shape that seems to encourage even more cable strain.
Magsafe 2 adapters are evidently made of tinfoil and bubble gum for how often they seem to fail despite reverting to a sensible connector shape.
The last three generations of adapters haven't had any substantial stylistic changes, yet are getting worse and worse.
That seems to rule out runaway form-over-function issues...
Anyone care for some pointless hypothesizing as to what's causing this?