Apple reportedly planning to revive the MagSafe charging standard with the next lot of MacBook Pros
- Reference: 1610752024
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/15/apple_magsafe_revival/
- Source link:
The revived version will appear on two new MacBook Pro models expected to arrive later this year: a 14-inch version codenamed J314, and a 16-inch model currently known as J316.
[1]
Citing internal sources, [2]Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote that the next incarnation of MagSafe will function much like previous generations, with an elongated rectangular design held in place by a small halo of magnets.
This proprietary design will purportedly allow Apple to deliver charging speeds beyond those offered by the 31W USB-C adapters shipped. USB-C will, however, remain the main way to connect peripherals and external storage devices, as well as additional monitors. There is no escaping dongle hell, no matter how much you moan.
[3]
Separately, Apple is said to be contemplating removing the Touch Bar from future machines. First introduced in 2016, this feature replaced the function keys with a thin strip of OLED touchscreen, which would show context-sensitive buttons based on whatever app was being used. At best, this was a white elephant, with third-party developer enthusiasm tepid.
At worst, it was unhelpful. The Touch Bar made accessing the function keys feel clunkier and [4]replaced the physical Escape key on earlier models, leading to countless jokes about developers being forever trapped in Vim.
Apple learns from history
Launched in 2006 with the inaugural MacBook Pro, MagSafe used a gentle magnetic force to hold the power adaptor in place. In practice, this meant that should someone snag their foot on your cable, it would harmlessly detach from your machine. In the same circumstances, a PC using a barrel-based connector would end up pirouetting across the room before landing with an unceremonious thud.
This came at a time when Apple was switching from PowerPC to Intel chips, and many feared Cupertino would lose its distinctness amid a sea of other PC manufacturers. MagSafe was as much a safety feature as it was part of the Mac's identity.
But MagSafe wasn't perfect either. Durability was be a major problem with early models, and it wasn't uncommon to see charging bricks held together by gaffer tape and prayers. They were also known for getting extremely hot during use, with some early models [5]decried as a fire hazard . Replacements weren't cheap either, and the cost led some towards inexpensive and unlicensed Chinese knock-offs, which in some cases were dangerous.
Speaking of Apple... Cupertino has [6]flipped a switch in its backend to prevent users of Arm-based M1 Macs from side-loading unsupported iPhone and iPad apps. The computers can still use iOS software if a developer allows their app to run on a desktop macOS machine. However, for now on, if an iOS app is marked as mobile-only by its creator, the application can't be installed on an M1 Mac.
Despite these stumbles, MagSafe had its fans. When Apple [7]began its discontinuation in 2016 , it provoked a fierce outcry from users who perceived USB-C as a step back in terms of functionality. By 2019, MagSafe had been completely withdrawn from Apple's laptop line-up following the cessation of the 2017 MacBook Air.
News of MagSafe's return isn't all that surprising. Apple began testing the waters late last year with a semi-revival of the tech on the iPhone 12 series. Owners of Apple's latest mobes can now affix accessories and wireless chargers to the back of their devices, thanks to a constellation of integrated magnets. This has proven fairly popular.
Beyond that, Apple is seemingly learning from the mistakes of the past five years, particularly when it comes to its laptop portfolio. The best example of this is the [8]discontinuation of the loathed Butterfly Keyboard , which sacrificed durability and typing comfort for the sake of slightly thinner laptops.
[9]
Still, there's more room to improve. While it's unlikely to see the return of USB-A or dedicated HDMI, it would be nice to see Apple bring back the built-in SD card slot of yore. Repairability remains another Achilles' heel worth addressing. ®
Get our [10]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x250&tile=2&c=2YAJy5XYss6bfa4@xLEp8PQAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-15/apple-macbook-pros-with-magsafe-return-in-the-works
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x250%7C300x252%7C300x600&tile=3&c=33YAJy5XYss6bfa4@xLEp8PQAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2019/11/13/16_macbook_pro/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2010/12/01/magsafe_house_fire/
[6] https://9to5mac.com/2021/01/15/apple-blocks-m1-mac-iphone-app-side-loading/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2016/10/27/apple_touch_bar_macbook_pro_beckons/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/07/in_memoriam_apple_butterfly/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251&tile=4&c=44YAJy5XYss6bfa4@xLEp8PQAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Haha, it occured to me how much data about accidental laptop damage Apple gleans from its repair centres (my guess is, as much as it can), with a view to informing later refits, revisions and models. I then imagined a scenario where a repair technician can view the last 5 seconds of video seen by a laptop's webcam immediately before it is knocked to the floor and 'killed' ("Benson!"). My chuckle is because it is a familiar premise from science fiction - a wetware hacker / psychic cop / time traveller uses the last images a murder victim sees to identify their killer.
I've got a 13 inch 2015 MacBook Pro.
I think Magsafe, when it works, is probably the best charging system I've used on a laptop. Purely because it does disconnect if you knock the cable. The advantage of carrying one charger for USB C are, IMO, far outweighed by risk of a laptop that costs the best part of 1000 pounds being pulled off the table.
I think I've still got a good few years of life left in my laptop yet, although I could sometimes do with more ram, which isn't an option on this laptop (Apple soldered the RAM to the Motherboard, and I could only afford 8 Gig at the time I bought it).
I did want the 15 inch model with the Touch Bar, but I don't see the touch bar as anything more than an interesting gimmick, and it added far too high a cost to the laptop, Not sure I'd have bought it even if I could afford it.
MagSafe is the best charging connector
I have used a number of MacBook Pros over the years as work laptops. During that time the MagSafe connector has saved the laptop from getting pulled onto the ground or worse on a number of occasion. Once when sitting on a couch and someone walking past who snagged on the charger cord. Another time when I was moving the laptop while it was charging, got stuck on something and had the MagSafe connector disconnect.
In either of these cases, having the laptop plugged in with USB-C or a barrel connector would have meant a $1,500+ laptop gracefully flying through the air and likely me having to explain a busted screen to my boss. With my non-Mac laptops I am noticeably more careful, regardless of whether it's a tricked-out Lenovo T-series or a gaming laptop. Tucking that charger cord out of harm's way is essential.
I imagine a thin & light ultrabook that's sitting on a desk while charging quietly via USB-C has excellent aerodynamic properties that will enable it to be propelled through the air the moment someone snag on said USB cable. Much easier than a chunky 1+ kg gaming laptop.
While I'm not a big fan of Macs in general, their excellent trackpads and the MagSafe connector have remained two things that I do miss about those MacBook Pros. Good to see that the latter might be making a return. Maybe then other laptop manufacturers will finally get the hint :)
Hooray!
The Magsafe connector was very nice and I miss it greatly. The USB-C connector on my current machine seems like a step backwards but is much better than the much older barrel connectors and it does allow me to plug power into any of the USB-C connectors.
Possibly the biggest problem with the magsafe connector was that it was Apple-only. This meant that it was impossible to get 3rd party power supplies. Without competition, apple didn't need to innovate so there was never any development of airline or car power adapters.
The best news is consigning the touch bar to hell. It is only useful if you don't know which key you want to press and can deal with looking at the keyboard. For touch typists using the machine a lot it's the definition of crap. It's worse than a waste of space, it actually slows your workflow and promotes mistakes. The lack of any feedback when touching it means you also need to watch your hands lest you accidentally hit an unintended key.
My current Macbook pro also turns out to have the last of the stupid butterfly keyboards so this is all a bit of a raw nerve for me. My previous machine was a 2012 model macbook pro which finally died early 2020. I normally get a long life out of my Macbooks but if they can get the keyboard working properly without a touch bar then I may very well trade up quickly.
A magsafe connector would be a nice touch. Maybe they should allow powering via either magsafe or USB-C to allow some flexibility - nah, sorry forgot we were talking about Apple for a second there.
I like the Touch bar.
I think the Touch Bar is a touch of genius.
Maybe if Microsoft came out with one, people would like it better. But being Apple and all that...
Re: I like the Touch bar.
Had it been additive, I'd have agreed with you. But the implementation was truly lousy: it removed /complicated functionality (see the crack about the escape key and vim, which was a real nuisance).
It's also very dated now. Compare with the Asus "Screenpad Plus": an entire second touch screen that you can interact with while not obscuring your main screen. (Asus managed to retain the escape key, too). I'm not totally sold on the Asus solution (I'm a Wacom user, and like the "input" display to the right of the keyboard instead of above it, but that's a personal preference), but it's an interesting implementation!
Wish list
Other things I wish they’d revive:
- The little push-button battery status indicator that was on the side of the laptop
- GigE
- 17” screens
- Better reliability. My older units lasted much longer than the newer ones
Re: Wish list
Amen.
As chance would have it, I’ve just today brought a 2011-era MBP back from the dead, with a new (iFixit) battery. It has both your first two features and I’d forgotten how useful the push-button battery gauge is.
Now if only its screen was better than the (dismal even when it was new) 1440x900.
Magsafe was/is a really, really elegant solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. Don't get me wrong, I like the thinking behind it, but despite the "cautionary tales" there really aren't blizzards of laptops hurtling around coffee shops, because (a) people don't trip over cables as often as the Magsafe fandom implies, and (b) even when they do, some proportion of the "trips" uneventfully yank one or the other end of the non-Magsafe cable out, resulting in absolutely no dire consequences.
Apropos of nothing much, my LG V60 second screen sports a funky little widget that had a USB Type-C socket on one side and a magnetically attached contacts on the other. It only supports the USB-PD signals (no superspeed lanes), but it changes the phone using a cable (for when a wireless charging mat is not convenient).
Interestingly, Type-C sockets can be bidirectional in terms of power delivery (at 100W, not some cut-down 31W that some vendors choose to implement), so you could have a system where a Type-C power brick could power a laptop via plugging into a Type-C socket, or through a magnetically attached connection (in which case it would supply power over the socket). And the same cable would charge your phone, as well as everything else that isn't Apple or wireless!
(Remember: the point of the USB power delivery concept is that you won't need a rat's nest of different cables. Also remember that Apple doesn't care, and likes unique magic cables for very limited technical reasons)
I guess people aren't removing their Macbooks from their home desks* as often, now that they're not taking their laptop to a client, an office or a coffee shop.
This means that a MacBook may be left plugged in for a greater fraction of the day - increasing the chances of the cable being tripped over.
Also contributing to the chance of a MacBook's power cable being yanked is that children are present in more homes more of the time.
* Or likely a kitchen table (that isn't against a wall) in lieu of a proper desk, further increasing chance of cable trip.