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Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Buy the 85 watt MacBook Pro model

Written by JO from Tacoma

Aug 5, 2006

The 60W original equipment power adapter for the Macbook is fine and works as it should. However, if you are buying a spare, why not get the 85W MB Pro model. It is the same price and it seems to stay noticeably cooler when charging the Macbook. I have both computers and the 85W will work for either.

The 60W works only on a limited basis with a Macbook Pro. It will provide enough power to run the computer, but doesn't have enough reserve to charge the battery unless you put the MBP to sleep or shut down. This is actually better than I would have expected.

2900 of 3373 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

MagSafe Tips

Written by DM from Hamilton

Nov 6, 2006

I've enjoyed the MagSafe adapter with my MacBook immensely, a far superior design than previous adapters.

I'm not sure about the other people who wrote reviews, but let me share a few tips to help you with your MagSafe power adapter, and keep it from excessive damage.

1) Don't just yank the MagSafe from the charging socket on the side of your MacBook (Pro). Place your fingers on the small white plug end such that you can gently pull up on it. It will come away from the socket easily, and this won't cause you cord damage down the road.

*The MagSafe was meant to save your computer from an occassion where a quick 'whip' from a tripped over or stuck cord would knock the computer from it's place.

If you constantly yank the cord from the socket, you're simulating the same effect as above. I don't think it was designed for hundreds of yanks, but rather for the few times it will happen inintentionally.

2) Do not plug it into your computer before you plug the adapter into the wall socket. Sparks and other electricity-related activity could potentially damage your computer.

Observe these steps and you won't end up like the others on here.

2247 of 3326 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Engineer says "design flaw in a good idea"

Written by IL from Little Rock

Apr 19, 2008

I'm an engineer by trade. I have disassembled the Mac adaptor (the so-called "magnetic") model.

First - it should be noted that it is not a "magnetic" connector. It is more properly a magnetically housed spring-contactor combination connector.

Users, look at your connector. You will notice that the pins which actually carry the current are spring loaded, not magnetic. The magnetic housing actually holds the plug in place so that the spring-loaded pins can do the real work and transmit the current to operate the device.

This design means that the current (think "LOAD") must travel not only through the pin but also the tiny micro-spring which loads each pin against the contact plate in the computer housing when it is snapped in place "magnetically". :-)

You will note that The diameter of the spring wire is about .005". That's less than 1/15th the cross-section of the little gold pins which you THINK are carrying the current.
Why does this matter? Well, guess what? when you heat a spring it loses its tensile memory. In effect, it becomes "un-springy". This is exactly what happens when the amount of current associated with charging a laptop battery is carried through that tiny .005 spring. The result is predictable. After a few months of use, the springs heat again and again. They compress, lose tension, reshape and are no longer able to provide firm contact tension required to hold the pins in place. As the spring tension decreases, the connection resistance rises more and more. Even more power is sent to the connector, up to the capacity of the adaptor to generate current (85 watts, they claim). It does this according to basic rules of electrical design, in a predictable attempt to "make up" for the current loss at the connector. The result? The connector performance becomes eratic, and/or it begins to heat up, and finally either the adaptor or the connector fails. This is all because of four tiny springs in that otherwise handy connector.

Conclusion: Apple, the connector is a great idea, but your quest to make it smaller, you have miscalculated the numbers. Consequently, you undersized the current carrying components. (In my estimation, some engineer only calculated the pin current capacity, forgetting the presence of the springs!)

Now, you're stuck...which means we're stuck.


Until they redesign the connector to account for the problem described above, these will continue to fail, and Apple will continue to have unhappy customers.

My advice? Apple, try again. The magnetic connector is a good idea, don't give it up...but do your DESIGN homework!

279 of 297 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

RECALL THESE NOW!

Written by AG from Durham

Oct 30, 2007

when i looked down to see that the cord of my magsafe was melting and exposing the wires i thought it was an isolated problem only with my computer. but now i realize that this is a systemic problem. my macbook is just over a year old! i've had a failed battery, a defective hard drive and now this. i'd heard that macs were so much better than pcs but now i'm not so sure. this is my first mac, and i'm constantly disappointed. recall these batteries and do what's best for your customers.

153 of 165 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

RECALL AND REPLACE THIS DANGEROUS PRODUCT NOW!!!

Written by OC

Oct 29, 2007

I want to give this ZERO as it is a terrible and dangerous product.
I have been a big fan of Apple until recently. I bought a MacBook just over 1 year ago and have had many issues with it.
Faulty keyboard, huge crack in the palm rest area where the screens hard plastic buffer touches the main body (why not rubberize this part???) and now this!
I was working away on my laptop when I noticed that the power icon on my desktop had switched to battery even though it was pluged in.
I droped the screen to check out the power supply only to see smoke and sparks fizzing from a huge burned out hole at the joint where the cable meets the power supply unit.
Scary, severly disapointing and highly annoying when I see so many other people have had a similar experience. There is clearly a major issue with this product WHY NO RECALL!!!!?

136 of 141 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Recall is warranted

Written by MR

Nov 27, 2007

Clearly, a recall of this product needs to be considered. I've had my Macbook a little over a year and I experienced the same problem where the inside of the cable where it connects to the computer breaks and ceases to work. I've never put undue stress on it and I've always taken good care of it. This definately wasn't one of there best ideas.

135 of 142 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

more of the same-bad magsafe cord

Written by GD from long beach

Nov 29, 2007

with less than 2 years of use the cord is frayed and no longer usable. I actually have 2 of these so I have one upstairs and one downstairs (which I also use to travel with). The one that never goes anywhere (and gets the most use) is the one that is dead. Now waiting for the other one to go.......$$$$$$$$

Apple-I'll still love you if you fix this problem!

116 of 123 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

APPLE WILL REPLACE FOR FREE IF STILL UNDER WARRANTY!

Written by JP from New Orleans

Mar 23, 2007

I feel bad for y'all who went and bought new adapters - I bought my MacBook last May and, although I babied the heck out of my MagSafe adapter, it's just starting to have the problems that everyone else here is describing.

I just called Apple and they're sending me a new one for free. The dude on the phone made a point of asking whether the cord was cracked (which mine isn't... yet), so maybe that's their criteria for establishing whether it's damaged from "abuse" or simply because it's a defective product. I imagine that, after a couple more days of heating up the way it is, that it WILL melt through and crack.

The moral: when you call them, tell them it's not cracked, OR tell them that when it first started to be troublesome it wasn't cracked, but because of the overheating that naturally occurs (and melts rubber) when electronics short out, that it has, through no fault of your own, since become cracked.

114 of 124 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Great computer but terrible power adapter

Written by EB from Frederick

Mar 5, 2008

How is this possible? I have only had my MacBook for 1 year & the adapter is completely fried. I am having the exact same issue that I have seen described here. The wires are splitting right at the magnet. Perhaps Apple needs to do away with the magnet if it is causing these types of issues. It really makes no sense that we all have to shell out 80 bucks to replace these once a year. Give me a break Apple & replace all of our adapters!

99 of 110 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Even if you properly care for it...big piece of junk.

Written by SG from Syracuse

Mar 12, 2009

I am going to have to buy my THIRD cord...the first one, I admit, I didn't take very good care of, but after having to replace that one, I have been incredibly gentle to the new one! But, to no avail. I have to replace this one too. I must say, I am extremely disappointed.

87 of 98 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Apple needs to Redesign This!

Written by MC from TARBORO

Jun 11, 2009

This is the second one we've replaced for my wife's Macbook in 2 years. I also have to replace mine for my Macbook Pro that is just over 1 year old. I have been an avid Mac user for 13 years now and have gotten quite a few others hooked because I've raved over the quality of Apple products, but this is unacceptable. I love the magsafe plug, but apple needs to redesign the flimsy cord to make it more durable!

83 of 91 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Extremely Unreliable and Overpriced

Written by AR from Fremont

Sep 21, 2009

While the MagSafe Power Adapter is innovative, thin and sleek, it is not durable. This is my third MagSafe in the span of only a little more than two years. This is completely unacceptable and even insulting given the hefty price Apple charges for a product so cheap to produce. The MagSafe has potential but only if Apple focuses more on substance than looks. There is a reason most laptop manufacturers have much thicker power cords.

72 of 78 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

$79??

Written by SR from Rock Valley

May 29, 2008

I love my macbook and wouldn't ever choose another computer, but as the other hundreds of reviewers of this product have said, this cord is not very reliable and to have to pay $79 dollars to replace this necessary piece is a bit ridiculous, especially when I was always careful with it and it broke on its own. I love the features of the cord, the magnet and the changable length and wrapping storage are great, but it definitely should not need to be replaced after only a year or two of use, and if the product is that unreliable, then $79 is much to high of a price to pay for a replacement.

75 of 84 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Second adaptor in less than a year, and down again.

Written by DH from Wasco

Dec 23, 2008

I bought my MacBook in late January of 2008. The first Magsafe lasted about three months, and stopped charging. I bought a second one, and now it has stopped charging. I like the old adators better. I never had a problem with poor power connections, or recharging my G3 and its power adaptor. I use my MacBook daily as a tool for producing accompaniments for my choirs and other musical ventures, and can't afford to be "on the job" when the MacBoook needs charging, and the adaptor fails. Its happened twice now...y'all need to rethink this one, and then upgrade my computer...So far I'm extremely dissapointed and unimpressed...I can't in good conscience give this any stars...I'm out another $125.00, and no refunds? Not good people. Especially since I've using Macs since the late 80s (ask an oldtimer about DACOTT21/20 and the Bleridge School trials). I am almost ready to stop doing business with you after all of this time, and at least 10 computers (new and/or used). OK, so I gave it one star, but that was beacuse the program would not allow me to give it zero stars.

72 of 80 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Poorly designed product - at least give us a discount

Written by SL from Norfolk

Mar 6, 2008

Add my vote of no confidence. Had my MacBook a year, love it. Mag safe adapter started to flicker a month ago, now it is dead (connection where the cable meets the magsafe unit). Out of warranty and out of luck, I'm now very unhappily buying a new one, which I will reinforce with very un-Apple-like duct tape - and hope it doesn't happen again next year (if i wanted to keep my laptop in one location, I'd buy an iMac - a rugged portable computer should have a rugged portable adapter). This is a lemon and a recall product if there ever was one. 80$ to replace a poorly designed product after one year is really shameful. I love Apple products, but I find it really disgraceful that Apple has refused to acknowledge this and at least give MacBook owners a discount on a new adapter. Apple deserves their falling stock price right now.

69 of 74 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Fried!

Written by DP from Makati City

Oct 30, 2007

This charger started to intermittently stop charging even while plugged about two weeks ago. I thought it was just a lose contact with the magnetic connector so I kept fiddling with it to no avail. I tried unplugging the charger and re-plugging it in and that worked sometimes. Two days ago, I smelled something burning and looked down at the charger to see the wire coming out of the base melting and giving off sparks. Now, I read that my case is not isolated. Apple should have done a recall of these units!

69 of 75 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Not the quality I expect from Apple....

Written by TM from FEDERAL WAY

Oct 15, 2009

I have a MacBook and have just bought my third adapter in a year and a half. After the original one broke I did some reading to figure out what I had done wrong. I suspect that I was not careful enough in unplugging from the computer as it was the part the junction between the magnetic fitting and the cord that broke. When I got my second one I was meticulous, I always made sure to grab the plug itself to remover from the laptop but this time the cord melted on the end next to the brick from it getting so hot. I saw that somebody suggested getting the 85W one. Maybe I'll try that in 6 months when this one is dead. I also find it ridiculous that no other brands make these because of the patent on the mag safe technology. At least with the old adapters you had the option to try something else. I've never found an apple product that had so little thought put into the design. I thought Apple was better than this.

64 of 69 people found this useful

Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter (for MacBook and 13-inch MacBook Pro)

Melted/frayed wire

Written by JB from Greenwich

Feb 27, 2008

After about 18 months of using this adapter I noticed one day a burning smell coming from it. I checked it out and near the base of the white brick, on the wire that connects from the brick to the laptop, I noticed it was frayed/melted and wire was exposed. I always thought that the wire connection at the base of the brick was very flimsy. This adapter is POORLY designed and is prone to being worn out very quickly or melting away, just from NORMAL USE. Have you ever heard of IBM or Toshiba having these problems? Despite all the negative comments about this product, Apple will continue to sell it because it saves them more money by replacing defunct ones from unhappy/complaining costumers than having to recall (think Ford Pinto). If you are having a similar problem you should call the Apple Store.

61 of 63 people found this useful