Home

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

cord stinks

Written by MB from orlando

Oct 21, 2009

My new cord quit working in one month. 0000 stars

16 of 17 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

i wish they would fix this

Written by RD from AMBLER

Oct 20, 2009

Love apple...I like the Magsafe a lot.

I really really dont understand why Apple cannot design the cord such to prevent fraying. I use the computer at work and home. The computer sits on a desk, or my lap. I certainly am not jumping rope with the cord. Regardless, I have burned through about 4 power adapters. One even caught fire. The rest just stopped working. My Apple care has replaced these for free, but still, this is an unacceptable design by Apple. This has been a problem for a couple years. Their engineers have had more than enough time to redesign the product for safety and function.

Since there are no alternatives, we are stuck with this product. It almost isn't worth reviewing. Sigh....

Function>>>>form.

20 of 23 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Way too hot !

Written by SL from fort lee

Oct 18, 2009

I love the look and size of this unit, but because the power supply is encased in a plastic air tight casing it gets very hot, especially if the laptop is running graphics and the power supply is not in a well ventilated area.

I highly recommend Apple make this a vented unit, with possibly a aluminum casing.
I once fell asleep with the power supply on a pillow on the coach and when I woke up the unit was so hot I could barely touch it.

11 of 12 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Ugh...

Written by RB from Raleigh

Oct 17, 2009

Have had MacBook Pro for a little over a year and the adapter finally bit the dust (confirmed by testing with a known working adapter). It provides pwr, but doesn't charge the battery. Friend has gone through 3 in a little over a year and two batteries (overheating, etc).

While I enjoy the laptop, the adapter is a joke. Previous usage with work pc's have never shown such a big problem with the pwr brick. The 85w MagSafe is an oxymoron. It's not really safe. One of the ones that failed for my friend, threw sparks before melting. Fortunately he was home.

Potentially paying for a new one every year or year-and-a-half is pathetic. If Apple really had the customer in mind, they would lifetime (or at least 5-10yr) guarantee these things. Instead it's just another profit point with the high replacement factor. Having a great laptop is a bit pointless, if the charger is junk.

15 of 17 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Frayed cord, sparks and smoke!

Written by CM from Farmington

Oct 17, 2009

Two weeks ago, I noticed my mag connection fraying. My MacBook Pro is a year old. I don't travel with my laptop, and I only USE my notebook, I don't abuse it. Last night I noticed it starting to smoke, it sparked, and would of started a fire if I didn't notice it. You shouldn't have to baby these cords. You should be able to replace these cords instead of the entire charger. My Gateways had connection problems too, and that's one reason I tried an Apple. $80 bucks for a new adapter to replace a $10 cord?

7 of 7 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Fryed cord

Written by EP from Newport

Oct 16, 2009

I have had this for a few years, but the cord has completely fryed at the mag end. I thought i left it under the cpu, wich is extremely hot. But for none other then the cord has completely fell apart.

8 of 8 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

APPLE NEEDS TO REPLACE THIS CORD!!!

Written by MM from LEHI

Oct 15, 2009

I've had my Macbook Pro since May (about 5 months ago) and I have no complaints about anything except the power cord, it has stopped working. It looks like the outer prongs have either fried or lost stiffness to connect with the laptop and it just wont charge, and $80 for a new one! Extremely over priced for a poor product.

14 of 14 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Cord problems - broken exposed wiring

Written by JF from Chesapeake

Oct 13, 2009

I have the MagSafe for my 15 inch MacBook Pro and almost as soon as I got it the cord started coming apart. I am very careful with my equipment and always take care so this type of thing should not happen. It ended up breaking after about a year of use - the wire frayed apart and then stopped working not to mention open wires hanging out in plain view. Its funny that they charge 80 dollars for something that after a year breaks, what gives? Guess they got ya when after a year you have to buy a new plug to keep your computer running.

22 of 23 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

really bad, no excuses

Written by JF from Dover

Oct 13, 2009

I've noticed all of the positive reviews here are from people who just purchased this adapter. It does look cool and work well at first.

After about a year, I noticed that my MacBook Pro wouldn't charge even when it was plugged in. I guess either the magnet doesn't hold it in tight enough, or the cord is messed up right around the connector. The only way it will charge is if the cord near the connector is at the perfect angle, which means that every time I use my laptop I have to bend it around until the cord until the light comes on; and often something moves while I am using it and I have to do this over and over to not lose my charge. I'm worried that my charger will catch on fire if I don't replace it, but $80 is a lot of money to spend on something so poorly made. At the same time, this is probably destroying my battery.

I love my laptop, but this charger is terrible.

13 of 15 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Gets extremely HOT!!

Written by SC from Reno

Oct 12, 2009

The power block get extremely HOT!! I can't even hold it for more than a few seconds. If you have any children in the house, they might burn their hands if they touch the power block. Apple needs to fix this because it seems like there are too many people with problems with it. Everyone that has a complaint about this should write their feedback immediately to Apple on the feedback page so something gets done about this not so safe Magsafe power adapter. Type feedback in the search bar to find it.

5 of 9 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Design something better!!

Written by CC from Franktown

Oct 10, 2009

I am on my third power cord in 3 years because the two outside prongs keep frying. At least come up with something that replaces just the magnetic top part that you could splice into the existing wiring.

5 of 6 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Never a Problem.

Written by EG from Calgary

Oct 9, 2009

We use these on our office lap tops. Never a problem. We are careful in handling our equipment though. (never just throwing an unwound adapter in a bag, yanking it out from the middle of the cord etc...) Although we haven't had any problems the unit does not look like it would take a lot of rough treatment, so maybe that's the problem some people are having?

They are warm when working, but not hot. One should avoid plugging an adapter like this into very light gauge cheap extension cords or overloaded plugs (same as power tools, great way to burn out electrical appliances)

4 of 9 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

purchasing my third one in two years....

Written by KB from Santa Ana

Oct 8, 2009

after the first one got frayed i took extra care of the second one...though it lasted a little longer, it unfortunately still got frayed. third one will hold me over until i can afford a new computer. urgghh. Apple, please design something better!?

19 of 22 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Superficially clever, deeply impractical

Written by SC from Davidson

Oct 7, 2009

Loved this cord at first because of the snappy magnetic hook up. But the plug often falls out of wall outlets--it's too large and heavy to for the small prongs to support. And now, only a year after purchase, the cord no longer works at all. The $80 replacement fee is daunting. I expect better design from Mac.

15 of 18 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

The best power adapter EVER!

Written by ZA from Goodyear

Oct 6, 2009

I am absolutely in love with this power adapter. I love how it's magnetic so it pops out with a significant pull. Also, neither the computer nor the person falls down with the cord if someone trips on it. Moreover, the cord wraps neatly around itself. This cord is genius, yet another great Apple product!

7 of 21 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Frayed at 6 months of age

Written by DG from Elk Grove Village

Oct 5, 2009

Very disappointed that Apple would design such a cord that frays so easily after owning the computer for less than six months. The exposed wires that come out of where the plug fits the computer are dangerous.

9 of 12 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Love/Hate with my Mac

Written by RS from Philadelphia

Oct 5, 2009

I just got Mac Book last year, and we've already had to replace one charger because of the flimsy chord that broke. I love my Mac, but still. Now my charger has a burning plastic smell every time i use it. It also creates a loud buzzing noise, like a bad television signal. Mostly, I'm concerned about the burning. The adapter get's really hot. So hot, that it's hard for me to hold it even after ten full minutes of inactivity. I find the condition worsens one hundred percent if the computer and charger (apadpter, chord, whatever.) are on at the same time. At first, it just happened a few time, but now it is occurring almost every single time I use my charger. I am hoping that my computer warranty includes the charger, because this is the second time I have had a problem.

Also, I have problems with the software. It often freezes up, leaving me to erase all of my hard work (I am student) by using the force quit option. It especially bothers me when I am trying to use the Force Quit option and that too is not working. I really wish that Apple would focus more on these little things, because these are the reasons that most people can not warm up to Macs so easily.

I love the warranties that they have for the Macs. They cover most things, wether they be their fault or not. Last year my mother broke the screen on our Mac, and within two weeks time we were able to replace the screen and keep all of the data that was previously stored on it.

Overall, I love the fast-quality of the Mac and the user friendly outlook. At first I had some issues, but I can now easily navigate through the many features it incorporates. If it weren't for these few difficulties that were listed above, I would give it five stars. Ma really needs to work on the small things, and the big picture will be even better!

2 of 7 people found this useful

Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (for 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro)

Love it and it will love you

Written by JF from Grovetown

Oct 2, 2009

My wife and I have three Mac laptops between us (2 MacBook Pro models and 1 MacBook) and we also have three 85W power adapters and one 60W. All work wonderfully and all are more than 2 years old. I have noticed that they do get hot, but this is usually when I'm working the computer very hard (and the battery is usually always fully charged when I notice the heat.) I think it's important NOT to leave your computer plugged into the power adapter all the time. When the battery is charged UNPLUG IT! Let your battery cycle through it will have a much longer and happier life. Also, treat the cords properly and they well last as long as the computer. I think a lot of the negative ratings for this product are due to failure of the product as a result of poor handling. Also, the MagSafe DC connector has saved me MANY TIMES.

16 of 21 people found this useful