7 ms·

The day Apple makes a power cord that doesn't have a cable sheath with the consistency and durability of silly putty is the day I will recognize them as back on

by quasse 10y ago

The day Apple makes a power cord that doesn't have a cable sheath with the consistency and durability of silly putty is the day I will recognize them as back on track. It's a small detail, but the power cord is the one part of the computer that users have no choice but to interact with every day and they've been ignoring the problems with them for the better part of half a decade. Every Mac at work either has detached and frayed around the power connector strain relief, or looks like an extremely precise samurai has made tens of small cuts in the jacket of the cable.

ams6110 10y ago
I hear this a lot, but I still use a 2009 MacBook Air with the original "magsafe" power cord and it's fine.
- DashRattlesnake 10y ago
  Me too, but I had to learn the "right way" to wind up the cable (make a little strain release loop before you start winding the rest around the clips). I shouldn't have had to learn that though, since it should have been designed to be durable enough to work the obvious/intuitive way.
  - BinaryIdiot 10y ago
    See, I have two cables that I've never wound up, one is on the verge of tearing and the othaerntore years ago. I didn't handle them roughly as far as I know and all of my PCs have never had such an issue. Even if every user was using it wrong I would still call it an Apple issue as their solution is obviously not meeting the needs of their users.
- jimboj 10y ago
  I have Apple cables that old that still have nothing wrong with them. I think it was maybe about 4-5 years ago that they switched the materials, every cable I have had since then has started to disintegrate after a few months. In my office cupboard we have 5 mighty mice that have all worn through after 6 months use and we have stopped buying official Apple lightning cables.
mrmondo 10y ago
Of all the MacBooks, MacBook Pros and idevices I've had over the years (including my still running perfectly Jan 2011 MBP) I've never had a single issue with any power cord tearing / breaking or power supply even fail as far as I can remember. I always assume when I hear of people with this problem that they're disrespecting their hardware by jamming it in doors / desks or perhaps have pets that chew on them.
- tsujamin 10y ago
  I'm onto charger 4 now I think? Usually have to replace it every ~12 months due to either cable sheath detatching from the inner cable and then splitting as I wind it up. Atleast two of them have also shorted out or only charged my macbook <1/2 the times it was connected. tl;dr they're pretty trash, but maybe so are other chargers.
  - datasage 10y ago
    My solution was to get one for work and another for home, and the only time I ever wrapped up the cable is when I am traveling.
  - mrmondo 10y ago
    Out of interest are you the standard 240V or in the USA with the 110V chargers? Also, again just out of interest - are you in an especially humid or hot climate? I'm just trying to think of any 'extremes' that may cause consistent failures like this if the user isn't mistreating the product.
  - lobster_johnson 10y ago
    Why not just patch the cable with some electrical tape? Buying an entire charger just because the cable is fraying seems excessive.
    - flukus 10y ago
      You really expect a mac user to value function over form?
saurik 10y ago
I had the same complaint until this year: I am actually impressed with the new USB-C (and even USB-A<->Lightning) cables coming from Apple this past year.
ktRolster 10y ago
The day Apple makes a power cord that doesn't have a cable sheath with the consistency and durability of silly putty is the day I will recognize them as back on track. That's a really strange thing, because it's such a well-understood problem and the solution is known. I don't know why Apple makes such lousy power cables, even if they messed up a decade ago, you'd think they'd have fixed it by now.
- x0x0 10y ago
  I can think of $89 reasons each!
- WildUtah 10y ago
  Jony Ive considers standard strain relief cones to be unattractive and prohibits Apple from shipping them.
  - phaed 10y ago
    This seems to be a trend with apple, completely breaking the form follows function principle everywhere anyone can see.
  - ktRolster 10y ago
    Well figure out a way to make them attractive! That's kind of the job of a designer, you don't get to redesign the appearance of an airplane to remove the wings because you don't like how they look.
krackers 10y ago
I read somewhere that the problem is two-fold: the design department's hesitation to use any sort of strain relief and the softer type of coating that is supposedly more eco-friendly.
- nrjdhsbsid 10y ago
  It might be simpler than even that. Most cables are black because black ones are more durable for many reasons(UV resist and more choice of composition/processing) Apple likes their bright colors too much to do that :)
- pherq 10y ago
  Eco-friendly becomes something of a joke if you need to buy a significant extra number of them...
lobster_johnson 10y ago
The power cord -- by which I mean the USB 2.0 cable for using with the power brick -- that comes with the MBP 2016 is actually surprisingly thick and rigid. It also feels weirdly unpleasant; the rigidity is not good for a cable intended to be slung over the edge of a table. But it probably lasts longer than the old MagSafe cables. (I wouldn't know; I returned mine and went back to my old 2015 model.)
cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
There's a rumor that they're working on a wireless charging technology for iPhones where it charges completely wirelessly without using one of those clumsy power mats. So your dream will likely come true in a different--yet much better--format.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
pzh 10y ago
I've come to the conclusion that the problems with the power cord are mosty due to its design rather than any abuse or user action. The second layer of wiring that twists around the core wire is going only in one direction (a simple helix as opposed to a double criss-crossing helix like coax cable). Hence, if you twist the cable in the opposite direction, the helix becomes undone. I suspect that causes pressure on the white plastic insulation, and also leads to some electrical issues that increase resistance, produce heat, and causes the white plastic insulation to become yellow/burnt and to start disintegrating. The funny thing is that you can abuse the cable in any way or you can be extra careful, but the only thing that will matter is in what direction you coil it. If you don't travel a lot and don't touch it, you're unlikely to notice any problems for years.

by quasse 10y ago

ams6110 10y ago

I hear this a lot, but I still use a 2009 MacBook Air with the original "magsafe" power cord and it's fine.

DashRattlesnake 10y ago
Me too, but I had to learn the "right way" to wind up the cable (make a little strain release loop before you start winding the rest around the clips). I shouldn't have had to learn that though, since it should have been designed to be durable enough to work the obvious/intuitive way.
- BinaryIdiot 10y ago
  See, I have two cables that I've never wound up, one is on the verge of tearing and the othaerntore years ago. I didn't handle them roughly as far as I know and all of my PCs have never had such an issue. Even if every user was using it wrong I would still call it an Apple issue as their solution is obviously not meeting the needs of their users.
jimboj 10y ago
I have Apple cables that old that still have nothing wrong with them. I think it was maybe about 4-5 years ago that they switched the materials, every cable I have had since then has started to disintegrate after a few months. In my office cupboard we have 5 mighty mice that have all worn through after 6 months use and we have stopped buying official Apple lightning cables.

mrmondo 10y ago

Of all the MacBooks, MacBook Pros and idevices I've had over the years (including my still running perfectly Jan 2011 MBP) I've never had a single issue with any power cord tearing / breaking or power supply even fail as far as I can remember. I always assume when I hear of people with this problem that they're disrespecting their hardware by jamming it in doors / desks or perhaps have pets that chew on them.

tsujamin 10y ago
I'm onto charger 4 now I think? Usually have to replace it every ~12 months due to either cable sheath detatching from the inner cable and then splitting as I wind it up. Atleast two of them have also shorted out or only charged my macbook <1/2 the times it was connected. tl;dr they're pretty trash, but maybe so are other chargers.
- datasage 10y ago
  My solution was to get one for work and another for home, and the only time I ever wrapped up the cable is when I am traveling.
- mrmondo 10y ago
  Out of interest are you the standard 240V or in the USA with the 110V chargers? Also, again just out of interest - are you in an especially humid or hot climate? I'm just trying to think of any 'extremes' that may cause consistent failures like this if the user isn't mistreating the product.
- lobster_johnson 10y ago
  Why not just patch the cable with some electrical tape? Buying an entire charger just because the cable is fraying seems excessive.
  - flukus 10y ago
    You really expect a mac user to value function over form?

saurik 10y ago

I had the same complaint until this year: I am actually impressed with the new USB-C (and even USB-A<->Lightning) cables coming from Apple this past year.

ktRolster 10y ago

The day Apple makes a power cord that doesn't have a cable sheath with the consistency and durability of silly putty is the day I will recognize them as back on track. That's a really strange thing, because it's such a well-understood problem and the solution is known. I don't know why Apple makes such lousy power cables, even if they messed up a decade ago, you'd think they'd have fixed it by now.

x0x0 10y ago
I can think of $89 reasons each!
WildUtah 10y ago
Jony Ive considers standard strain relief cones to be unattractive and prohibits Apple from shipping them.
- phaed 10y ago
  This seems to be a trend with apple, completely breaking the form follows function principle everywhere anyone can see.
- ktRolster 10y ago
  Well figure out a way to make them attractive! That's kind of the job of a designer, you don't get to redesign the appearance of an airplane to remove the wings because you don't like how they look.

krackers 10y ago

I read somewhere that the problem is two-fold: the design department's hesitation to use any sort of strain relief and the softer type of coating that is supposedly more eco-friendly.

nrjdhsbsid 10y ago
It might be simpler than even that. Most cables are black because black ones are more durable for many reasons(UV resist and more choice of composition/processing) Apple likes their bright colors too much to do that :)
pherq 10y ago
Eco-friendly becomes something of a joke if you need to buy a significant extra number of them...

lobster_johnson 10y ago

The power cord -- by which I mean the USB 2.0 cable for using with the power brick -- that comes with the MBP 2016 is actually surprisingly thick and rigid. It also feels weirdly unpleasant; the rigidity is not good for a cable intended to be slung over the edge of a table. But it probably lasts longer than the old MagSafe cables. (I wouldn't know; I returned mine and went back to my old 2015 model.)

cocktailpeanuts 10y ago

There's a rumor that they're working on a wireless charging technology for iPhones where it charges completely wirelessly without using one of those clumsy power mats. So your dream will likely come true in a different--yet much better--format.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

pzh 10y ago

I've come to the conclusion that the problems with the power cord are mosty due to its design rather than any abuse or user action. The second layer of wiring that twists around the core wire is going only in one direction (a simple helix as opposed to a double criss-crossing helix like coax cable). Hence, if you twist the cable in the opposite direction, the helix becomes undone. I suspect that causes pressure on the white plastic insulation, and also leads to some electrical issues that increase resistance, produce heat, and causes the white plastic insulation to become yellow/burnt and to start disintegrating. The funny thing is that you can abuse the cable in any way or you can be extra careful, but the only thing that will matter is in what direction you coil it. If you don't travel a lot and don't touch it, you're unlikely to notice any problems for years.