5 ms·

Worst of all, it was the loss of the much-beloved MagSafe. I wish all of my cables were magnetic, The amount of things I have broken in my life by tripping is

Worst of all, it was the loss of the much-beloved MagSafe. I wish all of my cables were magnetic, The amount of things I have broken in my life by tripping is downright embarrassing. I do like being able to charge my mac book from my external monitor, and keeping my apple power supply in my bag in-case I need to go somewhere. It would just be nice if I didn't have to label my cables.

slantyyz 5y ago
I use magnetic tear away cables for a lot of my gear. They have magnetic tips for lightning, USB-micro and USB-C. For stuff like charging headphones, LED lights and other random gadgets with mixed plug types, I use charge-only cables for that stuff, and it's been super convenient. There are also magnetic cables that support limited fast charging and data, but only at USB 2.0 speeds, so that could still be a deal breaker for some people.
- Scramblejams 5y ago
  I'm often tempted by magnetic adapters but when I look on Amazon at the options, it seems like I always see reviews from people who said it nearly caught their stuff on fire. You have any recommendations for high quality magnetic gear?
  - slantyyz 5y ago
    I've used A.S., TopK and Melonboy without any issues.
  - kitsunesoba 5y ago
    > it seems like I always see reviews from people who said it nearly caught their stuff on fire. This is part of a larger problem with a lack of regulations on high-current accessories. In the US, the FTC should probably be doing stringent inspections of imported cables, chargers, etc similar to how the FCC currently inspects communication devices so the substandard/dangerous ones get turned away at the border.
  - hamburglar 5y ago
    My experience with magnetic usb-c connectors is that the magnet can’t be very strong, because then it just pulls the adapter out of the port when you try to disconnect it.
Dylan16807 5y ago
Is the cable going from your laptop to your monitor in a position that you can trip on it? Some kinds of cable really benefit from easily detaching, and some don't.
- dec0dedab0de 5y ago
  Is the cable going from your laptop to your monitor in a position that you can trip on it? Not at my desk, but sometimes when I temporarily plug into another monitor or a television it can be a problem. For my desk, I wish I just had a dock like my thinkpad from 10 years ago, or at least if the connectors were on the back so I didn't have wires sticking out on both sides. Some kinds of cable really benefit from easily detaching, and some don't. It's not like other connectors are difficult to disconnect. My previous macbook had an hdmi port that would disconnect if i breathed on the cable too hard. USB-C does seem a bit more snug so far, but who knows how well it will last. Magnets done well just have a better chance of surviving if you trip on something, or if you drop your laptop.
  - Tsiklon 5y ago
    USB-C is supposed to be rated for many times more insertion cycles than USB-A which is a big bonus in it’s favour, that said they do tend to get perceivably looser over time.
    - cesarb 5y ago
      Another advantage is that USB-C has all the springs on the cable, while USB-A has springs on the port. When the springs get loose, with USB-C you can just replace the cable, while with USB-A, you'd have to replace the port.
    - hamburglar 5y ago
      I have one laptop whose usb-c port has loosened up to the point where I have to wedge something under the cable on the table to create upward pressure in the port or it won’t charge reliably. I’ve been way more impressed with the durability of lightning ports. They get dirty and need to be cleaned out but their mechanical strength is amazing (apple’s cables on the other hand…). I like that Apple is confident enough in the strength of the lightning port that in the Apple stores, the standard display is to have the phone being physically supported by the port alone, even in an environment where hundreds of careless people are going to be messing with it.
roland35 5y ago
It would be nice if there was some sort of standard like USB for magnetic charge cables! I do like the standard USB c charger that I can use for my laptop, phone, and switch, but there are certainly clear advantages to magnetic disconnect

slantyyz 5y ago

I use magnetic tear away cables for a lot of my gear. They have magnetic tips for lightning, USB-micro and USB-C. For stuff like charging headphones, LED lights and other random gadgets with mixed plug types, I use charge-only cables for that stuff, and it's been super convenient. There are also magnetic cables that support limited fast charging and data, but only at USB 2.0 speeds, so that could still be a deal breaker for some people.

Scramblejams 5y ago
I'm often tempted by magnetic adapters but when I look on Amazon at the options, it seems like I always see reviews from people who said it nearly caught their stuff on fire. You have any recommendations for high quality magnetic gear?
- slantyyz 5y ago
  I've used A.S., TopK and Melonboy without any issues.
- kitsunesoba 5y ago
  > it seems like I always see reviews from people who said it nearly caught their stuff on fire. This is part of a larger problem with a lack of regulations on high-current accessories. In the US, the FTC should probably be doing stringent inspections of imported cables, chargers, etc similar to how the FCC currently inspects communication devices so the substandard/dangerous ones get turned away at the border.
- hamburglar 5y ago
  My experience with magnetic usb-c connectors is that the magnet can’t be very strong, because then it just pulls the adapter out of the port when you try to disconnect it.

Dylan16807 5y ago

Is the cable going from your laptop to your monitor in a position that you can trip on it? Some kinds of cable really benefit from easily detaching, and some don't.

dec0dedab0de 5y ago
Is the cable going from your laptop to your monitor in a position that you can trip on it? Not at my desk, but sometimes when I temporarily plug into another monitor or a television it can be a problem. For my desk, I wish I just had a dock like my thinkpad from 10 years ago, or at least if the connectors were on the back so I didn't have wires sticking out on both sides. Some kinds of cable really benefit from easily detaching, and some don't. It's not like other connectors are difficult to disconnect. My previous macbook had an hdmi port that would disconnect if i breathed on the cable too hard. USB-C does seem a bit more snug so far, but who knows how well it will last. Magnets done well just have a better chance of surviving if you trip on something, or if you drop your laptop.
- Tsiklon 5y ago
  USB-C is supposed to be rated for many times more insertion cycles than USB-A which is a big bonus in it’s favour, that said they do tend to get perceivably looser over time.
  - cesarb 5y ago
    Another advantage is that USB-C has all the springs on the cable, while USB-A has springs on the port. When the springs get loose, with USB-C you can just replace the cable, while with USB-A, you'd have to replace the port.
  - hamburglar 5y ago
    I have one laptop whose usb-c port has loosened up to the point where I have to wedge something under the cable on the table to create upward pressure in the port or it won’t charge reliably. I’ve been way more impressed with the durability of lightning ports. They get dirty and need to be cleaned out but their mechanical strength is amazing (apple’s cables on the other hand…). I like that Apple is confident enough in the strength of the lightning port that in the Apple stores, the standard display is to have the phone being physically supported by the port alone, even in an environment where hundreds of careless people are going to be messing with it.

roland35 5y ago

It would be nice if there was some sort of standard like USB for magnetic charge cables! I do like the standard USB c charger that I can use for my laptop, phone, and switch, but there are certainly clear advantages to magnetic disconnect