Macbook Pro chargers - any issues?

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Yv

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Evening chaps and chappettes

Just a query, every windows laptop we have ever owned [several Dells, a couple of Acers, a Lenovo, etc] seems to have problems with either the chargers packing up after a couple of years, or the actual charging socket on MB failing.
So, not looking for a apple/pc debate here, I just want to know, based on experience and from information from those that frequent mac user forums, does the MBP have any common weaknesses in this area? We are looking at buying one and possibly two machines, and will get Apple care too, but just curious to know how resilient the charger and connection [odd magnetic thing as I recall?] is generally after a couple of years ownership.

Thaks in advance for any info or links to relevent information :D
 
No problems here, and one of my MBP's in particular is connected/disconnected on a very regular basis.
 
I have an older Macbook (not MBP) and I have had to replace the Magsafe charger once in the 3 years I've owned it. It looked like the cord from the magsafe tip had frayed, which upon googling, was a common problem with that particular charger. I'm not sure if it broke because it overheated (which was a serious problem with that older charger) or if it was just wear and tear from frequent use. From what I've read, there's a much newer design of the Magsafe charger now which I believe remedies the problem of the cord becoming damaged from being pulled but I can't comment on whether it is any better with regards to overheating as I've never used one.

I like the Magsafe design if I'm honest. :) It could certainly save your Macbook if someone were to trip on the cord, it would just cleanly pull the adapter out (without damaging it or the socket). I remember one of my friends wrote off her little notebook laptop after her little brother ran into the cord, pulling the charger and the laptop right off her lap :D Had it been a design like the Magsafe, that probably wouldn't have happened!
 
Yanzi said:
I like the Magsafe design if I'm honest. :) It could certainly save your Macbook if someone were to trip on the cord, it would just cleanly pull the adapter out (without damaging it or the socket). I remember one of my friends wrote off her little notebook laptop after her little brother ran into the cord, pulling the charger and the laptop right off her lap :D Had it been a design like the Magsafe, that probably wouldn't have happened!
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yup, one of the things we like, we have dogs, cats, teenagers and a man in the house, hence anything that can be tripped over, will be tripped over and laptops have hit the deck in the past :bonk:
 
Had mine for about 2 years and no problems yet. The magsafe attachment is a really good idea. I've seen a few laptops damaged due to people tripping over the power cable.
 
dont think so, ive not seen any common faults as such with ours.

we do however have failures across the board (mac and dell) when the leads are mistreated, read: just bundled up and chucked in a bag and then not unbundled so the cables become more and more twisted eventually breaking the sheeth/cores.

treat a power supply well and it should last the lifetime of the laptop :thumbs:
 
neil_g said:
dont think so, ive not seen any common faults as such with ours.

we do however have failures across the board (mac and dell) when the leads are mistreated, read: just bundled up and chucked in a bag and then not unbundled so the cables become more and more twisted eventually breaking the sheeth/cores.

treat a power supply well and it should last the lifetime of the laptop :thumbs:
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Trust me, after a few have packed up, you treat them very gently indeed, but still they fail. They do not last a lifetime, [not even a laptops lifetimes] simple as that :p


edit: to say, however, just about good so far on the mac offerings ;)
 
I own the 2010 MacBook pro no problems whatsoever and may I add battery life is incredible :D
 
Yv said:
Trust me, after a few have packed up, you treat them very gently indeed, but still they fail. They do not last a lifetime, [not even a laptops lifetimes] simple as that :p


edit: to say, however, just about good so far on the mac offerings ;)
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weird, we've not had any fail recently.. maybe its the threat of making them buy their own replacements after theyve broken one :bat:

:D
 
I've had a PowerBook G4, MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro over the years and never had a problem with any of them.
 
neil_g said:
......
we do however have failures across the board (mac and dell) when the leads are mistreated, read: just bundled up and chucked in a bag and then not unbundled so the cables become more and more twisted eventually breaking the sheeth/cores.

treat a power supply well and it should last the lifetime of the laptop :thumbs:
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Absolutely true, my first MagSafe packed up after 13 months, the subsequent ones we have in the house have been more carefully wrapped around the two clip up posts and have lasted ever since.

I haven't noticed them wearing out at the Magsafe end, which is also a common failure point on non-Magsafe adaptors where they get stressed as they are pulled. I guess this is because you can't stress them in the same way without them simply popping out.
 
neil_g said:
weird, we've not had any fail recently.. maybe its the threat of making them buy their own replacements after theyve broken one :bat:

:D
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I wish we could do that
 
I have a Powerbook and a MBP andwhilst you could fry an egg on the powerbook and the power brick the only problem I have had is that the little indicator light sometimes refuses to display but a quick twiddle usually fixes it not that it is a huge issue.
 
I've had a Macbook for coming up to 4 years and not had any trouble with the power supply, and that was with pretty hard use up until a couple of months back.
 
I have a Macbook.
In fact I've had two.
And both times I've had a problem.

The first one, the wire snapped in half as the wire got hot and melted the wire and plastic!

The second one, I fell asleep with laptop still on. The white square bit on the charger got REALLY hot, and as I was asleep on it, it burnt my arm through to the flesh!

I still wouldn't use a PC though. :-)
 
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