Subscribe
Sign in
BreakSafe Magnetic USB-C Power Cable — Griffin's safe charging solution for the new MacBook Pro
35
Replies
Would be amazing if the dongle side would sit as flush as possible to the device similar to what was achieved with https://www.indiegogo.com/projec.... Would be super scared about breaking the port if I had that hanging out constantly.
Backed similar product ZNAPS on Kickstarter a year ago, haven't ship yet. https://www.kickstarter.com/proj...
boy, i posted that idea on Facebook a year ago. A very famous blogger told me as "not sure people will want this"
@ryanmarr Should work with anything USB-C. Came out in April so probably needs an update to the marketing pages.
Wouldn't it be wonderfully ironic if this got more votes than the new Macbook Pro. :-)
The fact that external companies are making hardware that Apple used to make is so sad. Losing Magsafe is a real step back, and demoing LG TV's?
It's an opportunity for the market if Apple are slacking though, and this looks like a timely product 👌
@fredrivett better that 3rd parties do it on top of a more standard connector instead of an apple proprietary format that is limited to power only?
@notbrain Yeah that's one way to look at it. Totally agree that its good to see Apple adding USB-C and not a proprietary piece of tech. But Apple should still be making Magsafe chargers, they were such an innovation and now are mandatory for any top end laptop, for me.
@fredrivett One thing to note though is that the new MBPs are rated for 10 hours of battery life and have a 67% brighter screen. I believe they're designed to be charged overnight like iPads and iPhones. I get 7-8 hours of battery life on my new MacBook running Xcode. I rarely have to take the charger with me. So most of the time you won't even have a cable to bother with.
@shanev Good point Shane. The future is fast once a day charging and power for all day. Glad Apple are making strides there. For me that doesn't justify making a product worse with no magsafe, but glad its improving in other areas.
@fredrivett I'd argue that many people customize their Macbook Pros with background services/apps which drain the battery faster. Apple's 10 hours probably means nothing with real world usage. Nobody uses only Apple stock apps in the way they've tested. Hence, you never know when you leave your Macbook Pro compiling or video editing for a while and suddenly you're out of power; and the need for a power cable becomes apparent. Also, nobody wants to go somewhere with their laptop and risk it dying in the middle of something important.
Sad day for Apple.. I can't wrap my head around how Apple is dropping Magsafe while Microsoft is actually #innovating with their new iMac killer... Even Apple Monitors won't work with MacBook Pro.. Common Apple, get your s*** together, these are sloppy moves... seriously.
The MagSafe charger has saved my laptop from falling off my standing desk* many times. If I somehow inherit a small fortune and buy the new MBP, I will likely get this as quasi insurance.
*My standing desk is a box on my kitchen counter
@andrewett I bought the BreakSafe for my Macbook a while ago because my ability to find a way to trip over any cord has brought my computer tumbling down too many times. Unfortunately, the BreakSafe is nowhere as good as the built in MagSafe on older laptops. The BreakSafe stays in only if held at a very straight angle and immediately falls out with any movement of your laptop
@jamesruben That's close to the case with magsafe2. After I moved to a laptop with it I ended up getting a snuglet to return to the old levels of hold.
Apple have clearly put a priority on USB C with their new selection of MBP's. I have seen some people complaining about price with this. I have to say, with a replacement MagSafe costing £65, this actually seems like a win win. Cheaper replacement cables, and much faster charging with USB C port.
@peterjdonoghue im not sure if this is the definition of a win win, but its a good point. my charger breaks every 18 months or so. having to spend $8 instead of $80 really does sound like good news :)
@_jacksmith @peterjdonoghue my bad. i wasnt really talking about this product, but about the move from apples old charger to the new usb c. and if a usb c cable breaks, its in the sub $10 region.
But you could just get one of these znaps adapters (or similar) with usb c. i dont know what their power throughput is though. this product looks like a great idea, but its a little to big for my taste.
@peterjdonoghue It is a win. You can also charge your laptop on-the-go from external USB-C batteries, something not possible with Magsafe (without some rather extreme hacking)
@gopietz Wow you must be hard on chargers. I have never broken a charger. I still use my old white macbook pro charger from 10 years ago (with the adapter thing of course). I use my computer at least 10 hours a day. I have owned 3 macbooks in 10 years and I have all of the chargers still that came with the original computers.
I have had one a while and it is not very useful. Unlike the MagSafe, a little bump disconnect its. Mine is now sitting in a drawer.
This seems nice, though not quite as nice as the Apple version; the fact that there's a 1cm dongle hanging off the side of the computer is not ideal -- if this hits the edge of a sofa or a desk as you're sitting down, it might break the port. But it's understandably the best they can do. I'll miss MagSafe.
VC Puzzle