Apple’s Old MacBook Charger… bring it back or don’t?
Introduced in 2012 with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, the MagSafe 2 power adapter with the MagSafe 2 style connector is still widely used by many MacBook users with older MacBook models. I have been using my MacBook Pro for about four years now, and during those four years, I noticed that while my laptop has high usability, its charger could be much more improved.
One of the most significant merits of MagSafe 2 is its size. Similar to a cuboid in shape, the power adapter is relatively small compared to other similar models and chargers. Beyond that, the adapter’s wire tabs, which you can fold in or pop up easily to put the cord around them. The little space below the wire tabs makes it intuitive for the user to place their fingernail under the tabs and pop them up.
The user can then wind up the cord around those tabs and use the wire clip to secure and hold everything together. This prevents the wire from tangling. I have found the detachable wall adapter plug to be an extremely useful component of the charger. It contains an “8” form plug, compatible with many Apple products as well as other adapters, such as the one I use to charge for my Sony camera. The Mag Safe 2’s plug is foldable and easily locked into place, which prevents it from protruding and ruining other objects. Moreover, the plug has adopted fireproof, heat-resistant material. Aside from this, the “T” shape adapter can be connected to the laptop through magnets; this allows it to be detached easily in case someone trips over the cord, which can ultimately prevent more severe accidents. Users of the more recently introduced USB-C adapter have expressed their regret that the new adapter is plugged into the computer without a magnetic connection, making it harder for it to be detached.
While the Mag Safe 2 adapter seems to have many advantages, we can identify a couple of areas for improvement. Its short cord length — of approximately 5 ft — often causes the inconvenience of having to connect the adapter to a power adapter extension cable, which needs to be purchased separately. Furthermore, the wire tabs, though helpful in winding up the wire and putting it together, seem to be too short (when popped up) to effectively hold the wire together. One of the most important problems I faced winding up the wire around the wire tabs or my charger is my cord breaking as shown below:
Aside from this, another disadvantage of the Mag Safe 2 adapter is that its cord cannot be detached from the body of the adapter. Because of this, the MacBook often can only be connected to other devices like iPhones through an iPhone charge cable. I believe the designers of the interface faced certain constraints such as keeping the charger as light and small as possible. They would have also considered Apple’s brand image in keeping the adapter’s simplistic design. The charger is extremely intuitive to use and is fairly efficient.
Considering the aforementioned downsides of the interface, I considered some elements that could be redesigned. For instance, to address the biggest problem that I had with my old charger, which was its breaking cord, I propose incorporating a protective rubber band to wrap around the top part of the cord — especially the section connecting it to the adapter.
A step further, the cable should also be made detachable from the adapter. In fact, the more recently designed USB-C adapter considered this aspect, as the power adapter and charge cable are now made separable. To more effectively wrap the cord around the wire clips, the wire clips’ height and width should be increased to fit the wire. At the same time, the cord can be lengthened. Having a more secure wire clip (which can perhaps have two clips put together) will help the wire stay together. Such design choices, some of which can even be applied to Apple’s USB-C adapter, will improve the interface and increase its usability.
