MagSafe Melancholy


MagSafe Melancholy
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MagSafe Melancholy

MagSafe Melancholy


Ask me why I am holding back from upgrading my 2012 15" MacBook Pro.
I need the power.
I need the capacity.
I want to lose the weight.
I really fancy the brighter, clearer screen.
I'm philosophical about losing my array of ports for a barrage of USB-C peepholes, but I can learn to live with that.
No, it's because of MagSafe.



Yes I know this is a bit old hat, but watch Steve Jobs' introduction of the new MacBook Pro at MacWorld in 2006. He strode across the stage, a smile all over his face, pausing dramatically and relishing each word as he spoke:

"Another cool, feature," said Jobs. "We call it MagSafe. Now, how many of you have had your notebook go flying off its work surface when somebody caught your power adapter cable in their foot? Whether it's your kid, your pet or your roommate, this is going to end that…. when the cord gets yanked, it pulls right off, it works beautifully."

With MagSafe, Jobs summed up the Apple credo. Everything works. The user experience was king. So dropping MagSafe and reverting to allowing your notebook to "fly off its work surface" if your dog got tangled in the power cable is, frankly, confusing.

"For a company that preaches its focus on user-centred design, the removal of MagSafe was a curiously… courageous decision" wrote Ewan Spence in a June 2018 Forbes article describing how apparently Apple filed a 2016 patent that would have allowed MagSafe to be used with USB-C.

In the end I expect I will upgrade, but have to buy a wallet-full of adapters to remain compatible with my accessories investments. But it won't be cool.
Steve, we miss you.

 


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