Pogue's Top Ten new product features of 2006

I think the magsafe cord is a great idea. It is the first time it has been used, and hopefully it will be improved upon, a stronger magnet possibly. Another good option would be thumbscrews to give you the option to attach it, especially if you are at a desk where it could accidently come off. I don't have a laptop with the magsafe, although I have seen it in action, but I use my laptop mainly on my desk, I run my power cord to my surge protector under my desk. If is annoying enough when unplug my laptop and forget to place something over the cord to keep it from falling behind the desk where I have to get on my hands and knees and pull the up. When that happens that is my fault, it would really iritate me if it did it on its own.

I have nothing but love for the Magsafe connector on my MacBook. It has slipped out unintentionally a few times, but it only happens when the cord is under some kind of temporary stress -- stress that would otherwise be slowly weakening the cord.

I love the Magsafe connector, and everyone who has seen it is impressed and quickly jealous.

While I love the magsafe, and think it is quite cool and awesome, it does fall out on me many times which is a little annoying. More annoying, and I am sure I am almost entirely alone on this, is when i am in Afghanistan for 3 months with no access to any apple retailers and my battery of my brand new Macbook Pro dies in the first week. Thus I can only use it with the magsafe connector, which awesomely comes out really easily. Thus thousands of awesome times my computer shuts down again and again. Now, I'm sure I am the only one with that specific problem. But if you ever find yourself in this situation, rest assured you will hate the magsafe with all your heart. It's a good idea, i just wish it would stick a little more. or that my battery wouldn't die at the worst possible time. Of course now I am back and got free new battery and it doesn't matter. But man...

The real problem is the melting/fraying and even smoking that a bunch of people have experienced where the cable meets the magsafe socket.

Check out the customer reviews at the Apple Store (hopefully, this link works): http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=9D352BF2&nplm=MA357LL%2FA

Now they just need to make usb work the same way...

The problem with it is it can't spin around in its slot like a round cord would. Its stationary so the cord just twists. I think we'll all have torn and frayed power cords soon. And that little clamp that holds a bit of the cord always comes undone so its no solution.

When I trip over the power cord, my laptop is safe. However, if I trip over the cables of any peripherals connected to it, I'm screwed (this has happened several times).

Gotta agree with the MagSafe. I tend to be the clumsy sort, and have maimed or thoroughly destroyed several laptops and/or power bricks, usually because I'm running late for an appointment and instinctively grab my laptop without checking to make sure it's unplugged first. I've also been known to trip on a power cord or two. The MagSafe has already saved me on several occasions this year.

People complain that the MagSafe is *too* easy to break off, e.g. you are using the laptop in bed or on a couch and thus holding it at an odd/uneven angle, and the connector falls off. Honestly I haven't had this happen yet. But even if it does, all things considered, I'd rather have a connector that tends to fall off, rather than a sturdy connector that can send your laptop flying if you trip over it (or could cause damage to your laptop or the cord if you pull it away accidentally. If the MagSafe breaks off, then (unless your battery is severely depleted), your laptop keeps on running, your hard disk and all the work saved on it is safe, and life goes on; wherease in the other situation, you are left with either a destroyed or horribly disfigured laptop and/or power connector.