Filed under: Humor, Bad Apple, Found Footage
Late Show writer doesn't find humor in smoking G4 adapter
Looks like Justin Stengel of The Late Show with David Letterman picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue... since he was able to detect the acrid odor of his G4 power adapter scorching and sparking its way through the cord insulation. Whoops. The rather laconic response from the Genius Bar ("We've got those in stock, if you want to come buy a new one") is not going to win any points either, but it may lead to this:
Top Ten Other Uses for a G4 Power Adapter:
10. Works as mosquito coil to repel robot mosquitoes
9. World's smallest curling iron for eyebrow use
8. Hotwire Dave's car at the impound lot
7. Secretly inside every Ronco Home Defibrillator
6. Latest "Betty Crocker" version of apple pie calls for smoked Apple
5. Gentle teasing -- spot-weld Biff Henderson's headset to his head
4. Perfect excuse to use your iPhone, call i911 and report an iFire
3. Cures under-desk fungus
2. Get two adapters, play 'Dueling Banjos' with fritzing noises
and the number one other use for a G4 power adapter...
1. Two words: DIY Taser
via Engadget
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tumantorak said 1:30PM on 7-13-2007
Oh no. A part on my electronic device is being stressed into burning and sparking. Quick, move it around a lot!
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Mystic said 1:39PM on 7-13-2007
I got this Zenith TV from 1985 that just stopped working. And can you believe it? Zenith would not replace/repair it for free. Stupid Zenith.
The warranty has to end sometime, and if this is a G4, I have a feeling it has.
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timbo000 said 1:44PM on 7-13-2007
This looks familiar, I had a similar experience about a year go. Apparently the power cord is an accessory and not covered under apple care!!! how stupid is that?!?!?
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Verde said 1:47PM on 7-13-2007
Oh my a damaged cord is sparking. Has this never happened before? I bet his chair rolls over it all the time. I'll admit mine done. Someone needs to move on and buy a new adaptor.
Advice to others: If something (ANYTHING) in your home starts sparking, the smart thing to do is unplug it, not run and get the camcorder.
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Al said 1:48PM on 7-13-2007
Power adapters ARE covered under AppleCare. I work for an authorized AppleCare provider, and we replace them all the time. Apple ships them to us when we need them.
Whoever told you that smoking power adapters aren't covered under AppleCare is wrong.
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clifyt said 2:03PM on 7-13-2007
I too was a little miffed by my Apple Store response to this.
I had an adapter fizzle out last week, oh it still works if I don't mind the pop and the crackle and the cats walking behind my desk banging their heads underneath and it applies its jolts.
The worst thing about this was it is my DESK ADAPTER. I have a second adapter I use for my office at the university and this is the one that goes in my bag if I need to go anywhere. The one in my home office? I was told, "we can tell if someone has been playing jumping jacks with it".
I was a little pushy after this -- started dropping a few higher up names at Apple (but those that few outside the company know). I run one of the larger Logic Audio sites and its one where I know all the Apple employees who post anonymously. That got me a little further...I was told they might be able to replace it, but can we see your computer. Even though my adapter was purchased 6 months ago, on my own dime, and not with my system a year back, they decided that it was a system accessory and STILL denied the claim because my system was too old.
But, don't despair, they tell me...if I know anyone with a newer system, get their serial number off their machine, and they will switch it out. THANKS! I just have to screw up someone else's warranty!
I love Apple, the hardware is far better than Dell's, but ya know...any time I've had problems with my Dells, they were more than willing to get it taken care of. Sure...I might have to do this 10x more often, but dammit -- I expect when I do have trouble with my Mac that it is taken care of, and I'm not just told the adapters are $79 and in stock. (BTW -- this was last weekend...I'm still mulling over the possibility of exploiting my Apple contacts, but I'd rather do that when it is something related to music, not a freaken power supply).
-- clifyt
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JohnPQ said 1:51PM on 7-13-2007
MagSafe scares me even more.
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anon_tuaw said 1:54PM on 7-13-2007
If the cable is frayed, it's usually (maybe not always, but usually) damaged, and if it's damaged, the warranty doesn't cover it.
If the power cord is constantly being pulled at an angle such that the sheathing breaks down and the metal shorts out, the problem is the usage pattern, not necessarily the cable itself.
This isn't all that different from most any other warranty.
If you drive like a maniac and wear out your tires in 5000 miles rather than the rated 15000 (or whatever they're rated for), the car warranty isn't going to cover that, either.
As a rule of thumb, if you take care of your purchase, your warranty will take care of you. Isn't that just common sense?
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fd said 1:56PM on 7-13-2007
He should have gotten shocked for wiggling it on camera after it obviously had become a safety / shock hazard.
This is a typical wire / insulation failure from wrapping it too tight around the brick too many times before throwing it in his notebook bag.
Any wire will fail after a certain number of flexes.
Does Apple have pretty small adapters and thin cords? Yes.
That's why should treat them with extra care.
Could Apple make a stronger wire? And/or use a longer & stronger strain relief? Sure. Maybe they should. But with Apple it is more style & portability over ruggedness.
Anyhow, this is not an adapter failure and not worth 5 seconds of attention.
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Clark said 2:42PM on 7-13-2007
HAHAHA Apple makes decent hardware but they will do anything and everything to screw you over on your warranty...I know this first hand.
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DrWho said 3:23PM on 7-13-2007
I don't find anything funny about letterman and his monologues. At least you can fix a busted power supply.
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artifex said 3:36PM on 7-13-2007
wahhhhhhhhhhh. it's clearly been damaged. And I love how the guy introduces himself, like he's important. :)
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jonbruck said 3:40PM on 7-13-2007
I got my G4 powerbook in 2005, and apple had already changed the design of the cord where it enters the power brick, so this has to be pretty old.
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john russell said 4:14PM on 7-13-2007
I was watching Letterman last night. They also use Macs in the control room.
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Ryan said 4:26PM on 7-13-2007
Maybe their policy has changed, but my experience is just the opposite. In a very similar way to this story, the power brick on my G4 PowerBook actually caught fire at that pinch point - I called Apple support and - after confirming that I wasn't hurt and that it was not still plugged in - they sent me a new one. I was under the extended AppleCare at the time.
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Owain said 5:18PM on 7-13-2007
Is "DIY" technically a word? ;)
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Dave said 6:27PM on 7-14-2007
Not to, you know, talk about actual Apple products or anything, but the macally replacement is the best thing ever.
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Leonard Nimrod said 10:05PM on 7-13-2007
Micheal Rose wrote, "Late Night writer doesn't find humor in smoking G4 adapter"
Late Night is hosted by Conan O'Brien. Late Show is with David Letterman.
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marcosmalo said 11:41PM on 7-13-2007
The design on these adapters, even the post 2005 updates, are really bad. If they don't start shorting out at the brick, they do it at the connector. And the Apple "Geniuses" are useless and will argue with you over whether you caused the damage thru abuse, whether it's "normal" wear and tear, and if you finally wear them down, they'll make you feel like a shit for it.
I've had much better luck with calling Apple Care. I've had two adapters replaced this way (vs. one at the Apple Store, with way too much effort spent).
I think there's a class action suit going on this. It's a really bad, bad design. Apple knows it, and it's probably why they designed the Mag Safe. I really have no idea why the "Geniuses" are so unwilling, or rather, I have my suspicions, but that's another rant.
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hessi said 7:29AM on 7-14-2007
The design is crap, that's right. If you use these two "ears" at the side to coil up the cable, it is surely bended more than it should be right at the connection to the brick. It took me less than 5 months to wear out the first power adapter for my MBP, the second one starts to get a little square at the connection, too.
And my experience from Apple Germany says: Be glad you life in the US, there is simply no spare power adapter available in Germany, I had to wait two weeks for one to arrive! :-(
We clearly are Apple Diaspora over here...
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