Apple patent for charger DRM

I don't like this at all.

All Your Power Adaptor Are Belong To US

Already, the only way to buy a Magsafe charger is to buy an Apple one. You can't buy a Kensington charger or any other brand. Proprietary charging connectors are a pain to deal with, the fact that each brand of notebook and phone has its own connector makes for a stocking mess, it would be better if they can all agree on an open connector standard. It probably won't happen unless retailers start pushing back.

I suppose this system would require some form of validation with your own iTunes account. I think it might be an unnecessary inconvenience, there are times I've bought an auto-plug charger so I can use my iPod on the way home, when I didn't have access to iTunes while on the trip.

One thing though...
It will prevent stealing, but then if you try to use a friends charger it wont work... So maybe you have a special password that you have to enter to use different chargers...

and...
umm...
Yeah, it would suck if you could only buy the chargers through apple...

I hope there's a way to deactivate this feature, if implemented, I've lost countless chargers over the years...

scary. bad juju

yikes! sorry about my hideous typos in #33. i was changing gears, mid-thought: naturally, i meant "*your device* isn't going to be locked to only *one* charger!"

p.s. to my post above (#33): furthermore, as some users have already mentioned, a built-in benefit of this technology (to apple) is the notion of selling more products (in this case, more accessories). but any device one purchases (like an ipod or iphone) already comes with a charger, right? so think about it: if apple *crippled* each ipod or iphone, making it work with only *one* charger, forever and ever amen -- they would be cannibalizing their own sales of these chargers! who would *ever* buy one, since we'd automatically get chargers when buying a device?

well, of course, people lose chargers, or people forget them on trips, etc., etc., etc.... so clearly, there would be a way to pair a device with multiple chargers -- or else, apple would never, ever *sell* any of them!! see what i'm saying? c'mon, use your heads, folks!

you people are hilarious. "a locked plug wouldn't work for us," etc.... if this technology comes to market, don't you think apple has already considered the fact that many users often need more than one charger?!?

apple isn't stupid, folks! you devices isn't going to be locked to only *one* charger! that would be ridiculous. no doubt, the user will be able to "pair" the device with multiple chargers -- much in the way we can pair a device (like a phone) with multiple bluetooth devices.

but instead of using your heads and acknowledging that apple has certainly considered all of these scenarios, you all have these ridiculous, knee-jerk reactions -- without thinking things through. oh, well. i guess that's what separates thinkers from non-thinkers.

This is a cool idea. There is no reason it can't be designed in such a way that third party suppliers can sell you a power adapter that gets linked to your computer in a way (ie. with a password or something). Much like the securable USB cards they have...