Surprisingly, the Mac mini, Magic Mouse, iMac, MacBook, AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule updates are not the only things Apple updated today. Several other products were updated today, which include:

• Apple Wireless Keyboard: This keyboard, the subject of several update rumors, did get revised today. It now only requires 2 AA batteries, down from 3 in the previous model.
• Apple 60W MagSafe Power Adapter: This adapter now has a aluminum connector, much like the one found on the 45 watt adapter for the MacBook Air; it should be more durable for use.
• VESA Mount Adapter Kit: This model for the 24 inch Apple LCD Cinema Display and the previous 24 inch iMac now supports the new 27 inch iMac.

Also, the wired mouse-formerly-known-as-Mighty Mouse -- which is still available -- was renamed to "Apple Mouse." This is consistent with the trademark for Mighty Mouse (the computer mouse) being finally picked up by Man & Machine, instead of CBS and Apple.

Are you going to enjoy the improvements in these products? Let us know in the comments below!

quirky is a design firm with a difference. Rather than pay a brain trust to sit around and think up product ideas, they let average Anns and Andys submit designs that are then refined and named by a community of site visitors. When designs are ready for production, quirky sets a threshold number of units to be sold to be profitable, and once that number of orders comes in, they send the design off for manufacturing.

Plato said "...the true creator is necessity, who is the mother of our invention." In this case quirky community member Jeff Scholen was driven not only by the need to neatly wrap up the thin power cable and thick AC line going into his Apple MagSafe Power Adapter, but also keep the transformer "box" off of the floor or desk and give it a way to stay cool.

In less than 24 hours, the design was finalized through input from Apple fans worldwide and the PowerCurl (US$9.99) was ready to roll. It comes in "quirky orange" only, but has two sizes to match the 60W and 85W MagSafe Power Adapters.

The quirky community has also come up with a case design for the new iPod nano that not only protects that shiny finish, but acts as a stand and video handgrip as well. The Kickster (US$14.35) is awaiting your commitment to purchase before it moves into production.

At 1:30am, Ken Brinkman awoke to the smell of burning plastic. His unibody MacBook Pro was on fire. As he details in his Mac-Forums post,

"Smoke was pouring out the seam between the unibody and bottom enclosure. I actually burned my hand pretty badly ripping the adapter out. Oh man. This is reallllly scary because what if I didn't wake up? It could of burned my house down."

Ken e-mailed us this morning, understandably freaking out. Two weeks ago, Mel reported on a San Jose lawsuit alleging that the MagSafe power cables Apple uses for its portable computers are a fire hazard. We've seen Flickr evidence of melted or scorched MagSafe adapters in the past, but Ken's pictures take that to another level.

Ken's primary concern, after his safety, of course, is what Apple will do about the problem. Personally, I think a new computer is a given -- though I would also want some sort of assurance that Apple is testing its MagSafe cables for consistency. No one wants to wake up to find this on their desk.

It was just a few days ago we were talking about hacked MagSafe connectors, and now a lawsuit seeking class action status claims the innovative connectors are a fire hazard and a risk to life, limb, and property.

As an example, here's a link to some Flickr images of what is claimed is a melted MagSafe connector.

The complaint, filed last week in San Jose, California says that eventually the cord will fray from heat or wear, with a resulting danger of fire and injury. The suit, filed by plaintiffs Tim Broad, Naotaka Kitagawa and Jesse Reisman says Apple is aware of the problem and has done nothing about it.

The suit also claims when people demonstrate the problem to Apple, the company suggests they buy another $80.00US cable. Actually, we reported in August that Apple was replacing damaged or worn cables if they were not subject to abuse.

Apple has not commented on the lawsuit. It will be interesting to watch this one wind through the courts.

The power connector was introduced at Macworld in January, 2006. It has not always received positive reviews, even at the Apple Store.

In what looks like a first for the Mac laptop line, support of MacBook and MacBook Pro owners everywhere, a 3rd party is offering external battery packs for MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook air models.

The batteries, from Sanho in California, are available in 4 different capacities, 60Wh, 100Wh, 150Wh and 222Wh, giving a computer like the MacBook up to 32 hours of battery life. The company is also offering a car charger. These items are all available for pre-order and will ship later this month. Prices are $149.95US (car charger), $199.95 (60-watt-hour battery), $299.95 (100Wh), $399.95 (150Wh) and $499.95 (222Wh). The batteries also come with a USB power port so you can charge an iPhone at the same time or separately.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this announcement was how the company was able to offer a charger with a MagSafe adapter, because that design is protected by Apple patents. I checked with the company president, Daniel Chin, and he told me: "What we did is obtain the MagSafe connector and cable from the original MacBook AC adapter, remove the adapter and splice in our own charger plug, which interfaces with our battery and car charger products. Since we are using the original Apple MagSafe plug and did not modify the actual plug (which the patent in question covers) in any way, we are still respecting Apple's IP and in no way infringing upon their patent."

That might or might not satisfy Apple, but it did allow the company to offer these chargers which are likely to be highly desired by some customers. At the very least, I'm surprised Apple has not offered a car charger for laptops. I can think of many times such an adapter would have been handy.

Update: Several commenters have pointed out the QuickerTek and MikeGyver power solutions for the MBP line, which predate the Sanho offering and use the same approach of sacrificing a MagSafe adapter to provide the plug connector. Apple's Airline adaptor, while electrically similar to a car adapter, is not recommended for automotive use (some have tried it with success, your mileage may vary). Lastly, you can of course use a DC inverter for in-car charging, but please be careful not to obstruct vents or leave the device plugged in and unattended... they can get very hot while in use. Happy motoring!

According to a Knowledge Base article posted last week, Apple is now replacing (free of charge) frayed, discolored and deformed MagSafe power adapters for MacBook and MacBook Pro.

But -- and there's always a but -- they will only replace it if there's no sign of "abuse." So if you've been doing the right thing and holding the hard plastic connector to disconnect the cable, you might not have to pay another $80 for a new power adapter.

If your connector looks like the one pictured, and has been babied its entire life, then take it back to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or an Apple retail store for an evaluation and replacement. It doesn't matter if the warranty has expired.

Also -- bonus points for the greeked copy at the bottom of Knowledge Base article page. I'm sure that counts for a shot in some obscure Apple website drinking game.

Thanks, Jeff!

The MagStay Pro is a little plastic clip that holds in your MagSafe power connector on a 15" or 17" MacBook Pro. Basically, it's a retainer that plugs into the USB port next to the MagSafe to keep it from being disconnected. It also allows you to store the little plastic cap that comes with the MagSafe power adapter. Obviously, this completely undermines the point of the MagSafe, but if you find it accidently coming out when using it on your lap, etc., and you're not worried about the cord tripping problem, then it might be worth a look.

The MagStay Pro is $11.99 and is available from thought out.

[via The Gadgeteer]

Apple's MagSafe is a great feature that has saved many a Mac portable from crashing to the floor from a trip over the power cord. Now the Replug extends the same basic idea to protecting your headphone jack. Basically the device has two parts: the interface that plugs into the audio device jack, and then a separate connector jack into which you plug your headphones. Just like the MagSafe the two parts of the Replug are joined magnetically and thus easily separate if you yank on the 'phones (e.g. by standing up). The Replug should work with any standard 1/8" audio jack.

The Replug "will be in stock and ready to ship this fall."

[via Freshpilot]

For all the wonders of the MagSafe connector -- scores of marriages saved and pets kept from the pound, as laptops that would have otherwise experienced impromptu gravity testing remained happily on stable surfaces -- there's been a remarkable gap in the charger offerings for Apple laptops since its introduction: no sanctioned car chargers. This is a point of contention for those of us who use our laptops as DIY entertainment centers on long trips, and has led to some family tensions in my household ("Why do the kids have to watch DVDs on MY machine?!?").

MCT does offer a homebrew solution that grafts a MagSafe connector onto a Kensington AC/DC adapter for universal chargeability, but at a fairly steep price; the basic conversion of a MacBook or MBP adapter to work with a DC transformer is cheaper, but still a little scary. With these limitations in mind, I went for a somewhat more traditional solution: an inexpensive, 96-watt inverter (DC to AC converter; I got mine for $10 on woot.com but there are other models and other deals) coupled with the lowest-wattage adapter available that would still run my MacBook Pro. In this instance, that's the 60-watt MacBook adapter, which runs and charges the MBP under all but the heaviest load and also is substantially smaller than the 'big brick' MBP adapter; works like a charm in my car. If you get a second charger for home use, might as well make it the MB adapter and add the inverter for mobile fun.

DISCLAIMER: Any use of an inverter, off-spec or off-brand power adapter, or other unofficial charger is at your own risk. I Am Not An Electrical Engineer.

Has your magsafe adapter stopped working properly? One of the connector pins might be stuck. Apple has published[1] a support article on troubleshooting stuck pins. If you remove your adapter and see one or more of the pins stuck down (the two outer pins in this picture are affected), Apple suggests you try unplugging and replugging the adapter to allow the pins to reset themselves. If that doesn't work, you can use your finger or a pencil eraser to nudge the pin back into position. If all else fails? Visit your local Apple service provider.

[1] It's at the top of their current support RSS feed. Readers point out that it's been published before.

Ever have one of those Tim (The Tool Man) Taylor "More Power!" moments? Ryan Tomayko did last week, while using two instances of Parallels Desktop on his MacBook to do site testing against Internet Explorer.

After about ten minutes of running two virtual machines, Ryan detected the unmistakable odor of burning plastic. He later determined that about 1/2 inch of his power cord had melted (a symptom noted by some very ticked-off Canadian Apple Store customers), which led him to reconfigure Parallels for lean running to lower his CPU load and hence his power consumption.

Now, a good power supply should never melt -- ever! -- and you can't really blame IE for this one, as it's likely any CPU-hungry app would have triggered the same flaw. Still, Ryan is justifiably annoyed about the whole thing. Check out his post, and also his explanation of REST to his wife: downright Hofstadterian.

[via digg]

David Pogue, tech columnist at the New York Times, has listed his favorite product features of 2006. This list is all about the small touches on products that really make you think that someone thought about these items before they tried selling them. One Apple feature made it on the list, and I must agree with the good Mr. Pogue on this one. The Magsafe connector is a marvel of technology. As David points out there is no 'right side' on the plug, and it pops out if the cord is jerked instead of dashing your MacBook, or MacBook Pro, on the floor.

Check out the full column for David's other favorites (including the Zune's squirting ability).

Since many of us at TUAW are celebrating Thanksgiving in America, I though this might be a good time to join many others in posting a few things I'm thankful for in the Mac web. Naturally, I'm thankful for the wonderful family I'm getting to spend time with, as well as an incredible wife and having a roof over my head. But in the context of TUAW, I figured I would spotlight some of the more Apple-related things for which I'm thankful. You know, the people, apps and other goodness that make my Mac experience that much more appreciable:

• The blogging team here at TUAW - No I'm not just sucking up; we have a great crew of people here that has recently expanded with the return of Laurie A. Duncan, and our newest blogger Erica Sadun. We're rocking some great content that makes me even more proud to be a TUAW blogger.
• MagSafe power adapters - kinda silly I know, but living in a house with a wife as busy as I am and a hyper-active Blue Heeler dog, this innovation has already saved my MacBook on a good number of occasions. I thank Apple's engineers for this surprise innovation on the new Intel portables.
• Daring Fireball - Yes, we pimp John Gruber's stellar musings on all things Apple, software and design quite a bit here on TUAW, but that's only because we all think he does some pretty nifty work, and his writing is a personal inspiration to me. I can't wait for Spring when I'm done with this internship and down to my final semester, with not much more than a senior thesis on my hands, which means more time to dedicate towards creating better posts and podcasts.
• Xtorrent - Aside from the mixed sentiments towards Mr. Watanabe in my last post about this rockin' BitTorrent client, I'm really digging it, and this is the first holiday trip away from home that I elected to leave the iMac running (on a battery backup, finally) with a long list of goodies to torrent for when I return.
• Keyword Manager for iPhoto - Sure, I found it just recently, but this app has quickly become a must-have for my iPhoto library. After recently acquiring a killer Canon Digital Rebel XT SLR camera, I'm getting my photography eye back and this app is proving vital for bringing some organization to my now-rapidly expanding library of 3700+ images.
• Backlit keyboards - I gave up my 1st gen MacBook Pro over the summer for a MacBook + iMac setup so I can leave the desktop machine running to render out big video and motion graphics projects. However, since my wife wants a notebook of her own soon, she promised to chip in to purchase a MacBook Pro for me in June of '07 as a graduation present, at which point she'll inherit the MacBook, and I will be reunited with one of the guiltiest of notebook luxuries that I miss so dearly: a backlit keyboard. Nevermind the recent bump to Core 2 Duo or the (finally!) re-introduction of FW800 and a DL DVD burner - I can't wait to fire up that sexy backlit keyboard.
• The Intel patch for Unreal Tournament 2004 - I spend way too much time online in this game, and I'm so thankful an Intel patch was released; so much so that it would have been at least a momentary deal-breaker if I couldn't find one when I was considering my original upgrade to Intel machines.

I could obviously go on for pages, but I gotta wrap this up sooner or later. These are just a few of the unique things I'm thankful for (besides the obvious: "Macs") during this time of thanking. What Apple-related stuff are you thankful for right now? Whether or not you're celebrating, sound off in the comments.

I've long been of the opinion that Thinkpads are the PowerBooks of the PC world, and if not for the fact that they don't run OS X, I'd be very tempted to consider one when it came time to buy my next computer. Make points us to an enterprising Thinkpad owner who was having some trouble with a flaky DC-in port on his notebook, and decided to take matters into his own hands when it came to fixing the problem.

Instead of simply replacing the connector (which is a total pain to do, I know this from personal experience) he decided to one-up every other PC notebook owner out there by constructing his very own magnetic power connector. While this may not, in the strictest sense of the term, be "Mac news," it shows once again that the innovations Apple introduces into its products are not only handy to those of us who actually use Macs, but stimulate the greater computer market to further innovate and build on the ideas of Apple's design team. Check out the instructable to learn how to make a ThinkSafe adapter of your own.

Yesterday, we pointed out an article at Infinite Loop that was describing yet another (allegedly) melting MagSafe connector. Many of you wrote in to state that your MacBook/Pro experience has been trouble-free. Still, the issues people are having are very real, so let's take a brief (and informal) poll.

How has your MacBook/Pro experience been? Is it noisy, hot, discolored...melting? Is it a dream come true, the best laptop you've ever used? Leave your answer below, and check back tomorrow for the results.

How has your MacBook/Pro experience been?
	It's been a nightmare
	I've had minor issues
	It's been a dream!
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