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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
The more I read, the happier I am that I don't have a MacBook/MacBook Pro. From stains to heat to odd noises to melting parts, I wonder how Apple has sold even a single unit.
Infinite Loop is reporting on yet another (allegedly) melting MacSafe connector (you may remember that Apple ordered the immediate removal of photos from Flickr the first time this was reported). Check it out...while you still can.
The most
exciting thing about the new Macbooks (it is going to take me awhile to get used to that) is the new MagSafe power connector. I know, I know: that's not exciting.
Let me tell you, you're wrong. This thing is rock solid. The connector is strongly connected to the MacBook, much more
than the power cord for my Powerbook and it is also easy to disconnect.
As you can see from the photo above,
the LED tells you when your MacBook is charged, or when it is charging.
It is the little things that make the
biggest difference.
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 
For all the wonders of the 
David Pogue, tech columnist at the New York Times, has listed his 
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:
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. 
Yesterday, we pointed out 
