Apple brought back the MagSafe charger for its newest MacBook Pro models — much to the delight of long-time fans who have appreciated the proprietary charging port in the past. And although it might be faster now, Cupertino has spoiled one of the biggest things that made MagSafe charging so great.
2021 MacBook Pro adopters are taking to Reddit and other online forums to complain that MagSafe’s new magnets are too damn strong.
MagSafe charger is too secure
While it’s important that the magnets that attach the MagSafe charger to MacBook Pro are strong enough to ensure a stable connection that doesn’t fall out easily, they shouldn’t be so strong that the charger is difficult to remove.
What made earlier MagSafe chargers so great is that a slight tug was enough to disconnect them from your machine. So, if your MacBook was charging on a table and someone tripped over its cable, it wouldn’t get pulled onto the floor.
But with the new MagSafe charger for the 2021 MacBook Pro, that’s no longer the case. The magnets are so strong that users are able to lift up their machine by using only its charging cable.
“I can lift my whole 14-inch MacBook from the table, fully in the air, by holding the connector,” wrote Redditor Draftstone on a thread titled “Don’t rely on the MagSafe connector to disconnect and save your MacBook.”
“A quick forceful tug results in the Mac sliding across the table with the MagSafe not budging,” wrote Jepples. “Not a problem for me, but … I almost feel like I’m going to damage the cable when I attempt to pull it straight out.”
‘MagUnsafe?’
“MagSafe 1 came out extremely easily and worked as advertised,” noted dadmou5. “MagSafe 2 they made it connect more securely so you don’t accidentally remove it often but that also sort of defeated the purpose of it.”
“I could drag a new MacBook Pro off a table by the MagSafe connector reliably and at varying speeds,” wrote Ricky. “Its got the mag, but it sure as hell isn’t safe unless the table is hella grippy.”
One user quipped the charger should be called “MagUnsafe.”
Other 2021 MacBook Pro owners say they have no problem pulling the MagSafe charger away from their machines with relative ease. And many appreciate that it’s now significantly more secure and is less likely to be detached inadvertently.
One suggested Apple’s change could be a great opportunity to create a business out of tiny stickers that can be placed in the MagSafe port, or on the charger itself, to reduce its grip for those who find it too strong.
