Someone will hopefully create a tiny usb-c plug with a magnetic connection. the small plug will go into the laptop, like a usb bluetooth thing, and the other half will plug into the power cable. We can have our magnetic connectors back that way.
I see no reason why this can’t be done… I’m surprised somebody hasn’t already launched a Kickstarter campaign for it.
exactly. if 6-20N is required to remove the plug then you could probably use a magnetic pigtail.
Apple: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!
Something like this?
http://www.magnetic-usb.com/
Yeah! 
I imagine the design intent that you don’t need to ti plug it into the wall, except to charge it overnight, perhaps. I still adore the MagSafe, and will definitely miss it.
Apple has a patent on magnetic-detach power connectors on laptops, despite them being invented for deep fryers years earlier. So, you could build or buy such a connector, but not from people who follow US IP law.
I don’t really think magsafe is necessary for this class of machine. Think about it – magsafe came out when laptop battery life was 2-4 hours. As a result, you would leave them plugged in whenever possible.
But this little guy goes 9 hours. That means, for most people, the only time it will ever need to be plugged in is either overnight, or while seated at a desk.
I just don’t think people understand this machine. It’s not a teeny-tiny laptop that’s meant to replace a larger and more fully-endowed laptop, and it’s certainly not intended to be a desktop replacement, as many current laptops are well suited for.
No. Rather, it essentially has the same use case as an iPad, for people who would prefer Mac OS X and a full keyboard/touch pad. That’s what it is – a tablet replacement, not a laptop replacement.
IMHO, it’s way more useful than a tablet, which is why I’ll be getting one, and why I’ll move from full-sized iPad to iPad mini the next time the mini gets an update.
For what it’s worth - I hate magsafe 2. It pulls out if a dog farts in its general direction.
I understand the desire not to have your laptop crash to the floor (although less so if it has solid state disk) But the way magsafe 2 is designed to be a freaking lever arm so that any lateral force will cause the cable to drop.
Ok, I’ll stop ranting now.
Are all Mac users really this clumsy? I’m picturing all of you in a black and white montage of overly dramatic laptop destruction with a dopey voice-over asking “Does this ever happen to you?”
Also, with SSDs there’s a hugely reduced risk of shock-induced data-loss.
Yes we have slabs for hands.
But you may have missed the article, which is about other clumsy oafs tripping over your well-placed cable that they manage to find and step on.
That’s a valid argument and not what my tongue-in-cheek-ish article is about, but I also agree with you.
Apple made the MacBook as an interesting compromise and intersection between the iPad and a MacBook Air. It’s very light, it has one port, and they claim a huge battery life. You won’t need to charge it all day, ostensibly, and many laptop users have a heck of a time finding a place to plug in, anyway, so they don’t.
My article was a thought experiment about how it would function in a catastrophic situation, but I also agree it will be plugged in much less often (because it won’t need to be).
There’s also the minor issue that this device can’t be plugged into power if you want to connect to anything else, which is going to discourage leaving it plugged in during use.
If they’d deigned to include two USB connectors, perhaps you’d leave it plugged in; but as it is you don’t really have that option.
Lots of adapters coming. Belkin and Google announced a large number just a day or so after the Apple announcement. By April, could be a lot of two-or-more hub-like things.
Sure you can. That’s a basic cable that will probably cost $10 through Monoprice and others. Passthrough to power via USB-C, and then a USB 3 port. There will almost definitely be full USB hubs with power passthrough available. Apple has already advertised a few such options:
Those two are more expensive because they likely feature active electronics that provide the 1080p output. But USB-C power passthrough plus USB 3 for device connectivity? That will be trivial, and very likely quite inexpensive.
My hope is that there’s enough bandwidth via the USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gbps) that Apple is using (due to Intel providing it on the chipset) to allow you to do power Passthrough, USB for data, plus full Displayport out at, say, 1920x1080 at 60Hz, allowing full second screen functionality (Apple’s dongles just do screen mirroring at 1080p).
Actually, those Core M processors are surprisingly good. I tried out the Zenbook UX305, which has a slower clocked version of the Core M found in the new Macbook, and it was able to easily run Photoshop CS6 and handle RAW file processing with ease. So you can actually get some real usage out of this machine, if you want.
I am definitely getting one as a travel laptop. rMBP 15" becomes the machine that bounces between home and office (or possibly just stays at the office), my self-built raging Win 7 gaming rig is at home, and the rMB 12" is the machine that goes more or less everywhere with me. SO PUMPED!
I absolutely acknowledge, this is an EARLY ADOPTER machine! Most people will be MUCH better served by a rMBP 13". This machine itself will be much better if/when they add a second USB-C port, and the USB port goes to USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps). At least the bandwidth increase should come with Skylake, and that’s probably coming as soon as later this year. I plan to get this Rev 1 version now, and flip every year or two (like I’ve done with iPads) to get the latest version. Apple stuff holds value well, so this isn’t a bad way to have the latest or nearly latest device.
The rMB is also probably going to make me go back to iPad mini from full size iPad, next time that device gets an update. Probably.
Considering that for the first time it’s a non-proprietary connector I’d say huge step forward.
