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October 8, 2007

accessories

Apple’s MagSafe Airline Adapter makes air travel fun again. Mostly.

Posted Oct. 8, ’07, 10:09 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Hardware » Accessories

MagSafe Airline AdapterI don’t want you to feel guilty or anything, but I feel that you should know that a week ago today, I was lying in a hammock on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, letting the breeze ruffle my hair and the sun warm my face, all while sipping a cool refreshing glass of tropical fruit juice. And now, I’m back in the rainy cold northeast. Just in the interest of full disclosure. Thanks: I missed our little chats.

Anyway, while Hawaii was great, its location is about as convenient as the delete key on the iPhone’s touch keyboard. Twelve hours spent on a plane is not the most pleasant way to bookend a relaxing trip. But one thing that mitigated the cramped airplane seats that make me wish I’d studied a bit more yoga was picking up a MagSafe Airline Adapter for my MacBook. So far, this is the only MagSafe available on the market (not counting the MikeGyver “hack” adapters). At $60, it might seem a little bit pricey, but once you get past a few caveats, the thing is worth its weight in salt (really, much more useful than gold, when you think about it).

The adapter works just as described. By default, it has an EmPower connection, but it also includes an adapter for the less common 20mm power ports (they kind of look like cigarette lighters, but with three contacts instead of two; the instructions tell you not to use it with a cigarette lighter, so you probably shouldn’t do that). An included plastic cap for the EmPower adapter also lets you hook it to the MagSafe adapter, keeping the whole thing nice and coiled for storage. And the thing is so compact that it kind of makes me wish the whole world ran on DC power, just so I didn’t have to lug around my MacBook’s power brick all the time.

There are two notable caveats. One thing the airline adapter won’t do is charge your battery; I presume this is a limitation of the amount of power being provided, but I’m not sure (knowledgeable readers, chime in here). On the other hand, your battery won’t be drained either, so it all comes out in the wash. The far bigger problem isn’t even Apple’s, it’s the airline industry’s: most planes, even in this enlightened age of 2007, don’t have power plugs. For example, while the Boeing 767 that took us from Houston to Honolulu did, the 737 that was our leg from Houston to Boston didn’t, leaving me to rely on battery power (which worked fine for watching a couple episodes of television shows). If you’re curious about whether your next trip will have power at your seat, you can always check a site like SeatGuru.

Okay, my spiffy new airline adapter isn’t quite enough to make me happy I’m no longer enjoying my tropical vacation, but hey, that’s what Halo 3 is for, am I right?


4 Comments

Inkling Author Profile Page said:

Yeah, but when is Apple going to let others use their clever magnetic power connector with their Mac gadgets?

I've got an iGo adapter that'll run almost any laptop from almost any power source in the galaxy. But all its maker can do suggest that maybe, someday, Apple just might permit them to supply us with that connector. Until them, all I can do is give them an email address where I can be contacted.

Come on Apple. MacBooks and MacBook Pros have been out long enough this can't be an oversight. Take your cut, but license others to supply your connector. Quit trying to force everyone into one mold.


October 8, 2007 11:55 AM
Bruno Correia said:

In response to Inkling’s comment:

iGo doesn’t sound like an original name. Copying someones’s trend to take advantage of the market is pretty lame.

Apple invests in technolgy and research, and this may be the reason they have earned the rights not to open their patents to others.

October 8, 2007 1:51 PM
Timothy Burling said:

I fly United almost exclusively, about 150k miles per year. Most of that is either coach or upgraded to First or Business based on my miles.

United does not seem to offer any power in coach seats even the Economy Plus seats that are supposed to be more geared to business travelers.

I upgrade when I can in large part to get access to the seat power. I find the Apple airline power adapter works well and even keeps my ipod going when plugged into the macbook pro's usb port. It doesn't charge the laptop (as the review correctly stated.) It needs more watts.

My work laptop is a Dell and I just got two 4.5 hour batteries for it so that takes care of most needs. Heavy though ...

October 8, 2007 3:09 PM
J said:

Correct about the battery charging issue--airline power doesn't supply enough power (wattage, current, however you want to refer to it) to charge a laptop battery at the same time as running the laptop awake. However, some laptop batteries might charge if the laptop is asleep and plugged in.

October 14, 2007 11:38 PM

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