MagSafe 2

Pogue really doesn’t like the new MagSafe connector.  I’ve been using it since I got my Retina MacBook Pro last week. In my time with MagSafe 2, I’ve run into some of the same issues and there’s a simple explanation. Apple made MagSafe 2 longer and skinner than the original MagSafe connector to allow design of thinner machines. But why does the new MagSafe 2 connector seem to fall out more? Because of the shape.

MagSafe connector on top, MagSafe 2 connector on the bottom.

The original MagSafe connectors were surrounded by the same amount of magnet surface area around the perimeter. This insured there was a reasonable amount of force keeping the connector in place when it was nudged from the top, bottom, left or right. With MagSafe 2, Apple has removed some of the magnet’s surface area from the long sides, and moved it to the ends of the connector. This most likely preserves the total surface area of the magnet, but it’s now located in a different place. MagSafe 2 is skinnier, which reduces the leverage of the magnet’s long-side surface area when the connector is jostled up or down. The relocation of the magnet’s surface area and the changing of the connector’s shape combine to cause the connector to be knocked loose more easily when force is applied vertically. MagSafe 2 is more likely to be knocked loose when a machine is picked up, placed in a lap, or a machine is tilted; but it should stay in place when a machine is slid across a desk or a cord is tripped over.