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Level 1

11 points

New MBP Retina Magsafe Disconnecting ALL THE TIME!

Quick History: I have a 2008 Macbook Pro, a 2011 Macbook Air and now I've got the brand new, 2012 15" Retina Display MBP... meaning I've used each of the three types of Magsafe Connectors for extended periods of time.

Problem: After a week or so of use, I've noticed that the newly re-designed Magsafe connection on the MBP Retina seems to unattach itself ALL THE TIME. I'm talking about 3-4 times per session when I'm sitting on the sofa or sitting in a chair. The slightest tension of the cord pulls the connection out of alignment or rips the magsafe completely out. Also, it seems to be more difficult to re-attach, i.e. I can't just grab it and fumble it along the corner edge of the laptop to have it magically re-attach itself. I frequently have to look at the connection to get it to line up perfectly and re-attach.

From an engineering perspective it's easy to see why as it's thinner and longer, meaning it takes greater precision/accuracy to lock it in place, and the angle of incident for a disconnect is easier to breach. To be perfectly honest, I don't see an engineering advantage to this new change... just complete devastation when it comes to use.

In summary, I'm wholly displeased with the new Magsafe connection and feel as though it's a HUGE step back in the evolution of it's design. I truly don't see an upside to this new design, which honestly baffles me. It's almost as if they forgot to test the function of this new connection and included it haphazardly (which I know isn't true, it just seems that way).

Anyone else feeling my pain?

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 6:42 PM

47 replies

ddan60

Level 1

0 points

Dec 10, 2013 2:09 PM in response to bitmanip

I have had the same problem with my MBP Retina with the magsafe adapter falling off with the slightest movement. It simply didn't seat well. I noticed that there was a tiny metalic bump on the laptop side of the connection that was preventing the magsafe from grabbing properly. It would fall out constantly. It dawned on me that this metalic bump was some sort of residue from manufacturing as the poor connection problem was there straight out of the box. I wonder if many of the previous posts have had this as well.

It turns out that the metalic bump was moveable. I used the finest tweasers available and a magnifier to be able to see what was going on. I was finally able to grab the debris and removed it. It was a small sliver of metal measuring less than 1 mm. It must have been ferromaganetic and was attracted to the magnets on the laptop side of the power connector and prevented proper seating of the power chord. Thankfully, the problem was completely solved once this was removed. I hope that this helps others.

Mar 9, 2017 6:23 PM in response to ddan60

2017--having the same problem, but my eyes are that good

New MBP Retina Magsafe Disconnecting ALL THE TIME!