Snapnator... MagSafe reincarnated
Apple is renowned for its innovative products, they were the first to introduce a computer without a disk drive and they are not afraid to upset the apple cart with radical designs. Who can forget the one-button mouse or those unconventional interfaces? Maybe with the dropping of the MagSafe connector on their new MacBooks you think they have taken a step too far? But wait, help is at hand…
Apple is renowned for its innovative products, they were the first to introduce a computer without a disk drive and they are not afraid to upset the apple cart with radical designs. Who can forget the one-button mouse or those unconventional interfaces? Maybe with the dropping of the MagSafe connector on their new MacBooks you think they have taken a step too far? But wait, help is at hand…
Apple’s recently introduced range of MacBooks is not only missing any optical drive but also the classic USB port which has although not without replacement, has been deleted. Not only that, on some versions the traditional function keys have been replaced by an OLED Touch Bar which shows application-specific symbols and could prove to form an interesting and innovative user interface.
As ever there is both good and bad: connectivity is an issue, instead of the USB port there are now Thunderbolt-3 ports with USB-C sockets. This interface has the bandwidth to handle display, Ethernet, sound and not least USB data but their physical shape is not compatible with the older Thunderbolt-2 connector. Many fans are a bit irked that they will pay so much for such a beautiful slimline product but still need to carry around a grab bag full of adapters. Apple are aware of the discontent, many professional have complained that their new MacBook has left them with peripherals that can no longer be connected. Apple has responded by slashing prices on their range of USB-C adapters, valid till the end of this year. True Apple fans will of course make the hook up using WiFi.
But what some Apple fans seem really sad about is the decision to drop the magnetic connector for the mains adapter on the new MacBooks. This MagSafe, connector was an innovation which prevented you accidentally dragging your expensive laptop off the desk if you tripped over the adapter cable. The only connector available for power connection now is the plug-in USB-C socket.
A Californian start up saw a gap in the market and have introduced the Snapnator which is an intermediate connector: one end plugs into the USB-C socket and on the other end is a magnetic connector just like MagSafe. We are not the only ones who think this is a good idea, their Crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter is only a few days old and they have already raised around eight times their funding target!
You can still pledge $29 for the standard kit and the bonus kit for $30 includes a USB-C to USB converter.
Apple’s recently introduced range of MacBooks is not only missing any optical drive but also the classic USB port which has although not without replacement, has been deleted. Not only that, on some versions the traditional function keys have been replaced by an OLED Touch Bar which shows application-specific symbols and could prove to form an interesting and innovative user interface.
As ever there is both good and bad: connectivity is an issue, instead of the USB port there are now Thunderbolt-3 ports with USB-C sockets. This interface has the bandwidth to handle display, Ethernet, sound and not least USB data but their physical shape is not compatible with the older Thunderbolt-2 connector. Many fans are a bit irked that they will pay so much for such a beautiful slimline product but still need to carry around a grab bag full of adapters. Apple are aware of the discontent, many professional have complained that their new MacBook has left them with peripherals that can no longer be connected. Apple has responded by slashing prices on their range of USB-C adapters, valid till the end of this year. True Apple fans will of course make the hook up using WiFi.
But what some Apple fans seem really sad about is the decision to drop the magnetic connector for the mains adapter on the new MacBooks. This MagSafe, connector was an innovation which prevented you accidentally dragging your expensive laptop off the desk if you tripped over the adapter cable. The only connector available for power connection now is the plug-in USB-C socket.
A Californian start up saw a gap in the market and have introduced the Snapnator which is an intermediate connector: one end plugs into the USB-C socket and on the other end is a magnetic connector just like MagSafe. We are not the only ones who think this is a good idea, their Crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter is only a few days old and they have already raised around eight times their funding target!
You can still pledge $29 for the standard kit and the bonus kit for $30 includes a USB-C to USB converter.
