Apple MagSafe is magnetic but not safe

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» IT Security NEWS

» 06 May 2009

Apple MagSafe is magnetic but not safe

Three people brought have filed a class action suit against Apple, with the claim that although the company's much-talked-about MagSafe Adapter is mag(netic), it isn't safe.

The plaintiffs filed the suit in the US District Court in San José complained that both the 60-watt (designed for use with MacBooks) and the 85-watt (designed for use with MacBook Pros) MagSage Adapters were sloppily conceived and made. The suit reported that the cable "dangerously frays, sparks, and prematurely fails to work." The court is not too far from Apple's Cupertino campus.

According to the suit, while Apple recognized the issue, it has not yet acknowledged such in public. They also continue producing such chargers. This leads to the plaintiff and the class of MagSafe owners (which the filing estimates as possibly numbering "millions") making do with "flawed and dangerous Adapters which prematurely fail and present fire hazards."

The three plaintiffs, revealed as Naotaka Kitagawa, Timothy Broad, and Jesse Reisman, protest that even "normal use" of the adapter causes damage to the connected cord.

Kitagawa alleges that he experiences broken power on his MacBook Pro. He also reported that the connector has become frayed and even the coating of the wires exhibited melts and discolorations.

On the other hand, Broad had a rather electrifying experience with his cable (pun intended). He recounted that he has been using his MacBook for only 14 months when he observed the overheating cable. "It almost burned my hand when I brushed it accidentally," he narrated. The cable started melting and this created "a large hole in the cable." He could only thank God that the adapter did not go on to burn his house down.

Finally, Reisman complained that his adapter became "noticeably hot" and wires began coming out.

They claimed that Apple has been aware of the adapters' safety issues for almost three years, but has acted dumb. They point out at least 1,000 reviews of the MagSafe in Apple's very own online store. Most of these were "extremely negative, warning Apple over and over again about the hazards of the MagSafe Adapter."

They demand that Apple provide them either a "safe, defect-free Adapter" or a full refund of their adapters' cost. The suit surprisingly did not contain any reference to 45-watt adapter (designed for use with MacBook Airs).