Subscribe Jacob Kleinman 42718 4:15PM Filed to: MacBook MacBook MacBook Air Apple Amazon 58 5 This scenario should be familiar: Your MacBook charger snaps, breaks, frays, or just stops working.Apple wants 80 for a replacement, but you found a knockoff charger on Amazon for a lot less.
What do you do Advertisement Weve all been in this situation, and its tempting to go with the cheaper alternative. There are plenty of times when this advice makes sense when youre buying HDMI cables, for example. However, a closer look at the tech inside these MacBook chargers suggests it might be worth it to pay the Apple Tax if you need a replacement. Amazon Air Charger Software Engineer AndA few years back, Google software engineer and general tech enthusiast Ken Shirriff opened up his MacBook charger to compare it with a knockoff, and the difference between the two is pretty astounding. Visually, its clear that Apple packs a ton of technology into its chargers, while the cheaper version features a bunch of empty space. ![]() Advertisement Apples charger (left) and the knockoff (right). Photo: Ken Shirriff Apples charger (left) and the knockoff (right). Photo: Ken Shirriff Photo: Ken Shirriff Photo: Ken Shirriff Advertisement You can skip ad after 1 second You can go to the next slide after 1 second Continue Photo: Ken Shirriff 1 5 A quick tour of the official MacBook charger reveals triple-insulated wires, grounding, and magnetic fields to safely transmit power. Theres a small processor inside that regulates power, automatically shutting off the charger if the wattage gets too high. Apples charger also knows to shut off as soon as it disconnects from your laptop to reduce the risk of sparking. GO Media may get a commission Acer Chromebook Spin 713 Buy for 629 from Best Buy By comparison, the cheaper knockoff skips the filtering, ground connection, and the more complex circuitry used by Apple to regulate the power flowing into your laptop. The third-party charger isnt totally unsafe (it includes insulating tape and a few other precautions), but according to Shirriff, it could still give you a nasty shock. The cables tend to fray and theyre definitely overpriced (even with all that extra tech inside), but this is one purchase that you might not want to cheap out onif you do, caveat emptor. Advertisement Share This Story Get our newsletter Subscribe More from Lifehacker How to Find Your Local and External IP Address Ask Yourself These 6 Questions to Identify Your Most Important Tasks How to Migrate to a Solid-State Drive Without Reinstalling Windows Our 12 Favorite Chrome Extensions DISCUSSION GrapefruitSmile 42718 4:19PM What is the reason (other than greed) that Apple wont design and sell a removable cable for the charger Usually its part of the cable that needs replacing, not the actual charger.
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