Yesterday I was pondering the reason for the new MagSafe connector on the latest Macs. I can fully understand the need for a new design if there is a really good reason, such as miniaturisation or added functionality. As far as I can see, though, the change in the MagSafe adaptor is change for change’s sake. I am not convinced that it was necessary and, certainly on the Air, the new connector sticks out much further and we lose the admirable side-mounted cable.
I don’t have the same problem the 30-pin dock connector used on all iOS devices. It has served us well for ten years, since the introduction of the first iPod, but it is now undoubtedly too big by modern standards. Furthermore, the large socket takes up too much room inside the device.
With the European Union making the now-common Micro USB connector mandatory for all new phones, some change in the 30-pin dock has been on the cards for a long time. Other manufacturers of smart phones seem to manage perfectly well with the USB Micro, so it is a concern that Apple appear to be designing another proprietary port, this time featuring 19 pins. Presumably they will have a good technical reasons, possibly that the Micro USB doesn’t offer sufficient connections, but it is a strange decision.
You might remember that Apple introduced a 30-pin to Micro USB adaptor last year. It has been absent from most Apple Stores, although I did manage to find and buy one in Beijing earlier this year. This, I think, was Apple’s token response to the EU’s directive, although nobody seems to need or want one. I hope, therefore, we do not have to have yet another adaptor and I would definitely prefer Apple to move over to the new international Micro USB standard.