Dongles are a sad part of life for new MacBook Pro owners: The 2016 laptops infamously replaced all of its ports with USB-C, except for the headphone jack. So, it’s going to take a lot of adapters to make your existing peripherals compatible with your new machine. This means the MagSafe breakaway charging cable has been phased out, but Apple may be working on a solution to keep it alive. As The Verge notes, the company filed a patent for a MagSafe to USB-C adapter last year, and it was just published a few days ago.
Since this is only a patent, this doesn’t mean Apple will definitely release the adapter. That said, the backlash to the USB-C-only laptops makes it entirely possible we’ll see it in Apple Stores in the near future. It’s yet another MacBook adapter, yes, but at least it’s not a full-sized dongle: Based on the patent images, it looks like more of a nub that doesn’t appear to protrude more than an inch from the side of the laptop.
Regardless of whether Apple’s adapter ever comes to fruition, users who want a breakaway charging solution for USB-C-powered devices are being taken care of. Last year, Griffin introduced a magnetic USB-C cable and adapter that functions very much like a MagSafe cable. An all-USB-C MacBook might be a drag, but at least there are options to keep your laptop from crashing to the floor in the event of a charging cable accident.
Images: Shutterstock (MagSafe charger, lead); United States Patent and Trademark Office (Apple patent)
Via: The Verge
Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office
