Shortage of Magsafe 60W Power Adapters Reported

HardMac’s Lionel reports that Apple has informed its retail partners that packs of 60W MagSafe power adapters, the model that ships with the 13″ MacBook Pro, are no longer available until further notice, with dealers only able to order in single adapters.

Normally Apple offers authorized dealers packs of 5 units or 20 units of Magsafe adapters, and packs of 85W adapters for the 15 an 17″ MacBook Pro, and 45W units for the MacBook Air remain available.

Lionel speculates that the shortage is likely due to the sales success of the 13″ MacBook Pro, with Apple diverting the bulk of 60W MagSafe production to manufacturing plants assembling those laptops.

For anyone needing a replacement MagSafe adapter and finding them back-ordered, not that it is perfectly OK to substitute one of the 85W units in place of a 60-watter (or for that matter a 60W instead of a 45W). Arguably, a more powerful than necessary power adapter should last longer because it will never be stressed to its full capacity in use. It’s not recommended to use a lower-wattage than specified power adapter with a laptop (although my wife has been getting away with using an iBook adapter with her 17″ MacBook Pro for several years now).

Another word to the wise — frequently coiling and uncoiling the MagSafe adapter’s cable will accelerate fatigue, so it’s preferable to just stuff it loosely in your computer bag or case when mobile, or even better – have an adapter(s) dedicated to your home/office workstation, and another for road warrioring.

For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/ecKYG4