Power adapter change on MacBook Pro M5 Max and M5 Pro causes trouble
Apple's 140-watt power adapter: New variants are causing headaches. Different versions now exist in Australia and China.
Apple's 140-watt power adapter: New variants are causing headaches.
(Image: Apple)
Apple has changed the power adapter supplied with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro in several countries. The M5 Max and M5 Pro models are sold with a 140-watt power supply. Previously, these always had a C7 connector inside, to which Europlug cables could be directly attached via a device coupler – as well as Apple's own adapters for various country plugs, which the company had also sold for many years as part of its World Travel Adapter Kits (starting from 101 €). However, the latter was recently withdrawn from the market.
Internal connector changed
The male connector now installed in the M5 Max and M5 Pro power adapters appears to be proprietary. This means it is no longer compatible with Apple's own power adapter extension cable (starting from 21,09 €), as shown by images published by Macrumors. Compared to the C7, the connector is longer and thinner, and it lacks the typical indentation. It remained unclear whether Apple is making the change worldwide or only in specific markets. Reports on this come from Australia as well as China.
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The 140-watt power adapter is also sold separately by Apple, for example in China, as ChargerLAB showed. As before, the device allows, among other things, charging a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent in half an hour, provided a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable or a 240-watt capable USB-C cable is used.
Quick extension thanks to C7
While Apple's power adapters are expensive, they have a good reputation. By using the C7 connector, which could be accessed by removing the power plug, they could also be extended relatively easily. With the proprietary connector, Apple would now have to adapt both its extension cable and its World Travel Adapter Kit. Neither has happened so far.
In the EU and the UK, Apple has recently started selling laptops without power adapters. This applies, for example, to the MacBook Neo. According to EU regulations, manufacturers must allow users to purchase their computer without a power supply if they already own one. Apple interprets this to mean that there will be no more power adapters in the packaging in the future. An alternative with a power adapter is not part of the program. Incidentally, the device prices did not decrease as a result.
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