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Comment by jjcm | Hacker News Reader

I know this is going to seem like a nitpick, but laptops without magnetic power connectors these days just feel cheap. It's such a simple addition that greatly improves the product. I don't see why larger companies aren't all converting over to them. I know apple has a patent on them, but there's tons of prior art for heaven's sake. I think the only non-apple product out there I've seen with them on it is the microsoft surface (though admittedly the surface one is pretty bad, it's still better than this style of connector).

Overall though it seems like a nice product. I'd probably be interested if I could install ubuntu on it.

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Maybe this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagSafe

Apple exclusively owns US Patent No. 7311526 ("Magnetic connector for electronic device", issued in 2007) and does not license the MagSafe connector or the patent.

And yet Microsoft has magnetic power connectors on the Surface tablets.

Hrmm. I don't know. I was just curious and looked it up. It appears that microsoft has their own patent for a magsafe-like connector: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/14/microsoft-magnetic-patent... from http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/19/microsoft-surface-power-c...

So clearly Google needs to get their own, or license Microsoft's. :P

Microsoft having a patent on a magnetic connector of their own is unrelated to the question of whether that connector infringes Apple's patent.

Doesn't Microsoft and Apple have a cross-licensing agreement?

Not on MagSafe, no. Apple doesn't license that to anyone. Microsoft got their own patent for a different design.

I am pretty sure Apple patented magnetic power connectors, and that this is the reason no one else uses them.

Better not tell the Pebble watch people then, they might get sued.

Many of the deep fryers I've used years ago had magnetic power connectors. How is Apple's design different? Is it just because it is "on a laptop", and not "on a hot oil basket"?

Edit: I looked up the patent, and it appears they've patented various improvements to the connector, such as universal orientation (can plug it in either direction), and something to do with the polarity of the magnets.

It looks like Microsoft got their patent because it transmits data as well as power.

And yet, they wouldn't have been able to use it if Apple didn't let them, because it does power - and that's covered by Apple's patent.

Luckily (for them) most of the incumbents have patent cross-licensing deals, so MS doesn't worry about Apple suing them for patent infringement, and vice versa.

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