Yes, it does, but it's only about 2½" square by 1" thick, and comes with an adaptor so that it will plug direct into a 13A socket if you're close enough.

It's also got a couple of fold-out "lugs" that you can wind excess cable around to keep it tidy.

Basically it's been designed and engineered, not just manufactured

edit- Forgot the magnetic power connector, so if you trip over the cable it pulls out instead of crashing the MacBook to the floor!

Edited by billford (Sat 07-Feb-09 12:09:53)

... and some PC laptops come with equally diminutive power supplies. As I said, I'm not disputing that the Macs are well designed - as are some PC laptops - it's the "all PC laptops" that is unnecessarily OTT.

It wasn't me who said "all PC laptops"

I described the MacBook PSU just for information really, as it seemed you hadn't seen one.

I think that, by quoting the phrase in your post about battery life, most reasonable people would think that's what you meant (when talking about battery life).

I've seen MacBook PSUs; I've also seen other manufacturers' PSUs. Apple make some very nice laptops - so do other manufacturers.

I hate the magnetic adapter! Im about to order my THIRD macbook pro power adapter because the join of the wire to magnetic adapter is about to snap again. I've owned several laptops and this is the first one that i've needed to replace the power cable. Im disapointed apple use such a weak cable.

There was an issue with the early design, aggravated by the tendency of people to pull them off by the wire, rather than the plug (in everyday use).

But Apple redesigned them. Mine has produced no problems and saved my bacon on one notable occasion.

Early design? My MBP is a late 2006 model, the current adapter is the one with the smaller type of power brick introduced last year. Do you know if they have redisgned them since? I hardly ever take my cable out of my laptop and i when i do i dont pull it out. My opinion is apple take a asthetic aproach first and a prectical apraoch second.

My opinion is apple take a aesthetic approach first and a practical approach second.

That does seem to be true particularly with their portable offerings (going by Press reports). I'm not convinced by the "designed and engineered, not just manufactured" description that Bill used. Designed, certainly - Apple have design aplenty - but with something like a PSU, I just want it to work and not break too easily. I don't really mind whether it looks pretty or not.

Don't know if the new Macbook is the same but the power connection is the only piece of the Air I really don't like. It's a silly, clumsy shape and if you're not careful will stick in the socket sideways - so not charging and the battery runs out of power unexpectedly.

I don't really mind whether it looks pretty or not.

On the contrary, i'd be much more annoyed by ugliness than a small weakness is design