09-12-2008, 02:35 PM

I don't have many talents, but I sure know how to wear out 45W AC G3 model 8482 A1036 adapters — I'm on my 4th going for 5. I saw a slew of them on eBay between $25 and $30 — all "Refurbished." How do you refurbish this adapter — nothing comes apart? If they can be fixed, I have a couple that all they need is that skinny little wire with the end plug-in!

I would value input from the justifiably genius type habitues of this forum. I'm wondering whether these items are "knockoffs" and described as Refurbished to avoid legal hassles? Are they worth considering? Whether they owe Apple licensing fees is Apple's problem as far as I'm concerned.

In closing, let me say that after I wreck number 5, I'm going for the Guinness world record.

09-12-2008, 04:40 PM

Given what they cost, you'd think they'd be less prone to break. I just got an Air, and the first thing my girlfriend told me was "use the little flip-out prongs on the power adapter or the cord WILL break off". I mean, come on... really? If MacBooks and Airs were made by, say, some cheap Chinese PC clone maker, I'd say "well, what do you expect", but given Apple's status as "design gods" and the steep price of a replacement unit, you really have to wonder if the breakable power adapters are actually specifically designed to do this. That's... disappointing.