Me, too....

My iBook's power adapter has ALWAYS sparked upon plugging it into an outlet. C'mon, Apple, at least address the issue to ensure us of our safety, or to recall the devices.

15 minutes

Her fifteen minutes aof fame are up, time to sue McDonalds now.

Same Here

I thought it was just mine but since it still worked I didn't make a big deal out of it. The actual plugs no longer retract together. I can move each individual plug independently.

lawsuits

if there is a fire or someone gets hurt, Apple deleting the posts displays wilful neglegance.. I don't think they'd want that, would they? replacing a few hundred power cords is nothing compared to a 100 million dollar lawsuit..

stupid

The sparks only happen when the AC adapter is plugged into the ibook/powerbook before it is plugged into the wall. If you plug it into the wall first and then into the iBook/PowerBook there isn't any spark.

Same thing

happened to me with my powercord (PBG4 Rev A) and I thought I was the only one. Hopefully Apple will do the right thing noew before someone gets electrocuted.

Perhaps

Perhaps this is more than the regular spark when plugged in. I had a Powerbook cord fritz a few weeks back - lots of sparks **inside** the wire itself, dropping in and out power - definite fire hazard to my eyes - and nearly $30 to replace the cord portion by itself.

If this is what he's talking about he's not alone - and it's far more serious than the plug-in spark - definite fire hazard.

of course

If an electrical device is drawing power when it is being plugged in it will spark sometimes. There is nothing wrong with the cord, and it is not a fire hazard. Go unplug your blender, turn the switch on, then plug it in and tell me you can't make a spark.

Just plug the cord into the wall THEN the iBook, problem solved. Why are some law students so smart yet so stupid? (I know a couple more that fit that profile...)

As a consultant...

I have seen my share of "sparky" PB and iBook power adaptors. I have seen the cables sizzle inside and once, the resulting spark cut the cord in two... So, Apple, don't tell me the people rising this concern are making it up or overstating the circumstances. Like someone said: willful neglect in a court of law will cost a h*** of a lot more than a recall.

whine, whine, whine...

whine, whine, whine...

Please read the post about the Blender, come on ya'll this is basic electrical principles.

Sheesh...

Which adapter?

I had a sparking problem with the old round adapters and Apple sent me new ones and I sent the old ones back and I have no problems with them. And the new square ones seem to be fine so, in the article she doesn't mention which iBook or, power adapter.

I think Apple should give her a replacement adapter but, fixing the iBook because she dropped it is her problem or, maybe Apple would give her a deal on the repair.

Re:whine, whine, whine...

"Please read the post about the Blender, come on ya'll this is basic electrical principles."

Go and try it for yourself, it doesn't spark. Apple's powercords seem to be pretty unique in this regard. The only way I can get a similar effect from other devices is to rip their cords out of the wall with a hard yank, but everyone knows that's hazardous/not-to-smart.

for crying out loud...

I love how people get so uppity about things when they haven't got an f-ing clue. This has nothing to do with fricking blenders or plugs emitting a tiny spark when you plug them into a wall outlet. This is about the yo-yo power adapters' cords failing at the *computer end*, right where the cable is attached to the plug. These cables break there *a lot*, resulting in lots of sparking and charring and then, usually, complete failure. It doesn't surprise me at all that somebody would drop their computer at the sight of this...it can be a little disconcerting the first time you see lots of sparks right where the power cable is plugged into your computer, to say the least.

Re:whine,whine,whine...

You'll get the spark with a 2 pronged plug.. (no ground)... if Apple made a bigger power supply with a ground..then no sparks but people would complain about the size of the powersupply. And come on.. fire hazard? only if you put a piece of paper right next to the plug and unplugged it and replugged it in until there was enough heat to cause the paper to ignite.

Ugh

Yep, she is one ugly broad.

You idiots...

...who didn't read the whole article AND the petition can STFU now.

1. Its the yo-yo power adaptor.
2. Its sparking where the cord frays not at the plug upon insertion.

typical

...apple saving pennies... yeah, there goes the bmw s***...

Not unique to Apple

I've seen Dell and Toshiba notebook adapters do the same thing. But if you plug it in before you plug it into the PowerBook I do not see that spark.

re: Not unique to Apple

my dell notebook have a 3 prong plug, doesn't happen to me

Don't sign that.

They are blaming the sparking on the fraying of wires.....that is not true. A brand new one will spark if plugged into the computer first. That spark is at the contacts, not due to frayed wired.

Hello?

If it was the yo-yo's, wern't they recalled?

Next.

Electrical lesson

The spark comes from the circuit not being grounded. Any adapter that does not have a 3 prong or "grounded" cable will result in the sparking many see at the contacts. The only way to keep this is from happening is to have a grounded cable...which leaves you with an adapter that is far less portable.

I've seen this same "sparking" in the new adapters, the old black adapters, and adapters from companies like Madison line. The new G4/iBook adapters will do the same thing. If this petition refers to a fraying at the computer end of the plug then I would definately say that I doesn't require a recall in that that fraying is more likely due to negligent use. And what will they replace them with...The new adapters have a far flimsier looking cable.

I have 3 of the said adapters and have had no problems with fraying in 3 years.

sarcasm

That's it, I'm getting a PC!


*note extreme sarcasm*

apple sucks eggs

wake up people...this company is going down for more reasons than one.
Sell your shares and write off the loss.
Sell your macs to any sucker who's willing to buy them.

A good PC is typically half the price, twice as good, and twice as fast.
EX- DELL LAPTOP 2Gigahz, 256MEG RAM, LOADED -- $1199 -- Compare with Powerbook: 867MHz(ie 0.8 GigaHz), NOT fully loaded, and 3 inch SMALLER screen, $1999.

GEEZ!

I love when we get comments from people who have no clue. What, for those of us in the know, we are talking about is the cord itself---not the end that plugs into the oulet. Because the cord is translucent we can see the sparks INSIDE the cord, eventually causing at least the cord itself to fail. It has nothing to do with three prongs, and absolutely has nothing to do with any DELL or anything else.

And no, it has nothing to do with grounding. What is happening is the electricity is arcing from one wire to the other. So what you see is that the battery icon in the menu jumping between 'Plugged in' and 1:22 remaing or whatever.

For me it had also nearly killed my battery on my PBG4a. I get about 9 minutes on a full charge. I ended up buying a new cord, but I haven't bought a new battery. I think Apple should foot the bill!

It's Frayed Wires...

I've had both the original yo-yo AC adapter for my clamshell iBook and a replacement AC adapter fail at the point where the wires attach to the plug that connects to the iBook. I never saw sparks, but did see blackened insulation and broken wires inside the clear plastic outer shield.
The problem seems to be that the constant flexing of the power cable where it attaches to the plug causes the insulation on the internal power wires to crack, exposing the wires, causing them to short, spark and eventually burn up.

Me to0

Yoyo power cord replaced at no charge by a CompUSA repairman with a spare (nice guy), and I'm trying not to touch the new one as much as possible to avoid a repeat.

But wasn't there already a class action in court about these? Or did they settle for free replacements?

Clamshell iBook

Talking about the clamshell iBook, has anyone noticed there's no way to get a working battery for one of those anymore? I know, they're going on 4 years old, but what are you supposed to do, throw them away?

Read the petition

The problem is not simply the sparks while plugging in the cord. The more important issue is the fraying of the cord itself and the sparks within the cord.

-The USC law student

iBook and TiBook Plugs

Both my iBook and TiBook plugs sparked and stopped working. When I went to the Apple store to return it or buy another they made me pay a ton of cash since they didn't have one in stock but they only had one in their Service Dept. I paid like $140 for it. I was desperate. I would have waited and bought one on eBay but I needed one for work that day (Deadlines suck.) and my battery was dead. Stupid me, but I had no choice.

Here's the link

http://www.apple-power-adapter-complaints.com/

Original iBook battery

I buy from ebatts.com

http://www.ebatts.com/modelselect.asp?Model=1092459

(the original iBook)

For others, type iBook into the search box.

i think

theres more of a problem with the older(is that the one being talkd bout) ibook yo-yo supply, on the end of the plug it shorting out and causing sparks on the ibook end of the plug, mine did that, had apple replace it, then the new one did it too so i had to buy a 90 third party plug which is great.

Re: Not unique to Apple

"I've seen Dell and Toshiba notebook adapters do the same thing. But if you plug it in before you plug it into the PowerBook I do not see that spark."

I love how someone always has to post (make up) that the same problem exists with PC OEMs everytime there is a new Apple issue. Unfortunately for your claim though both Dell and Tosh use grounded connectors.

re: Clamshell iBook

"Talking about the clamshell iBook, has anyone noticed there's no way to get a working battery for one of those anymore?"

re: Clamshell iBook

"Talking about the clamshell iBook, has anyone noticed there's no way to get a working battery for one of those anymore?"

http://www.batterytech.com/productInfo.asp
http://www.drbott.com/prod/db.lasso?code=5718-IBK2
http://edustore.solutionsinc.co.uk/details/BAT-APP-005.lasso
http://www2.sunrem.com/sun01.w?pt=425587

pretty sparkler

Heck.. I loved to watch mine sparkle INSIDE the cord as it arced. If it wasn't for Apple's sharp looking clear cables, I would have never known! Anyway, I just last week requested a replacement with my AppleCare from a local Mac store. And instead of waiting for 5 days with a powerless Pismo (no pun intended), I bought one of their VST boxed versions ($80) as well so now I'll have one for home and work.

But seriously, yes it was scary, was intermitent at charging the battery, and no, it was not problematic at where it connected to my Powerbook, only where it connected to the wall socket.

Apple HAS fixed it!!

Hey folks, Apple now includes a 65 Watt adapter that is grounded and has a 3 prong plug. Also Dell and all the rest spark as well I have a gameboy with a adapter and IT sparks, lets sue nintendo!! Please, a recall is necessary when there is the possibility of danger, they did this with the old black adapters and if needed they will do this with these as well, IF they pose this danger, so far I beleive its perception of danger not actual danger. Plug in the wall then plug into the machine=no spark, follow instructions folks.

Lawyers

I hate lawyers.

Don't be confused onfuse

The issue here isn't that the plug itself sparks (which it does and is a bit unsettling, but relatively safe), but rather that the cords fray and spark somewhere along their length. Each of the three yo-yo power adapters I've had have failed in the AC or the DC cords with sparks. I'm an engineer and good with a soldering iron and hot glue gun, so after my first warrantee replacement from Apple I started fixing them myself. (The replacement unit hasn't failed, and has additional strain relief on the cable.)
Seeing this happen in front of me, I wouldn't be surprised if it did start a fire.

Electricity 101

Go learn electromagnetic theory before you post about "basic electrical principles."

1) on most circuits the ground wire is bonded to the common wire at the panel box and is just a redundant common (except GFCI)
2) voltage potential causes sparks, not the lack of a ground
3) the sparking in question is due to poor strain relief design causing a short internal to the cord

The "other" sparking is because Apple switched to a "switching" adapter from a transformer type. Transformers reduce voltage potential through resistance, the switching adapter does not. Unlike Apple's old adapters you can use these with with a range of voltages. The lower the voltage, the hotter the adapter becomes. Try one at 80V and you'll see what I mean.

Re: ibook batt...

ahha i realy hope that 165$ or whatever is in like canadian or something, other wise its sad anyone would pay that much.

Electricity 101

Quote: "Go learn electromagnetic theory before you post about `basic electrical principles.'"

If this was slashdot, I would mod you up +5 interesting. :)

iBook batteries

Thanks a bunch for the links guys :)

Replacement No Problem

My PowerBook G4 power adaptor cord shorted out awhile back and gave me abit of a shock, took it into the Apple Store and they were happy to replace it, I had AppleCare though.

Daniel

lies

I have an iBook and my powercord sparks. HOWEVER, it only sparks when you are stupid enough to plug in the adapter into the wall and switch it on then connecting the rest of it up. What kind of fuckwit would do something like that?

If you cant turn off the power while you plug in the iBook (Like you should with all electrical devices) then rid the world or your stupidity by jumping off a cliff.....or becoming an astronaut

holy s***

Can you f****** idiots read or what? The complaint is NOT about sparks when plugging the cord in. Get the f*** off it already. Its about the cord prematurely fraying.

The spark generated when plugging the cord in, although a bit disconcerting, doesn't have the potential to touch your hand. The frayed wire occurs 1/2" from the iBook-end plug, where you are usually touching the wire with your thumb. It is a nasty jolt and if I was holding up the ibook in my hands when I recieved one, I probably would have dropped it also.

BTW, its a moot point about grounded PC adaptors, but I've seen plenty of Dell's and Toshibas with 2 prong adaptors. I even have one right here in my office. I'm not saying there aren't 3 prong one's, just that you can't say "all Dell's and Toshiba's have 3 prong plugs."

garbage!

This is garbage and sounds like a law student's attempt to make a new for him or herself prior to graduation.

Frankly, the plugs on ALL of my machines spark, whether they are powerbooks, Apple desktop's or x86 machines. I don't know if it is the wiring in my apartment or the dry air or what, but it has never effected me or my machines.

Maybe this law student should call the power company?

-A

fried one of mine

My original iBook cord eventually fried. I saw sparks fairly often, whether I plugged it into the iBook first, or the wall first. Eventually, the cord turned black where it was sparking inside, and later died completely. I can wiggle it and get power, but I thought that was a bad plan and went and shelled out for a new one. Defective would be the word for it. I'm nervous about all the yoyo-style adapters, including the one with my TiBook, since they all seem fragile where the cord goes into the computer-end plug.

One possible cuase

I work for a school disrict with many ibooks and other laptops. The spark on the adapter is only caused by plugging it in to the protable first ( which Apples manual says to avoid).

The main cuase that I found for the fraying or shorting out on the cable by the computers. IS MISSUSE. If you lift the portable when it is one or charging, then you can short out the cable on your own. This is not a fualt of Apple, but of your self. Besides these as said before have already been recalled, by Apple as a Volentary recall.


Get your facts straight before you post or try to sue someone.

sue

Apple should sue her for bad press. The should be able to get a million for a false acusation.

That would be good a day.

this is NOT whining

These cords are defective. Now, if these were cords for an appliance that never moves (and thus is not plugged and unplugged often), they would be fine. However, we are talking about cords for a device which is often plugged and unplugged twice a day! The cords should be rugged and able to be USED. People aren't saying that Apple is evil, so don't get all protective. They are just saying that Apple should recognize the problem and fix it. Do the new box-style adapters come with more durably designed cords?

Electrical sparks

All electrical devices spark when you plug them in. The only way to stop this is to turn of the device before insertion into the wall or computer. The Power cord in the back of my Blue and white monitor spark if you plug it in will it was still on but that?s what happens with 120 volts AC. If you don?t like it use batteries of wait they spark too.
So plug the adapter in to the wall first then in to the computer and oh and turn the vacuum off before plugging it in to because they spark too.

Read your manual

To avoid corrupting your laptops Power Manager Apple has always said that you plug the adapter into the wall and then into your laptop...

... so much for the BMW experience...

And

the flood of "plug it into the wall first"ers continues.

Meanwhile, signatures of unhappy customers mount on the petition.

Take my word for it, you do not want to experience this defect firsthand.

You sure?

My "yo-yo" adapter (which came with a battery charger) sparks at the outlet end or the adapter end of the AC cord (even) when *not* plugged into my PBG4. Apparently there's no voltage regulation at the primary, so a huge surge occurs at each make/break. This'll be nasty if the actual AC cord fails, or in a gas fume environment. I'm aware the retail store stocks replacement "Mouse Ear" AC cords. But "wall wart" power packs really ought not to do this.

It's not the wall cord!

It's about the cord end that plugs into the computer.. over time, the reinforcing piece at the connector is too wimpy.. the cord is too thin, it becomes brittle, the insulator breaks down between the two wires, and it starts to spark near your hand when you plug it into the computer.. I had this issue. It had nothing to do with plugging it into the wall (although I did notice that minor spark when the power surges through if it was done in that order, it did not suprise nor upset me, the other one did!)

Two distinct issues

First of all, I feel Apple should recall the early cords for the yo-yo adapters. Just the cords - the adapter is perfectly fine.

FYI: I have noticed two wall-to-yoyo cords: the shorter length (older, darker) cord which Apple quietly acknowledges to be less reliable, and a revised, (longer, white) cord which has no such problems.

Second issue is common sense:

Did you notice the cord had sparking problems before? These cords are UL-listed and are thus tested to ensure they don't fail immediately as you have indicated. That is why most users start to notice gradual problems, but no one has reported an immediate catastrophic failure.

Why did you not have your cord replaced when you noticed the problem? Apple Service (now) only stocks the newer cord, which would have resolved all your problems.

If you already know the cord had problems, and you do nothing to fix it (call the dealer, get a new cord), it is logical that the cord can not heal itself, and the sparking will get worse.

In the event that the Apple dealer (were stupid enough to have) charged you, you could pay for the cord first, kept the old cord, and dispute the bill in court - remember: your safety comes first! Don't tell me you can afford a $2000 iBook but not a $15 power cord!

Thus, I feel Apple would be extremely gracious if they repaired your iBook for free (you have some responsibility for not having a UL-certified cord replaced upon sign of defect). However, in good faith, they should re-post all the previous complaints of their cords, issue a recall, and give you a discount on your screen repair.

Had to Buy a New One

My Powerbook cord recently failed. Just the cord, not the hockey puck. I could see sparking in the cord when connected. Called Apple, told I would have to buy a new one. Now I wonder if I can get my money back.
Apple is going to kill itself with this type of behavior.

Power Cord

The power adapters is not $15. Its $71. I've had the "fraying" issue with 2 different power adapters at this point. It has nothing to do with the wall plug. Its the faulty connector on the computer end fraying and becoming dangerous!