Apple’s penchant for minimalist design has some practical downsides. One of those downsides is that sometimes the kit can be a bit more delicate than it probably should be, and I can’t think of a single place this is more true than when it comes to Apple laptop power connectors. Apple’s redesigned the power connectors its laptops use twice and they still haven’t gotten it right. They still fray and get damaged easily because they flex so much, because they’re designed so darned thin.
What’s worse, Apple power supplies are expensive – about $80 a pop, full retail. You can usually shave a few bucks buying online, but the only way people save any big money is to buy a cheap third-party adapter, and those are, quite frankly, utter garbage.
If you have a frayed Apple power cord, you may be nervous to use it, because of the risk of electrical fires, overloaded circuitry and so on – and that’s smart. Bundling it up with electrical tape is an ugly solution at best, but there’s another option in the form of a moldable craft material called Sugru and a couple of plastic twist ties. It’s a technique perfected by Adi “The PC Doc” Kingsley-Hughes, who outlines his process in a new piece he’s posted on ZDNet. Definitely worth checking out.
You can order Sugru online through Amazon.com and direct from the manufacturer. If you’re really hooked on the DIY aspect, you can make a Sugru analog yourself – there are a few web sites with Sugru-like recipes, too.
