The day I got my iPad, I rushed home to get playing. First thing’s first though, I needed to sync it. So I setup my MacBook with the iPad Dock and started to sync.
I started to notice the screen flickering, it was changing brightness just like when you start to charge the battery. The LED on the Mag-Safe connector was flickering too. Green, amber then green again just like it was trying to charge but failing every time.
It was a race to sync my iPad! The battery was draining as iTunes chucked everything it could onto the iPad and it didn’t help that the iPad was trying to charge from my MacBook! It can’t, so I don’t know why it tried but it certainly made a difference to the battery comsumption. After just over an hour the sync had finished, although I had to forego all my photos as they were taking way too long.
I ran the usual diagnostics, resetting the PRAM, NVRAM and the SMC with all not making any difference whatsoever. I took the battery out for a while and left the MacBook shut down (well I had no choice!) and after 30 minutes, I gave it a try. It was charging!
Not for long though, day in day out the adapter was being temperamental. I couldn’t figure out if it was the battery or if it was the adapter. There was only one thing for it, I had to make an appointment to see a Genius.
In typical computer fashion, the fault didn’t re-occur at the Genius Bar. I opened every app on my dock, started syncing with my iPhone and the iTunes store was downloading some podcasts and the adapter was charging the battery without a problem! Until the Genius started playing with the wiring and BOOM! It started to flicker again.
£49 and a new MagSafe adapter later, my MacBook charges fine! I like the new design too. It feels a lot more secure when charging now. Phew! After spending so much on my iPad, I couldn’t handle my MacBook dying… I guess that shows that the iPad isn’t here to replace a Mac anytime soon.
