Apple owns the MagSafe patents – I realize this. On eBay, there are a ton of chargers, but no doubt of dubious origins. Are there any third party creators of chargers?
If a company wanted to create a new charger for the MacBook line, can they legally do so?
Best Answer
Apple does not license the MagSafe technology. So a company could not legally do so. You can read more about it over at Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagSafe
On a side note: Apple has recently started allowing trade ins on old iphone/ipad chargers after a few aftermarket units have created some safety issues.
http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter-takeback/