This is interesting. I bought the World Adapter Kit for our trip through Germany/France, and nearly every hotel/B&B we stopped at, I could literally feel a gentle vibration/shock coming from MBP's case whenever it was plugged in to the two-prong outlets. I don't know if that's poor grounding or something else, but it was definitely unnerving and I didn't feel comfortable using my laptop when it was plugged in.<p>But it seems the adapters are being recalled for a different issue.
This failed on me recently (a couple weeks ago) and I was very surprised when it happened. It was a US 10-watt(?) adapter that came with a 3rd-gen iPad I bought a while back.<p>The adapter is two pieces that fit together (like Apple's macbook adapters), and the piece that inserts into the outlet broke into two pieces when I tried pulling it out one day. The way it split, half was stuck in the wall and half was still connected to the little power brick in my hand. The piece that was still in the outlet had two bits of exposed metal that were clearly just extensions of the prongs in the socket. I removed it very carefully realizing what would happen if I touched the bits of metal and threw it out.<p>That said, it looks like they don't list the US as affected on that page :-/.
How about a recall of the entire adapter.<p>I have 4 or 5 of them, all which have disintegrated cables.<p>Either the famous problem where the cable/sleeve detaches at the adapter or the plug end, or on a couple of them, the entire plastic cable housing has disintegrated and sloughed off, leaving bare shield wire.
This after just a year or so in every case.<p>Absolute disgrace, Apple.
It looks like it is only the international adapter part. Everyone complains about Apple's strain relief, but a lot of engineering went into making that as good as it is (which is less than average). It is hard to make robust stuff look sleek and well designed. Some companies err on the side of robust. Apple goes the other way.
I long ago stopped using the two-prong adapters; they're just a bad idea when you plug in at places that don't have particularly clean power. Where I used to live, my unibody Macbook would literally give me a little static shock whenever I touched it as long as it was plugged in with the adapter (or possibly it was a continuous current; running your palm along the metal felt a bit like rubbing a balloon.)<p>Switching to the long 3-prong "cable" connector solved that, and I've never dared go back.
I was very excited by this because I have a MacBook Air charger that is very badly frayed at the laptop end and I don't want to spend AU$129 on replacing something that is breaking because Apple sucks at making cables. Unfortunately, I have a three prong charger that isn't being recalled, so I guess I'll just have to apply some more gaffer tape.
I would love to know how they could possibly be a shock hazard. I have a piles of these (for travel) and they are solidly build and almost only plastic.<p>The only way they could break, I think, is if they fell apart somehow.