My Apple Powerbook G4 threw a wobbly last night – an electrical burning smell pervaded my study, and my laptop slowly lost power, moving onto reserve power before I shut it down to save my work.

I traced the fault to an arcing power lead. A break in the plastic had caused it to short and I could actually see sparks. Potentially very dangerous.

So, I called in to Magnum Mac on my way to work this morning to buy a replacement part.

It was $149.00.

You can buy a jug lead for about $8.00. I bought a five plug board with cutout fuse for $6.50. How can a power lead for a laptop cost $149.00?

It’s made in China. Wages are low. It’s got to be a 1000% markup.

It does look good though. Ah, the price of vanity.