Macbook Air 2018 peripherals compatability - what cables/adaptors?

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I’m replacing my current late 2010 Macbook Air with the latest model (late 2018). As with most computer upgrades in my experience I may well be letting myself in for more purchases than I’d first thought, viz compatability/connectivity. The new Macbook Air 2018 has only two ports - Thunderbolt 3 (USB C). I need to connect it to the following peripherals I already have:
1 Apple LED Cinema Display, model A1316 - connects to my 2010 MBA via a split cable going into the Minidisplay and magsafe ports respectively
2 G-Tech 4TB G-Drive USB 3.0 external hard drive - connects to one of the two MBA USB 2.0 ports
3 Hewlett Packard USB x4-port hub - connects to the other USB 2.0 port (for any other bits like my ethernet cable or my Wacom Intuos tablet)
4 Very occasionally I connect my laptop to a projector. Annoyingly I seem to have lost the adapter so will need another in time. Could someone remind me which I should get: Apple USB-C digital to AV multiport adapter or Apple USB-C to VGA multiport adapter?

Burning question: before I start on the upgrade journey, can anyone advise on the right connectors/adapters for the new Macbook Air used with the above peripherals?
 
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Macbook Air 2018 peripherals compatability - what cables/adaptors?


I'm surprised that there have been no replies to your post.

But I guess the best thing you can do is to figure out what you need to connect and when you need to connect them which should give you a rough idea if you need a whole plethora of adapters, or maybe you may bee better off using some of the various docks that are out there with various collections.

I am sure there are several docks that would have all the connections that you may need, but then again, maybe you don't need them all connected all at the same time.

PS: My understanding was that HDMI connections were better than VGA and many small Docks include that.



- Patrick
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krs


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I would take a look through the USB-C adapters on this page to see which one covers all (or most) of the interface requirements.
https://www.primecables.ca/en/c-199...e=1&see_all=true&sort_by=price_desc&view=grid

Last year I was in the market for a MacBook Air and I was ready to buy the 2018 version until I saw that there were only two USB-C ports.
I travel a lot with that MacBook and with the connectivity I need, I would have had to always carry a bulky adapter as well which sort of defeats getting an Air in the first place.
So I opted for the high end 2017 MacBook Air with a 512 GB SSD and gave up the retina display (which I didn't have before anyway). With the 2017 I can connect power, a USB flash drive and a projector at the same time (which is what I needed)..and it has an SD slot.
 

Rod


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My wife recently bought the 2018 MBPr in preference to the MBA because the MBP has three USB-C ports. The adapter she uses plugs into both of the USB-C ports on the left side providing a much more secure connection that just one. It has 2 X USB3 ports, two USB-C (one for power), 1 X HDMI and a Micro SD card reader. The alternative would be a free standing Dock of some sort with multiple input/output jacks I suppose. I put off the whole issue by purchasing a brand new 2015 MBPr which retains all of the original connection jacks but obviously I will eventually need to replace it so I hope by then there will be better alternatives.
 

pigoo3

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What member krs mentioned is exactly what I was thinking. Investing a small dock/hub for Apple portable computers with less ports.

A post was made on this very topic about 2 weeks ago on the Mac-Forums Facebook page.:)

Something similar to this:

Screen Shot 2019-06-25 at 7.39.46 AM.png

- Nick
 

Rod


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Yes the above is pretty much exactly what my wife bought and for a stationary device which my wife’s MBP is pretty much all of the time this is ideal.
 
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Yes the above is pretty much exactly what my wife bought and for a stationary device which my wife’s MBP is pretty much all of the time this is ideal.


I guess the companies that make those docks are grateful for Apple and Johnny I've's "go thin" designs and removing most of the useful ports in the first place.

At least the user has the opportunity to just spend the money for the one model that would suit their particular purposes. But a bit odd that the Mac models with the reduced number of ports weren't reduced in price to help compensate in the first place. :-(



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pigoo3

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I guess the companies that make those docks are grateful for Apple...

Absolutely.:) But also very possible the average user (if they had a whole bunch of ports) may not use most of them ever (or very infrequently).

Take a look at users when they're out in the world with their portable computers (such as the library, Starbuck's, McDonald's, Panera Bread, etc.)...many aren't using the ports. Only when they get back home do some of them use the ports. And in both cases (at home or away from home)...many times users only need one port...and this is usually for an external HD or USB thumb drive...to conveniently move files in or out of the computer.:)

Myself for example...I would be lost with only one port...since at the moment I need ports for:

- External keyboard
- External input device
- External monitor (and my external monitor needs two ports)

4 ports total.

But a bit odd that the Mac models with the reduced number of ports weren't reduced in price to help compensate in the first place.

As we all know...the prices on most consumer products increase over time. But if we look at historical prices for let's say 13" entry level MacBook Pro's...the price hasn't really increased all that much over 7-8 years...compared to other things:

13" MacBook Pro's:

- 2010 thru Mid 2012 = $1199
- Late 2013 thru 2015 = $1299
- Late 2016 = $1499
- Mid 2017 = $1299

2018 & 2019 entry level 13" MacBook Pro's now cost more ($1799)..but that's because they now come with "game-changing" better spec's. They now come with quad-core CPU's instead of dual-core.

In theory (if Apple retained all of the ports)...entry level MacBook Pro's might cost more than they do now.

- Nick
 

krs


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When I looked for a new MacBook to replace an existing older MacBookpro, I actually started with the number and type of ports I needed when on the road.
This was essentially for giving two or three day courses. Don't want to carry any additional equipment unless absolutely necessary.
I needed a connection to:
1. A projector or large-screen TV, I currently use a miniDP to HDMI cable
2. Power since I didn't want to depend on the battery in the unit for each session, not sure it would last for the whole day plus
3. USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port for external flash drive with the course information. I could have put that on the Mac, but with videos etc., that would have filled the internal drive pretty quickly
4. External USB mouse. Again, I could have gone to a Bluetooth mouse to save a port, but I have the habit of misplacing those while I use them - I rather have the mouse tethered.
Plus I wanted the Mac to run on ElCapitan since the user always has a hard time adjusting to a new macOS, plus I wanted the lightest MacBook I could find.
So I ended up with a 2017 MacBookair - so far everything turned out perfect.
 

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