Peripheral devices you wish you could use with the new MacBook
CNET editor Dong Ngo expresses his frustration with the new MacBook's lack of peripheral ports, keeping it from working with virtually all existing peripheral accessories out of the box.
At first, I was very excited about the new MacBook . Not because it's super-thin, not even because of the way Jonathan Ive sounded when describing its all-new butterfly keyboard. It was because of USB Type-C (which Apple sensibly abbreviates to USB-C).
The new MacBook is the very first laptop on the market that features USB-C, not only as a fast peripheral port, but also as the charging port, showing the full potential of the new connection type. The problem, however, is that it has just this one peripheral port. There's not a regular USB Type-A (USB-A) port, nor a SD card slot, not even a Thunderbolt port.
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As I see it, those with accessories -- especially portable storage devices -- will find the new MacBook very limited, if not outright frustrating to use.
First off, right out of the box, the machine can't host any peripheral devices at all when it's being charged, because the only port is already taken by the charger. Secondly, Thunderbolt devices are out, since there's not yet a USB-C-to-Thunderbolt adapter. And finally, you'll need this $79 Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter or this $30 Belkin USB 3.0 USB-C to USB-A adapter to use any existing USB devices with the notebook, and more other adapters for other devices. But then what's the point of getting a super-compact laptop when you'll need to carry more things with you when traveling?
Before putting in your order for the new MacBook, think of all the accessories you currently have that can't (readily) work with it. If you have a hard time figuring it out, here's the list of what I have. I just wish the new laptop had a common peripheral port, or at least two USB-C ports.
Samsung Portable SSD T1
Tiny, super-fast and offering up to 1TB of storage space, the Samsung Portable SSD T1 is how any portable drive should be. Featuring USB 3.0, the drive works with any existing computer with a regular USB-A port. You will need an adapter for it to work with the new MacBook, however. Read the full review of the Samsung Portable SSD T1.
Seagate Seven Portable Drive
As the thinnest hard-drive-based portable drive to date with a full-metal body, the Seagate Seven looks like it was made to work with the new MacBook. It won't; at least, not without an adapter. Read the full review of the Seagate Seven Portable Drive.
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt All-Terrain Portable Drive
The new Rugged Thunderbolt All-Terrain Portable Drive is not only fast, it's also very rugged and therefore perfect for those working in a rough environment. Since currently there's no USB-C-to-Thunderbolt adapter, you can't use the drive with the new MacBook via Thunderbolt. The drive does support USB 3.0, however, and in this case, you will still need Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport adapter to use it with the laptop. Read the full review of the LaCie portable drive.
Apple Thunderbolt Display
The Thunderbolt Display is my favorite way to turn my MacBook Air into a desktop station, not only because it's so much larger, but also provides power for the laptop and works as a hub to add more peripheral ports. Since the new MacBook has no Thunderbolt port, this display is useless with it. Read the full review of the Apple Thunderbolt Display.
Popular memory cards and thumb drives
Most existing versions of the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro include an SD card slot and multiple USB-A ports, but the new MacBook has neither. This means if you have thumb drives, you will first need the Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport adapter to use them. And only then you can plug in another adapter to connect an SD card. The same goes for other types of memory cards such as Memory Stick or Compact Flash. Basically, the new MacBook needs layers of adapters to connect to devices that normally would require a single adapter (or none) to work with any computer.