The most baffling thing about Apple’s new 12″ MacBook is not its design, nor the price, but the fact that the only port it comes with is an USB-C one that involves a lot of adapters.
Apple’s new MacBook is a beauty to behold, and the keyboard that stretches from edge to edge is one of the main things that makes it so attractive. Cupertino dropped the ‘Pro’ and the ‘Air’, and there’s no mention of the Retina Display, even though it’s clear that this laptop features one. Launched at the company’s Spring Forward event, the all-aluminum MacBook is slightly thicker than a smartphone, at its 13.1mm, and even though it has a no-fan design, its design will have plenty of fans. Considering that it costs $1399 for the 256GB version, respectively $1799 for the 512GB version, people might think it’s a bit pricey, and that’s without the great number of adapters that must be acquired post-purchase.
The new MacBook is 24% thinner than the Air, and to achieve this, Apple had to drop many of the older model’s ports. That doesn’t sound like a very bad idea until you think that from time to time you might want to connect your flash drive or your camera to your notebook. Not to mention that connecting external displays or projectors to the MacBook is now impossible without an adapter. The most disturbing thing is that many of the new MacBook’s USB-C adapters need to be purchased separately, whereas other manufacturers might have considered bundling them with the notebook.
Some of the accessories that MacBook owners might need include the new 29W Power Adapter ($49) with a built-in USB-C port, a USB-C charging cable ($29), an adapter extension cable ($19), multiport adapters (one with VGA, normal USB and Type-C, the other with HDMI, USB and Type-C). It should be noted that the first two come with each new MacBook, while the others are sold separately. Should you lose any of the bundled ones, you will have to pay for them.
All in all, the single USB-C port is quite inconvenient, considering how much users would have to pay for the whole range of adapters. On the upside, Apple has achieved something great with the new design, and since this is coming from a person who has bashed this company’s smartphones and tablets, it should really mean something.
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