What is the price to pay for slimness? $209 RM965 (updated with Malaysian pricing), if you’re planning on getting the new 2015 MacBook. With only one (yes, just one) I/O port excluding the audio jack, you’re going to have to spend quite a bit on Apple adapters to get your “legacy” USB thumbdrives and HDMI or VGA monitors to work on the new MacBook.
With just one USB-C port, the new MacBook is looking like it’s crippled by design. This same port has four different functions, serving as an A/C input, USB-C input (though there are basically none right now), and inputs for VGA/HDMI/DisplayPort monitors and TVs. For every connector that the MacBook supports, but does not have the necessary port, the company has a USB-C adapter available – and sold separately, of course.
Quite the bane.
Want to quickly transfer a file from a thumbdrive? It’ll just set you back RM79 for a USB-C to USB adapter. Want to connect to a bigger screen, say, your spanking new smart, curved Ultra HD TV via HDMI? There’s the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter for RM299, which houses a full-size HDMI port, a USB port as well as a USB-C port, which allows you to charge the MacBook while still using the other two ports. There’s also the USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter at RM299 that replaces the HDMI port with a VGA one.
Also, if you’re like some of my colleagues who prefer to not carry their laptop chargers around and buy one each for the home and office, you’ll need to fork out RM179 and RM109 for the power adapter and charge cable respectively – you can’t use any old ones since these are using USB-C connectors.
One important point to note: there is no Ethernet adapter, nor is there an SD card reader for the new MacBook. You’ll need a separate USB adapter for that, which will again add to the already high cost of owning the new MacBook.
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