I'd like to use my MBA 11" with a couple of external monitors and my Firewire 800 drives, but I don't think I can do it without buying a Thunderbolt Display, which I am not going to do.
There are USB display adapters, which would free the Thunderbolt port for the FW 800 adapter, but my understanding is that they do not work very well.
My main monitor will be for photo editing. The second is less critical, so the MBA screen or a USB display adapter would probably work for that. That would still leave two uses for one Thunderbolt port.
My FW 800 drives have USB 2.0 ports, so I guess I can move the data on them to USB 3.0 drives, and make the FW 800 drives USB 2.0 backup drives. That seem like a waste, but I may have to do it.
So, there are workarounds, but none are ideal.
What's needed, it seems to me, is a 3 or 4 port Thunderbolt hub, but nobody makes one, at least not yet.
If anyone is in a similar situation and has found a workable solution, I'd sure like to hear it.
Jeff
There are USB display adapters, which would free the Thunderbolt port for the FW 800 adapter, but my understanding is that they do not work very well.
My main monitor will be for photo editing. The second is less critical, so the MBA screen or a USB display adapter would probably work for that. That would still leave two uses for one Thunderbolt port.
My FW 800 drives have USB 2.0 ports, so I guess I can move the data on them to USB 3.0 drives, and make the FW 800 drives USB 2.0 backup drives. That seem like a waste, but I may have to do it.
So, there are workarounds, but none are ideal.
What's needed, it seems to me, is a 3 or 4 port Thunderbolt hub, but nobody makes one, at least not yet.
If anyone is in a similar situation and has found a workable solution, I'd sure like to hear it.
Jeff