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2017 Air - No USB!

martinchivers

martinchivers

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 19, 2011
279
9
Bath, Somerset, UK
I've just bought a very, very nice Air, 12 inch. But was horrified hat it has no USB or SD card slots. My parents have an Air (11 inch) and that has slots, but it's older. What year do I need to look for (as new as possible) with the slots? Or did Apple do a PRO in either 11 inch or 12 inch? I'd like the illuminated keyboard, to, if possible. I definatly dont want the 13 inch model.
 
martinchivers said:
I've just bought a very, very nice Air, 12 inch. But was horrified hat it has no USB or SD card slots. My parents have an Air (11 inch) and that has slots, but it's older. What year do I need to look for (as new as possible) with the slots? Or did Apple do a PRO in either 11 inch or 12 inch? I'd like the illuminated keyboard, to, if possible. I definatly dont want the 13 inch model.
Click to expand...
If it's a 12 inch, it's not an Air... I'd guess it's a MacBook 12 inch..
 
There is no 12" Air. It sounds like you bought a 12" MacBook which has one USB-C port and one headphone jack. If you want a computer with traditional USB-A ports and an SD card slot, you will need to buy 5 year old computers last released in 2015. Your 12" MacBook can use the USB-C port with a dongle to provide the same functionality, however.
 
topgunn said:
There is no 12" Air. It sounds like you bought a 12" MacBook which has one USB-C port and one headphone jack. If you want a computer with traditional USB-A ports and an SD card slot, you will need to buy 5 year old computers last released in 2015. Your 12" MacBook can use the USB-C port with a dongle to provide the same functionality, however.
Click to expand...
that's interesting! thats the charger socket, then. what do I look for precisely? USB-C to USB-A dongle?
 
Yes, MacBook 12 inch only had the 1 USB-C port.. so I believe, standardly, you can't use it for peripherals and charge at the same time.. It's a very limiting model if you need more functionality..
 
martinchivers said:
actually, yes. Checked the advert wording. Doesn't specify Air or Pro. I've not found either an 11 inch or a 12 inch PRO, yet (maybe they were never made in those sizes.
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The only 11" computers Apple has made are the MacBook Air from 2010 through 2014. The only 12" computer Apple has made is the MacBook (sans Pro and sans Air).
 
Something like this would work to allow you to charge AND use other handy ports like SD card reader and USB-A:
https://amzn.com/B07ZVKTP53/

Anker makes great products and I have relied on them for years.
 
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topgunn said:
Something like this would work to allow you to charge AND use other handy ports like SD card reader and USB-A:
https://amzn.com/B07ZVKTP53/

Anker makes great products and I have relied on them for years.
Click to expand...
thank you. I'll try to find those on the Amazon UK site, but yeah looks perfect
 
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Yup, you picked up a MacBook, not the Air. That model was the slippery slope towards inconvenience, port-wise.

Meanwhile, the 2017 Air was the last with traditional ports - MagSafe charge port, two USB 3 ports (one on each side), Thunderbolt 2 port (right side), SDXC port (right side). Oh and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (left side).
Later models lost all but one USB-C port, requiring you to also buy a multi-port hub dongle to regain what the earlier models had.
 
Bazza1 said:
Yup, you picked up a MacBook, not the Air. That model was the slippery slope towards inconvenience, port-wise.

Meanwhile, the 2017 Air was the last with traditional ports - MagSafe charge port, two USB 3 ports (one on each side), Thunderbolt 2 port (right side), SDXC port (right side). Oh and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (left side).
Later models lost all but one USB-C port, requiring you to also buy a multi-port hub dongle to regain what the earlier models had.
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& they call it progress! It seems very silly to me, I must say. So is the MacBook I have a cheaper version than the air? Or just a newer model?
 
topgunn said:
The only 11" computers Apple has made are the MacBook Air from 2010 through 2014. The only 12" computer Apple has made is the MacBook (sans Pro and sans Air).
Click to expand...
I had a 12" PowerBook G4 when it debuted in 2003, and the original PowerBook 100 wasn't much bigger. The PowerBook Duos were genuine powerhouses back in their day, hampered by the need for a docking station to provide necessary ports.
 
martinchivers said:
& they call it progress! It seems very silly to me, I must say. So is the MacBook I have a cheaper version than the air? Or just a newer model?
Click to expand...
It's a different model. It was sold as an ultraportable where light weight and small size were the most important 2 features. The 12" MacBook didn't sell all that well and has been discontinued. Apple still sells versions of MacBook Air.
 
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chrfr said:
It's a different model. It was sold as an ultraportable where light weight and small size were the most important 2 features. The 12" MacBook didn't sell all that well and has been discontinued. Apple still sells versions of MacBook Air.
Click to expand...
I see, thank you. I couldn't work out whether it was a pro or an air! turns out its neither of those.
 
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