Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

bbotte

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 11, 2008
1,208
30
USA
So if I bought a MacBook Air and then bought a Apple Cinema Display, and I connect the Display to the MacBook Air via the 1 USB port it has, can I connect the Superdrive to the Display? So what I am saying is does the Apple Cinema Display have the extra juice it takes to run the Superdrive?
 
Also is this possible run the Air with the lid closed like this when hooked into an Apple Cinema Display?

gallery-big-10.jpg
 
Yes, you can run it with an external monitor as the exclusive display, but you'll need to reboot in that state.

If you need to switch in and out of that state while the notebook is on, then you'll need a tool that prevents sleep - there are a few about - and a willingness to tolerate the 'find your cursor' game when your pointer goes offscreen into your MBA's monitor.

Much less flexible than a Vista'd ultraportable, but hey - you move down, you have to put up with some inconveniences.

I don't know about the new displays so can't tell you. The old ones won't for sure - they even have trouble powering regular USB stuff at times :rolleyes:
 
Yes, you can run it with an external monitor as the exclusive display, but you'll need to reboot in that state.

If you need to switch in and out of that state while the notebook is on, then you'll need a tool that prevents sleep - there are a few about - and a willingness to tolerate the 'find your cursor' game when your pointer goes offscreen into your MBA's monitor.

Much less flexible than a Vista'd ultraportable, but hey - you move down, you have to put up with some inconveniences.

I don't know about the new displays so can't tell you. The old ones won't for sure - they even have trouble powering regular USB stuff at times :rolleyes:
You don't have to reboot to run in closed-lid mode. You can close the lid (and let the machine sleep), attach the screen, then wake up the computer with an external monitor and mouse. Works this way for all Apple's laptops.
 
As far as the Superdrive goes, I am going to say no. This external Superdrive is specifically built for the USB port on the MacBook Air, as they essentially increased the necessary voltage on the MacBook Air's port. Typically devices such as the Superdrive require 2 USB ports in order to get the necessary power from the bus, and as the Air only has one port, it's modified to provide that extra power. It's essentially the same reason that the Superdrive won't work on any other computer. There appear to be hardware hacks out for the MBA's Superdrive, or you can use any other external USB drive.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.