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Apple's new 2015 MacBook USB port will make it much harder to borrow a friend's charger

Extra adapters will need to be bought to use USB devices

Lamiat Sabin
Saturday 21 March 2015 17:23 GMT
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The new 2015 MacBook has a much smaller single port than previous models
The new 2015 MacBook has a much smaller single port than previous models (YouTube/Marques Brownlee)

Apple is bringing out a new MacBook next month, with a new style of charger to boot – which could make any older models and USB cables obsolete.

In a bid to slim down their designs, to almost nothing, the current MagSafe charging port has been changed to a capsule-shaped USB-C. Other than a headphone jack on the right-hand side, there are no other ports on the new laptop.

The new port will be able to charge, transfer data and output video. It is expected to charge the MacBook and connecting devices much faster than USB connections. However, there is no way to do all three at once without buying a USB-C adapter.

Bog-standard USB cables for cameras, external harddrives, memory sticks and camera SD card readers will all have to be assigned additional expensive adapters which range from £15 to £40 each.

The design change to accommodate the new 13.1mm thickness of the laptop has been encapsulated in a spoof by the College Humour duo.

“And of course, the power-charging port that we changed for no goddamn reason.”

College Humour entertainer Jake Hurwitz dresses up as Apple CEO Tim Cook and says: “The new MacBook charger does the exact same thing as the old charger. The only difference is now you cannot borrow a friend’s when you forget yours.

“Instead, you will ask ‘do you have the new Macbook charger?’ and they’ll say some s*** like ‘I have the new one, but not the new new one.”

Jake Hurwitz from College Humour playing Apple CEO Tim Cook (YouTube)

The USB-C port is slightly bigger than a micro-USB found on phones and cameras. It is also reversible so cables can be inserted any way round.

The Thunderbolt port has been completely removed from this MacBook design.

The MacBook is out on 10 April.

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