Apple's new Macbook is one of the first laptops to use the new USB-C standard. Here are the best cables and adapters.
Belkin USB-A to USB-C Cable$19.99 - $29.99
Belkin has a slew of USB cables coming this summer. This one is male on both ends and will connect USB-A devices to USB-C devices. It transfers 15 watts of power, which isn't enough to charge the new MacBook. There are two varieties of this: a faster USB 3.1 cable for $29.99, and a slower USB 2.0 model for $19.99.
Belkin USB-B to USB-C Cable
$19
You will need this to connect your MacBook to your printer, because printers still insist on using the weird, squarish USB-B port.
LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive
LaCie is coming out of the gate with the first native USB-C compatible hard drive,
a sleek, aluminum device which will come in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB sizes.
It doesn't support the full speed of USB-C—it's a USB 3 device, not
3.1—but it'll be a perfect Time Machine backup for the new laptop. LaCie
says it's coming in the next few months, but hasn't listed a price.SanDisk Dual USB Drive Type-C
$49
The first USB-C flash drive available will plug into both USB-C devices and standard USB-A ports. It doesn't appear to be a passthrough adapter, but you can transfer files onto its 32GB of storage to move them from other laptops, tablets, and phones over to your MacBook. It's coming by June.
$19.99
This one is for charging and syncing standard MicroUSB devices from the USB-C port. It'll charge your phone from your MacBook's battery.
Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
This will be critical for anyone using a new MacBook to connect to a wired, corporate network. Coming in "early summer," it's a native USB-to-Ethernet connector that will work on the new laptops. For now, you can use the existing MacBook Air USB-to-Ethernet adapter with Apple's USB-C to USB adapter cable.
For more, see PCMag's hands on with the new MacBook and the video below, as well as New Chromebook Pixel vs. New MacBook: USB-C Laptops Compared.


No comments:
Post a Comment