macnn
01/24/2008, 6:50pm, EST
Thursday, January 24th
MacBook Air notes: SuperDrive, 3G modems
Two new facts have surfaced regarding Apple's newly released MacBook Air and its optional SuperDrive that could influence the purchasing decisions of some consumers. The new notebook, which Apple touts as the "thinnest" notebook ever made, is incompatible with USB-based 3G modems, according to Engadget. The small high-speed wireless devices are too large to plug into the MacBook Air's collapsible USB port, preventing their usage without a USB extension cable or a powered USB hub.
Further complicating matters, the optional SuperDrive designed for MacBook Air does not work with other systems, and is only usable with Apple's latest notebook. Standard USB doesn't support the power draw that an optical drive requires, and suggests that Apple has configured its MacBook Air USB port with more power than most standard USB ports.
Filed under: Apple
Other story tags: MacBook Air
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I've got two usb extension cables and a powered hub already. not a deal breaker.
The optical drive issue is old news, too.
Way to report a non-story.
It's close though. Without the proper equipment, you just can't use the items as they exist now. Whether that equipment is a USB extension cable or a PCI-Express->PCI converter assembly, it still requires something else for it to work. Ergo, it's incompatible.
And the need for an extension cord would apply to all USB accessories, not just a 3G modem.
How does it apply to ALL USB accessories? Are you saying that the Apple DVD player also needs an extension cable? That your standard mouse or keyboard would need an extension cable?
In fact, if it applies to ALL USB devices, you should be arguing that the port IS incompatible, as you apparently can't use it to plug in any USB device.