Owners of the new 12 inch MacBook Retina, who are not yet clear on just how powerful and versatile the USB Type C port is, may still question the ability of such a tiny port, to handle connectivity with regular peripherals, traditionally regarded as “MacBook -size”.
The truth of the matter is that the slick, lightweight newcomer in the MacBook line, can handle itself with any size peripheral, including an Apple LED Cinema Display.
Apple’s flagship high-resolution display may not connect to the USB Type C on the new MacBook, out of the box, however, several adapters, and combinations thereof, do exist on the market, that allow the display to interface with the 12 inch MacBook, some of which are made by Apple.
Finding the right adapter, however, can be a little trickier, as not all adapters are designed to work in the same way.
Supported standards
Some users who are already caught up with this information, have already looked into possible solutions to couple the new MacBook to the Cinema display. One caveat encountered by some, is that some of these adapters, especially some of the cheapest ones, work only with DisplayPort 1.0, rather than the widely supported 1.2.
Fortunately Apple has its own fix to this problem, in the form of the
USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, which includes an HDMI port, a USB 3.1 data port, and a USB-C connector.
Another viable way to solve this dilemma is by using a third party
USB-C Port Hub, designed specifically for the 12 inch MacBook.
This is anything but a clean solution, but it does provide the best chance for a distortion-free signal, until Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 standard, which is expected to work over USB-C, is ready to ship with future MacBooks.