Apple Laptop Computer Accessories
Three Apple laptops were recently refreshed, meaning that some of their components were updated to Intel’s latest Core i5 and Core i7 mobile platforms (with GPU integrated in the CPU) and nVidia’s Geforce 320M / GT 330M graphics cards. Although on the inside most main components were changed, no new Apple laptop computer accessories were launched with the new configurations. They have the same screens, webcams, keyboards, track pads, hard disks and external ports. Not even the power adapter was changed, despite the fact that battery capacity was somewhat improved.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it could simply mean that Apple made some really great laptops that had most accessories right from the start. There are five Apple laptop computer accessories sold separately that normally go together. One of these is the DisplayPort to VGA/DVI adapter, that permits the user to use the laptop with any LCD-TV, projector or professional external monitor:
It costs $29, a little expensive for two connectors and a piece of cable, but Apple fans don’t mind. With the DisplayPort to VGA/DVI adapter you switched to an external screen, most likely to an Apple LED Cinema display, so the laptop now can be closed:
Placing the laptop in the stand improves cooling, and otherwise reduces the amount of heat generated, because the laptop screen is turned completely off. This accessory also costs a little too much (just under $50) considering the fact that it’s just a piece of aluminum and five pieces of soft silicone rubber: 4 feet on the bottom and one ring that sits between the laptop and the stand, so neither gets scratched. If the laptop is closed, you’ll need an additional keyboard and mouse. It’s recommended to use the Apple Wireless Keybord that connects directly to any MacBook Pro, because they all have integrated BlueTooth controllers:
It costs $70, a decent price for a somewhat more complex Apple laptop computer accessory. The Apple Magic Mouse has the same price:
While it lacks a few click functions that most mice have, the top of the mouse is basically a track pad that supports many preset and custom functions, including multi-touch, swipe and others. It also connects through BlueTooth and runs on batteries. The fifth accessory is of course the Apple Cinema display. It’s on the bottom of the list because it has an astronomical price, $899. Although it has a bigger resolution than FullHD, 1920 x1200, for a 24” LED-backlit screen its price is too high. The cheapest 21.5” LED-backlit monitor with FullHD resolution cost around $150 and between $150 and $900 there are a lot of options. If you’re lucky you might even find a 27-30” monitor with a 2560 x 1600 resolution under $900.
[...] keyboard resembles Apple’s simple design, nothing negative can be said about it, it ensures a comfortable typing and gaming experience. [...]
I never liked Apple laptops because you pay a huge price just to own an Apple product while the technical specifications are far from being impressive. A friend of mine bough the Apple Air for his wife last Christmas and I had a chance to test it myself. Aside from the fact that the laptop is good looking and it is very thin and light, there is nothing to love about it. It did not have an optical drive, there were basically no ports and connections, not even an Ethernet port! He also had to buy a router and establish a wireless connection inside his home because you can only connect to the internet with the included Wi-Fi feature. And to think he paid about $1500 for that laptop. I told him he should have bought a desktop computer instead. It would have probably turned out to be a much better investment.