What does this all mean? Simply put, in order to use HDMI cables with your MacBook you have to determine the type of ports on your machine. Either Thunderbolt 2 or 3 is commonly used by most of today’s MacBook models. Thunderbolt cables and ports are usually identified with tiny lightning bolts, so be sure to look for them. Standard USB-C connections are different than Thunderbolt 3 ones, even though their ports look the same. It can be confusing to look at the ports on the side of a Mac, though.

Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 3 followed, with the latter utilizing USB-C ports to transfer data. It was reintroduced as Thunderbolt on 2011 MacBooks, and it used a special port (which looked the same as a Mini DisplayPort) to connect the laptop to other devices. Meanwhile, Apple was working with Intel to improve and rebrand Firewire.

When DisplayPort debuted shortly after the MacBook did, Apple created its own version known as Mini DisplayPort and began adding it to MacBooks in 2009. When the MacBook was first introduced in 2006, most models used DVI and/or old Apple Firewire technology to interface with outside components, and updated Firewire ports are still found on a few MacBook Pros even today. (One other supposed justification for refusing to adopt HDMI has been that the ports take up more space than the alternatives.) Instead, Apple has chosen other options, refusing to pay the royalty required to install HDMI sockets and leaving a generation of MacBook users frustrated. Even though HDMI has become a nearly-universal technology, very few Apple products have ever had HDMI ports (two exceptions have been the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro Retina). What has always confounded many MacBook owners, however, are the machines’ external connection ports. On-board processors, memory, controllers, screen size, graphics cards and display resolutions have all been repeatedly improved (as have the machines’ aesthetics), as new models have been introduced. The MacBook has changed quite a bit since it was introduced well over ten years ago. Unfortunately, the answer is one of those aggravating responses everyone hates to hear: it depends. How on earth do you connect a MacBook to a flat-screen monitor or other device that relies on HDMI connectivity? There is one compatibility issue that often does rear its head, though. The MacBook’s operating system is updated frequently, crashes are rare, there are no end-of-life support issues, and compatibility problems are virtually non-existent because Macs primarily interface with other Apple software. Some users simply love the look of the MacBook, while others got accustomed to using Macs and Apple products while still in school. There are many reasons why MacBooks remain extremely popular despite their high prices. Back to Learning center Using HDMI Cables With MacBooks

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