The Great Dongle Sale of 2016

Yesterday Apple cut the prices on most of its USB-C dongles. I suspect this is partly a result of the complaints that the new MacBook Pros are USB-C only and that most buyers are required to buy a pile of new dongles to go along with their new Macs. I think it’s a good idea. My only gripe is that the reduced pricing ends on December 31. This transition to USB-C will take a lot more than a few months. Apple hasn’t even released iMacs and Mac Pros with the new ports. These dongles are a necessary cost of moving into the future and Apple should keep these prices low to make it easier on buyers of their multi-thousand dollar computers.

Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C

There’s a bit of confusion out there about ports on the new MacBook Pro. They are all USB-C, a smaller version of USB-C that lets you plug in with either side of the plug “up” and no problems. It’s both smaller and better than the USB-A, the rectangular plug that came with the original iMac and is now pretty much everywhere. I had the USB-C port on my MacBook and I liked it. Better yet, the usual assortment of dongles and cords are now available.

The wrinkle is that with the new MacBook Pros the port isn’t just USB-C, it’s also Thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 3 is a wicked-fast new Intel protocol that allows you to push an enormous number of 1’s and 0’s through a cable. Thunderbolt 3 is the reason that the new MacBook Pros can drive two external 5K monitors. Whenever Apple next updates the iMac, you can fully expect it will also be loaded with Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports.

The trouble is that not all USB-C adapters and cables are Thunderbolt 3 compliant. If you’re getting ready to board the USB-C Thunderbolt 3 train, I recommend this article by Glenn Fleishman at TidBits where he explains everything in full and makes some product recommendations.

Sponsor – MailButler, Your Personal Assistant for Apple Mail




This week MacSparky is sponsored by MailButler. MailButler is like an “awesome” button for Apple Mail. It adds a pile of useful features to Mail including a snooze button for email, tracking so you can see if the recipient actually opened your email, and the ability to schedule your emails so they are sent at a precise time. I particularly love that last feature when dealing with one of “those” guys that emails me back 30 seconds after I send an email. I write my reply and then tell MailButler to send it … in 5 hours.

Most recently MailButler has added task support. This lets users turn their emails in Apple Mail into items on a task list including due dates and reminders. Using MailButler’s task support, you can add due dates, reminders, and notes. All of this is accomplished from MailButler in the Apple Mail application so you don’t have to go into your task app to capture new items. The tasks feature works with Apple Reminders, Asana, Todoist , and Wunderlist. 

Make MailButler your personal assistant for Apple Mail.

MPU 347 – The New MacBooks

Katie and I recorded one of our rare news-related shows today with MPU 347 concerning the Apple “Hello Again” event and our thoughts about the new MacBooks. Katie ordered one and I’m sitting this one out while I bask in my iPad Pro bliss. There’s a lot of good discussion in this show including an extended debate over which MacBook you should buy given the existing lines. We went ahead and released this one early so there won’t be a show on Sunday night.

Sponsors include:

  • 1Password Have you ever forgotten a password? Now you don’t have to worry about that anymore. 
  • The Omni Group They’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad. 
  • Fracture Bring your photos to life.