MacBook Air: Mofo, no NIC! Help!

Just about any USB-3/USB-C dongle with an ethernet jack will work just fine. I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBY6GNG

 

I kind of want to make this thread an Apple bashing thread, but nah.

 

Yeah, USB things are really just plug-n-play on macs. It's gotta be really special to need a driver. It doubles for use with my XPS13 too.

 

Yep. Much more fun hunting, installing, trouble-shooting, upgrading, and otherwise dinking with drivers for every POS device you want to hang on a WinDoze machine. Macbook Air is a travel machine, and a decent one. It doesn't try to be a desktop and is thinner than an RJ45 jack, so it doesn't have one.

ETA: Virus software? What is that?

 

I have a Macbook Pro. The Amazon Basics USB-C -> Ethernet works fine for me. Although it does get a little warm.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M6WQ0T0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_F79tCb66SM8PE

 

These days Windows have drivers for almost anything out of the box, on par with Mac.

 

Edit:

Disregard, you need a USB-C version, not the one I linked.

 

Thinkpad > MacBook Current Gen.

 

Thing is, even my X1 has a little "pod" for the wired ethernet, which is effectively a breakout. It's just too skinny for an actual RJ45 socket.

(Lovely little machine though.)

I did pick up a USB-3 ethernet adaptor (common chipset that is supported OOTB on everything, even OpenBSD) for weird times when I need another NIC, though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0095EFXMC/

 

But with a Thinkpad you can actually replaces parts by yourself! Depending on the model you can even upgrade parts!

I so want to punch that guy in Starbucks when they take out their Macs, but I think paying for sugar-dosed coffee is a worse crime than a Mac.

Then again, my last Mac that my family owned was the infamous ones from the Mid-90s right before Steve came back. So yeah, I'm bias.

 

iFixit

 

I have a StinkPad but I try like hell to avoid using it. I use it to run certain diagnostic software in my motorcycle shop and I have a Windows desktop that runs my inventory program in Access.

iFixit has always been adequate to keep the iFamily running cheaply.

 

Starbucks coffee....

*shudders*

 

I thought everyone in California was mandated by law to buy Apple??

Oh wait, that’s coming when Governor Cook is elected once he “retires”.

 

I say just use whatever works for you. There is room for both platforms in this world. At a previous graphic design job I had an iMac and a Windows 7 PC with 2 monitors on the same desk. I only used the Mac for Final Cut (premiere was too complicated for me at the time, not anymore) and used the PC for everything else like Photoshop and illustrator.

 

I like Apple hardware. But I haven't recently paid for it myself (work does).

I have an XPS13 personal laptop and it has nicer display and NVME vs. flash, and it runs just as well. But it doesn't have the high quality feel of the Mac. Then again, over Christmas break I completely tore it down to replace the broken part... at least I could.

For me, as long as it runs a unix variant I'm happy. And preferably a BSD.