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Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Why DJs Shouldn’t Worry About Apple’s New MacBook
Updated 11:44 AM PST, Wed March 11, 2015
Apple unveiled its new MacBook on Monday and DJs freaked out when they discovered that it only has one USB-C port — a new specification that combines power, data, and video output.
Having more than one USB port is a requirement for most DJs so Apple’s unprecedented move sent shockwaves through the community. The lack of a separate power port was also a concern, as DJs must ensure their laptops stay powered throughout sets.
However, as DJWORX and others websites have pointed out, the new 12″ MacBook isn’t intended for audio professionals and Apple’s existing MacBook Pro line is equipped with multiple USB ports and a dedicated power port.
So while DJs are best advised to stick with traditional MacBook models, it’ll be interesting to see how they deal with the lack of ports on the new 12″ model. Unlike FireWire and Thunderbolt, USB-C is a universal standard that will soon appear on hardware from myriad manufacturers. The DJ equipment industry will need to adapt quickly.
We asked representatives at Rane and Reloop to weigh in on the new MacBook:
“Unless I’m mistaken, this falls in the new MacBook Air line of Macs, which have always catered to the traveling business person with little need to connect a bunch of stuff other than external displays and maybe a printer. While some of the newer Macbook Airs have decent specifications, the Air line has never been ideal for pro-audio/studio use, and this is just more of the same. A strictly business computer (on steroids) with little functionality in the pro-audio world. Personally, I have never recommended a MacBook Air for use with Serato, Traktor or any other pro-audio applications, and this is just another Mac Air I won’t be pushing. I’m sure Apple knows they dominate in the pro-audio computer market and will eventually announce a new line of MacBook Pros with all the bells and whistles.”
– Shaun Whitcher, Rane DJ Product Specialist
“The USB-C port on the new MacBook looks very promising, although it will limit you connecting multiple DJ devices hassle-free and without the need of dongles. We did not test this new port yet, but we expect our controllers to support the USB-C protocol fully.”
– Gerald Barbyer, Reloop Product Manager
This article was written with contributions from Mojaxx.
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