Apple hardware SUCKS (part 1 of n)

Published at Thu 15 November, 2007 15:56 | Permalink Permalink | Comments Comments (10) | Trackbacks Trackbacks (0)

As you probably know, I am working at a Macbook right now. Unfortunately, using a 13.3’’ display kills my (beautiful) eyes!! So I thought on bringing a 22’’ wide TFT to my work place.

On a normal laptop, I would just connect the VGA display directly or via a DVI → VGA adapter (there are tons of them, and cheap!), if the laptop has a standard DVI socket.

But Apple insisted that they should innovate!! They put a Mini-DVI socket on the Macbook! Mini what?? Who the hell uses that? To make things better, Apple does not give you any adapter on your new macbook!!! Basically, I buy a laptop with a useless external display socket.

But fear not! Apple sells the adapter as a separate item!!! So I went to an official Apple seller, and bought a bright new and shiny Mini-DVI to DVI adapter from Apple! TWENTY TWO F* EUROS!!!

Now the best part. After I got home, pissed off, I brought a simple and common DVI → VGA adapter, and GUEST WHAT, *THEY DO NOT CONNECT TO EACH OTHER!!!! Since you probably won’t believe me, I decided to take some pictures and post them here.

On the first picture you can see the bloody Apple adapter. On the second picture you can see a very standard DVI > VGA adapter. Notice the little “-” on the left and the four pins around them? Where do they fit on the Apple adapter??

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And now, the coolest thing.. I took a picture of the package where the adapter came from. Just see the diagram, compare with the picture above, and just LAUGH! That explains a lot about Apple hardware designers…

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Don’t be surprised if you hear about a bomb on an Apple store O:-)

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photo of Ruben Fonseca

My name is Ruben Fonseca. I'm a Computer Science and Systems Engineer from Portugal that loves FLOSS.

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  1. avatar henrik

    n penso que isso seja mau, se querias um cabo analogico tinhas comprado um mini dvi to vga e acabava-se a estoria.

  2. avatar Rúben Fonseca

    henrik I can see at least two problems:

    – I only have one DVI display, and the plug HAS THE NIFTY ANALOG PART, so it simply does not plug into this adapter!

    – Apple sold me something VERY DIFFERENT from the description and the diagram shown on the package. This is at least, illegal!

  3. avatar Marco Batista

    The DVI interface have some standard interface, you can see this in the above image.

    http://www.emunova.net/img/lexique/dvi.png

  4. avatar Rúben Fonseca

    Marco, you’re right there are different interfaces.

    The reason why I’m pissed of, is that the package announced a DVI-I (Single Link) plug, but the actual hardware is a DVI-D (Dual Link).

  5. avatar ambs.myopenid.com

    Hi, all.

    First, let me clarify that I use a Mac, I bought another Mac, but I am not Apple fanatic.

    Sencond, let me say that the female connector on the MacBookPro is correct.

    Third, say that I agree with Rúben about being pissed of both with not having one in the box together with the MacBook, and having to buy one that is not correct.

    Fourth, Marco is correct that different pins are used for different protocols. But the connector is just one, the union of all those pins.

    Fifth, Rúben, if I was you, I would go to the store, complain, and request the money back.

    Finally, I don’t understand why are you pissed up with just some euros, when you got a mac by free :)

  6. avatar Ron

    That’s funny… Looking at the diagram, I fully understood what they were selling. Also, the mini-dvi is to help keep the thickness of the Macbook down. Look at the side of your Macbook (I also am using the 13.3” Macbook) and try to visualize the standard sized plug in it. Check out http://rondeagle.com/misc.files/IMG_0074.JPG .Yeah, That’s not going to work. If you have ever done any engineering work, you would realize that this would not leave much ‘meat’ around the connector, which would lead to increased breakage. Granted, you could settle for a thicker laptop… I would rather have my nice, thin Macbook and spend the $20 for the adapter for times when I NEED an external monitor. Come on… you bought a 13.3 for a reason (PORTABILITY). Quit your whining…Bitch.

  7. avatar Rúben Fonseca

    Ron, just to let you know, MacBook PROs are thicker than Macbooks, and have a full blown DVI plug.

    Just for the record…

  8. avatar Nuno

    hi

    We all know that blogs always include a lot of ranting, and we all know that ranting about Apple probably makes a “cooler” rant… but this story is not half as interesting as the author may have thought.

    1) mini DVI instead of DVI plug – tough luck. the buyer should have asked before committing to the purchase. 2) DVI-I instead of DVI-D – tough luck. the buyer should have thought about this before committing to the purchase. “RTFM” comes to mind. 3) misrepresentation of the product on the Apple catalogue – certainly you can complain about that! Clueless suppliers causing inconvenience to buyers is no fun, but again, the Apple hardware designers/engineers have nothing to do with it – blame it on the dude that made the catalogue.

    So, is “Apple Hardware Sucks” a good title? Maybe you could try “I was tricked into a dud purchase because of a catalogue made by incompetent people”. but that wouldn’t be a “cool” rant, would it?

  9. avatar balsagoth

    Lol is my first reaction. Second, if Microsoft brokes standards they are all EVIL, but if apple broke they are just innovating. 3rd I’m a mac user, i think they built very good hardware on laptop (if i buy a new one, it would be an macbook pro) but they have things stupid like only two fuc…. usb ports.

  10. avatar iamatt Thu 07 January, 2010 13:31

    I hear yah. My wife is big into apple products. I, myself, can’t stand this crap. I hate their OS even more but that is another story. The main thing I dislike is not the hardware, nor the software but the clueless people who buy into this Apple coolness. Seriously, for some laughs go hang out at an certified apple store center in the back where people sit and have to make an appointment for consultation. Listen to the ’pro’s’ talk to the loser users. It’s hilarious. you’ll hear phrases like ’ must be a glitch’ ’ lost some bytes’ ‘weird, i don’t know’ ‘did you try reinstalling?’ etc etc. Losers.

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