As soon as you take your MacBook out of the box, you'll notice a number of ports and slots along the side of your laptop. While some of these ports look the same, they each have their own specific use. Each port is uniquely shaped to only accept connections from the correct cable or card and to only allow them to fit in the proper way.
For example, you won't be able to connect a USB cable to a FireWire port, nor will you be able insert your USB cable upside-down. This prevents you from accidentally inserting the wrong device into the wrong slot, which could damage both the slot and the cable. It's a good idea to keep this in mind and never force a cable or card into your MacBook! Now let's look at which MacBook models come with which ports.
The MacBook is the basic Apple laptop model and comes with a standard set of input and output ports. The types and number of these ports are probably sufficient for most general computer users. The MacBook includes
The MagSafe power port is pretty self-explanatory. This is where you connect your AC adapter to charge your MacBook's battery or use your MacBook on AC power. It has a magnetic connector so that if your cord becomes snagged or is yanked suddenly, it simply disconnects instead of dumping your laptop on the floor or damaging the power port.
The Ethernet port is for connecting to a wired Ethernet network. You probably won't be using your Kensington lock slot, but in case you're curious, it's a slot designed for, you guessed it, a Kensington lock! Kensington locks usually come attached to a thick cable that can be looped around something solid and then connected to your computer to prevent sticky-fingered thieves from running off with your expensive computer. In most cases, retailers use these to keep their laptops on the shelves and out of people's backpacks, but if you use your computer a lot in public places, it may be of some use to you as well.
The MacBook Pro is the professional laptop model and contains a larger number and wider variety of ports to support external devices. There are three MacBook Pro models, each with a different screen size, ranging from 13 to 17 inches. While there is no difference between the 13- and 15-inch models (port-wise), the 17-inch MacBook contains additional ports.
The 17-inch model includes everything except the SD card slot but adds an additional USB 2.0 port and an ExpressCard/34 slot. The ExpressCard/34 slot is just another way to connect peripherals to your computer, like the USB 2.0 slot. There are a number of devices that use an ExpressCard slot, including external disk drives, wireless network interface cards, cards for attaching multiple displays, and TV tuner cards for watching TV on your computer.
The MacBook Air is the lightest and most streamlined of all of the MacBook computers. To this end, it contains the fewest ports. Your MacBook Air will come with an audio out jack, a Mini DisplayPort, and one USB 2.0 port.
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