AMEN

my MacBookAir M1 has 2 holes and not even a symbol..

About This Mac, then click on System Report. Then look at Thunderbolt and USB for some details.

Just purchase what you need. If you have a device that is USB-A and want to plug it in directly to your USB-C port, then get that adapter (or replace the cable for the device with a USB-C one).

You can't use an older Mac as a display. This was a feature of some old iMac models (before high resolution displays, so they wouldn't be good displays now anyway). But current versions of macOS don't work with that feature anyway. Nothing to do with the Studio Display. Getting a cheap 4K display is a much better option anyway for energy savings and better quality (2022 vs 2009 tech).

Sheldon would be using the auto like UKposts extension which is one of his social inadequacies, hopefully you are not ....

Those are OLD at this point. If you still are using Firewire, I would move on. Apple's last Firewire Mac was 2012.

@@macmost That wont solve my problem. Can I adapter my way from a firewire 400 peripherals to thunderbolt? I am helping a senior citizen friend make the transition to a new Macbook Pro he is about to buy. Just a few years ago, I thought I saw a FW800 to thunderbolt adapter. But what he wants - and this may not be possible - what he WANTS is to be able to continue to use an old FW400 camcorder as a zoom camera. This work just fine on his 2009 macbook pro, but that has actual firewire ports. Have you heard of anyone continuing to use FW peripherals with a FW to thunderbolt adapter?

Unless the adapter is something strange it shouldn't make a difference.

I mean in the MBP 2015

Yes, as long as you are connecting the right device to it, like Apple EarPods. You can't just connect a standard mic to it as that doesn't work in the same way.

I'd look for another Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter. Maybe Apple's official one? See if that will work. Maybe get a MiniDV player or camera that supports HDMI out and then go HDMI to a capture device (like the Cam Link). Doing 350 is going to be painful no matter how you do it. Even if they are only 30 minutes each, that's 175 hours. Ouch.

I don't know as I don't have that combination of devices. Did you try it?

@@macmost Not yet, but theres some info that it is possible, i might have to try it

Either will work.

Just get the right cable for what you want. If you need USB 3.2, get that. If you need Thunderbolt 3, get that.

No idea. You'd need to ask the company that makes it.

It shouldn't affect speed at all. If you have USB-only ports on your Mac and also Thunderbolt ports, but the drive is USB then either will do. If the drive is Thunderbolt (probably not) then connect to Thunderbolt.

I think you have Thunderbolt 2, correct? There used to be Thunderbolt 2 to ethernet adapters. If you can find one, that would do it for you.

@@macmost I think I have Thunderbolt 2. Going by the description in your video, I'd call it "Thunderbolt 1/2." I'll get one of those adapters and give it a try. Thank you!

That's a broad subject. Do you have a specific question I could answer?

@@macmost didn’t mean to make it a large topic. Since there was a change of port structure on MacBook pro 16” - i.e. brought back HDMI and I think Three thunderbolt 4.0 ports - or are they all 4.0 ports. I ideas on efficiently using these ports. One other thing I want to better understand how far away from my MacBook location can I use a hub and avoid impacting equipment I’m trying to plug in and use. If you could point me to a few videos that could be helpful.

@@RobSandstromDesigns A built-in HDMI port is generally useful for when you need to present at a meeting and HDMI is needed. For an actual external display use one of the Thunderbolt ports to go to DisplayPort on the screen. Thunderbolt 4 is basically a speed increase over 3. Generally anything you connect to your Mac would be right there, not in another room or anything like that so I'm not sure what you mean by "far away."

@@macmost thank you for your rapid replies. With the amount of comments and your audience you have to be one busy person and your responses have been terrific. I'll have to check out your Patreon page. I wouldn't have focused on slower speed of HNDMI because that is all I have ever known. So thank you. I have a wrap around desk/work station. All of my peripherals that I will plug into the computer is along a sidewall. As such I would need to run a cable about 6 to 8 foot long from MacBook to the Hub or from each peripheral to the hub. If I put the hub at my MacBook cable management is a bit more complex. Was curious how this kind of cable length may impact my performance of the peripherals including monitors and is it best to locate the hub a distance or keep hub close and run peripheral cables. What should I think about with the cable. Looking for information on this topic.

@@RobSandstromDesigns It isn't that HDMI is slower, but you usually get more options with DisplayPort. It depends on the screen. DisplayPort is usually the best option and sometimes HDMI is just as good, and sometimes it is lacking. That's going to be a challenge to have those peripherals so far away. If any are true Thunderbolt 3/4 (as opposed to USB or DisplayPort) it will cause problems. I think the longest Thunderbolt 4 cable on the market right now is the $159 3-meter one from Apple. But if it is simply a USB connection or DisplayPort for a screen (or HDMI) you can get long ones pretty cheap. It really depends on the exact peripheral and what it is using. I've never done a setup like yours, so I don't know if a long expensive Thunderbolt cable to the hub is the right way to go, or just a lot of long USB/DisplayPort cables instead.

I talk about speeds in the video. I haven't seen many people try to daisy-chain USB, just get a big hub if you really have that many devices you need connected at once. There are many thunderbolt hubs that do different things.

Probably. Or, find an old Mac you can borrow that has Firewire.

You could get a Thunderbolt 2 drive, but that's not a good solution. Years ago I used a "Kanex Thunderbolt to eSATA plus USB 3.0 Adapter" to do it. Doesn't seem to be easy to find now. Probably better to just use the USB ports. Why not?

Probably. I don't have that model or anything close to that old. But you should be able to boot with an external drive. However, I don't think you'll find many Thunderbolt 1 drives available today. They were hard to find back then even.

I wouldn't use any of them to charge devices, either your iPad or iPhone. Why not just charge directly from AC power instead of through your iMac? Leave those USB ports for things that you need to connect to your iMac. Also, I would not connect your second screen via USB. Does the screen has a DisplayPort input? It should. Get a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to DisplayPort cable and use that. This will give you a better connection rather than converting to HDMI.

No, because those aren't USB-C. They are Thunderbolt 2 which matches Mini DisplayPort. So Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort is all you need.

@@macmost So those ports can only be used for display port connections and not more external USB 3.x device connections?

@@myusrn If you have Thunderbolt 1/2 ports, they can be used for Mini DisplayPort connections and also Thunderbolt 1/2 connections. There are some Thunderbolt 1/2 drives out there and also some adapters that will let you attach a USB 2 drive through them (they create their own USB bus). Of course Thunderbolt 2 is pretty old at this point so you'd be finding old hardware to do this, nothing current.

@@macmost Sounds like in current times those two imac 27" late 2012 thunderbolt 2 ports are only useful if you want to setup extended display connections using display port protocol and a mini display port to a mini or standard display port cable connection.