Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple’s 2015 Retina MacBooks see their first compatibility update for Multiport Adapters

By Gabe Carey Published April 12, 2016

firmware update for apple multiport adaptor macbook gold 2015 hero — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you were among those who bought a 2015 12-inch MacBook this past year, you probably had to buy an expensive accessory just to utilize a handful of ports that typically come standard with most laptops. For HDMI output and USB 3.0 input, you could have spent less than $45 on a third-party adapter from Amazon or upward of $75 on a similar product from Apple.

If you opted for the latter, the good news is that your USB-C Digital AV or VGA multiport adapter just received its first firmware update from Apple on Friday, promising to enhance the “compatibility and reliability” of accessories.

Related: See the latest devices from Apple here

Recommended Videos

While your hard drive will only take a 205KB hit, there is a short list of steps you’ll need to take to prepare your Mac for the update, according to Apple:

This update requires OS X El Capitan v10.11.4. Use the Mac App Store or Software Update to get the most recent version of OS X.
Plug your USB-C Multiport Adapter into the USB-C port on your Mac. Make sure that your USB-C Charge Cable is connected to your adapter and plugged into a power source using your USB-C Power Adapter.
Disconnect all external devices (such as displays, thumb drives, and hard drives) and hard-wired network connections from your USB-C Multiport Adapter.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

With the adapter plugged in, a small updater notification in the upper right-hand corner of the display will appear, asking whether you want to install now or later. If you choose “Install,” you’ll have to endure a short updater process as shown in the image below, followed by a system restart, which prompts the actual update.

Screen Shot 2016-04-09 at 3.55.44 PM — Gabe Carey / Digital Trends

Gabe Carey / Digital Trends

While it’s not clear specifically what this update was designed for aside from what was indicated, it could be another indicator that a second 12-inch Retina MacBook is on the way.

Last month, Apple’s System Image Utility and OS X Server applications revealed that a 2016 update to the lightweight notebooks could arrive by the end of April. By all accounts, this compatibility update to a MacBook-specific accessory could be a means of getting ready for that.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A freelancer for Digital Trends, Gabe Carey has been covering the intersection of video games and technology since he was 16…

Computing

The M5 MacBook Pro may be another boring update

MacBook Pro with M4

The recently announced 2024 MacBook Pro lineup is not even on the market yet, but there is already buzz about the next two generations of the laptop series. Speculation suggests that there likely won’t be any exciting features on the Apple device until 2026.

There have already been rumors circulating, which indicate the MacBook Pro may upgrade from a mini-LED display to an OLED display in 2026, has been speculated for many months. Industry analysts, including Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young, have stated that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are set to remain as mini-LED displays in 2025.

Computing

The MacBook Air just got a surprise upgrade that everyone will love

The MacBook Air on a white table.

Apple announced an unexpected change to the current M2 and M3 MacBook Air today: more memory. Alongside the overarching bump to RAM in base configurations of the M4 iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro, Apple also announced that the 8GB versions of the M2 and M3 MacBook Air have also been removed from the lineup.

Starting today, the M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Air will both have 16GB as the starting configuration. But here's the kicker: Apple isn't raising prices. That means if you'd spent $1,199 on an M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM yesterday, you'd be getting it today for just $999. As much as that'll sting for recent buyers, it's great news for people buying MacBook Airs this holiday season.

Computing

Is Apple’s upcoming M4 Mac event still happening? I’m skeptical

Russian YouTuber Romancev768 with what is claimed to be a real M4 MacBook Pro unit.

Over the last few weeks, the endless stream of M4 MacBook Pro leaks has been almost inescapable. We’ve seen photos, unboxing videos, even M4 laptops reportedly going up for sale way ahead of time. Ye.t despite all that, there’s been one thing that has stopped me from fully believing that these leaks are legitimate -- despite a well-known reporter claiming that they’re authentic.

That’s because in all the leaks we’ve seen, the box of the M4 MacBook Pro has come with the same black-and-gray wallpaper that Apple used for its M3 line of MacBook Pros. It’s something that has bugged me ever since I first noticed it. But what if the use of an old wallpaper isn't proof that these leaks are fakes, but is actually a clue about what Apple is about to do next?
The wallpaper of it all