Macintosh

Ports

ADB Port

Printer + Modem Ports







The ADB port connects devices such as keyboards, mice and other input devices to the Macintosh. Apple stopped shipping computers with ADB ports in 1999 and replaced them with USB ports. Devices plugged in to the ADB port should NOT be plugged in or unplugged while the computer is on.

Older Macs (made before 1999) have printer and modem ports. These ports are also known as serial ports. The printer port is also known as a Localtalk port, because it can serve as a localtalk network connection. Some printers require this kind of port to function. Other than that, the two ports are identical. You can use a modem in the printer port and vice versa as long a they are set correctly in the Chooser.

SCSI Port
Sound Out Port
Sound In / Mic Port




All Macs made before iMacs have a built in SCSI port. This enables connection of any SCSI devices such as CD-ROMs, Hard Drives and Scanners. Up to seven SCSI devices can be attached to the SCSI port on a Mac, provided they are all set to a unique SCSI ID and are properly terminated.

All Macs have a 1/8" stereo sound output jack, which can be used for headphones, speakers, or a line-level output.

All Macs except iBooks and the new 2001 Macs and Powerbooks have 1/8" stereo audio inputs in addition to the outputs. These plugs can accept a line-level signal or an amplified plaintalk microphone, usually supplied with the computer.

USB Port
Ethernet Port
FireWire Port







Beginning with the iMac, all Macs now include USB ports. These are meant as a replacement for both ADB and serial ports. They are rated at a speed of 12Mbps, which is much faster than the older serial ports could transfer data. There are two USB ports on most Macs produced today, as well as a built-in hub in the keyboard. Up to 127 USB devices can be connected to the computer at a time. USB devices are "hot swappable", which means they can be connected and disconnected at any time without damaging the computer.

The new Macs are shipped with a USB keyboard and Mouse.

This is your ethernet port. All Macs shipped since 1998 have ethernet built-in. All models that ship now have 10/100 or 10/100/1000Base-T.

Almost all new Macs ship with FireWire (the exception is the low-end iMac). There are usually two ports, each rated at a speed of 400Mbps. The most common application is for digital video transfer to and from other IEEE 1394-compatible devices. Other Firewire devices include hard drives, CD-Rs, hubs and scanners. Up to 63 Firewire devices can be attached to the Mac at one time.