We've all had students come in and ask for "Mac Adapters." Probably around ten times per shift! And we all know they are referring to the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapters for laptop connection to classroom projections (most of the time at least; there are those few who need the Mini DVI to VGA adapter). While yes, this is predominately for Macbooks, Microsoft actually has a product that is compatible for Mini DisplayPort to VGA. This is the Windows 8 Surface Pro. Relatively new, we probably aren't going to see the same amount of students with Surface Pros as we do with Macbooks. However, if we do, we can now offer these adapters to them if they need one.
What does this mean for the future of Windows 8 products? Will all the new Windows laptops offer a Mini DisplayPort? The answer for some of them is yes, as Dell and Lenovo have announced laptops with Mini DisplayPort capability.
Another consideration is the price. The price for an Apple adapter is $29.00 and the Microsoft one is $39.00. Why? I'm not quite sure. At first I thought they were not interchangeably used--can a Mac take a Microsoft adapter and vice versa? After looking through online forums, it seems most people are not having trouble with doing so. Does anyone know a reason why they wouldn't be interchangeable? If not, the next time someone comes to the desk with a Surface Pro, remember they have the Mini DisplayPort that we usually associate with Apple users!
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