Following the news that Apple in the US is discounting the plethora of USB-C adaptors it offers, the Core Group has told Stuff it’ll be doing likewise. Apple’s move is largely a response to the opprobrium directed at it by consumers following the announcement of the three new MacBook Pros, all of which eschew traditional ports like USB, HDMI and an SD card slot for Thunderbolt 3 ports exclusively.
Most notable is the discount on the Thunderbolt 3 to USB adaptor, which drops from R359 to R159. Why most notable, because that makes it the cheapest adaptor on the list. The most useful, meanwhile, is probably the USB digital AV multi-port adaptor, which will now cost you R899 instead of R1,499. That’s right, R1,500 for an adaptor. Yes Windows fans, we know, we know. Apple’s walled garden can be a strange and bum-clenchingly expensive place sometimes. But Airdrop pretty much works now thanks to iOS 10 and Mac OS Sierra, so yeah, there’s that.
Strangest of all, of course, is the fact that if you have an iPhone 7 and buy one of the new MacBook Pros you won’t be able to plug your new Lightning EarPods you got with your phone into it. But that doesn’t matter, because you won’t be able to plug your phone’s supplied USB charging cable into said MacTop either. To keep your iPhone juiced up you’re going to need a Lightning to USB-C cable. The 1m version will now set you back R399 (instead of R529), while the 2m version gets a price cut from R769 to R599.
Our absolute favourite item on the discount list is the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adaptor. Which is ultimately an adaptor designed to let you use your old adaptors. How much? R599 (down from R1,019). The only thing missing from the list? A USB-C to MagSafe 2 adaptor — not only so we can use our existing MacBook Pro power plug, but so we get the cable-disconnects-when-tripped-over perks that we’re sorely going to miss with the new Pro range.
Of course, these are the recommended prices set by Core, third-parties and other resellers can markup at will. So, if your local retailer is charging more, best you find an iStore or shop for your adaptors online (though Core hasn’t updated its online pricing at time of writing).