Posts by hasthisusernamegonetoo 2 publicly visible posts • joined 17 Jul 2013
802.11ac isn't an option here. The wireless spectrum is alarmingly congested meaning that we never see the speeds advertised on the box. Gigabit Ethernet is the only viable option.
The reviews of the USB3 Gigabit adapter mentioned elsewhere indicate a throughout of 110MBit/s and massive problems with getting the Mac to reliably reconnect to it if disconnected. Not a solution either.
The biggest problem with these machines is the lack of connectivity. We've been buying a few for the office as they're an attractive alternative to the full MacBook Pro for those who don't want the weight, but the connectivity is abysmal. You need a second display as the screen is too small and too low-res to work from for the entire day, but you can't have that plugged in at the same time as a Gigabit Ethernet link as they both need the Thunderbolt port.
The only alternatives are keeping them on 100MBit (too slow for our needs), a £300+ third-party dock (with all the attendant compatibility concerns that brings), or Apple's own Thunderbolt Display which has a network port on the back.
I had a stand-up argument in the Apple store when I was told that third option was my only option as to have to spend another £900 to make an already very expensive laptop usable is unforgivable.
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