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Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Wow, I love it!

Written by WW from Glen Burnie

28-Dec-2006

I recently converted to the iMac (6-10 months ago) and had the iMac and PC next to each other. I no longer use the PC but had a very nice 19 inch VGA LCD display. I figured I may be able to use it as a 2nd display on the iMac and ditch the PC all together. Bought the mini DVI adapter, plugged it in, plugged the monitor into the adapter, and it JUST WORKED! No drivers, no reboots! I then simply chose the display size I wanted for the 2nd monitor, but both the iMac display and 2nd LCD are in high res and working flawless! Fantastic freedom and option on the iMac, thanks Apple! I have to encourage all who want a 2nd monitor to try this out! Works on the new Intel iMacs.

1243 of 1891 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Video Adapters should last longer than 4 months

Written by RS from Ann Arbor

20-Sep-2005

If you order one of these treat it very gently, be careful how you pack it when traveling, etc. My first one broke in 4 months (the wires internal to the rubber cable enclosure shorted - so the screen would drop out certain colors). And then, when I ordered and paid for a replacement, the wrong adapter was shipped to me. The sales web page does not bother to mention that there are different versions of the PowerBook G4, which use different types of video ports (mini-DVI and mini-VGA). Make sure you know which one you need before ordering. An improved sales web page would at least show all the VGA adapters in one place, so one could see all the choices.

1402 of 2213 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Great Product!

Written by AU from Richardson

3-Jul-2008

I was just looking over the reviews, and I've seen a lot of people complaining that the cable is not long enough, the VGA side is female, etc. Well, THIS PRODUCT IS AN ADAPTER, NOT A CABLE. The reason why the VGA side is female is because it is supposed to connect to a male-to-male VGA cable (typically a blue cable received with any purchase of an external monitor). So, you plug this cable into your apple computer or laptop, and the male-to-male VGA cable connects to the monitor on one side, and the mini DVI to VGA adapter on the other side. That's what this product is made for.
Other than that, I have been using my adapter for about 5 months, and it has worked excellently. As any computer accessory, it has to be taken good care of and not thrown around. Thanks Apple!

166 of 176 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Works just fine.

Written by MS from Ferguson

31-Mar-2009

The adapter works fine, but you have to be aware of which adapter you need for your computer. It's extremely frustrating that the adapters keep changing with the new models. It would be helpful if apple included the correct adapter with the computer, especially with the laptop models. It seems to me they used to do that.

109 of 115 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Apple have got a little flaky these days...

Written by WE from Knoxville

14-Jan-2008

I got this adapter shortly after my MacBook, so that I could do presentations and other such things, as well as using the same external monitor I used with my old laptop, and at first I was a little depressed, because the adapter cost $20, half the price of the cable from my monitor to the computer. It worked well enough, however, so I was happy, at least until I had the product for a few months, and the quality of the picture started deteriorating unless the adapter was placed just so.

My advice to likely purchasers is to treat this adapter better than you'd treat the laptop it's hooked up to -- it works, so long as you don't let it get too poorly handled. Quite frankly, this is not what I expected from a company that has made much of its fortunes from the educational sector, where computers and their peripherals take a lot more abuse than I can dish out.

180 of 271 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Works on 13" Macbook but...

Written by RR

12-Sep-2007

I plugged the mini-dvi to vga adapter into my 13" Macbook and 22" vga monitor and...nothing. I called Applecare and they didn't have a clue. Display settings did nothing. The secret: If you choose "put display on the menu bar" and then click on the icon, you get the option of "mirror." "Mirror," as an option, does not appear on the display settings in System Preferences. Bizarre. There seem to be infinite models of Macbooks and iBooks out there and different models work/respond differently to the adapter. And Applecare seems unaware of this. And given what others say, I'll wrap mine in duct tape. It works just fine now.

121 of 161 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Shoddy quality for such an expensive cable

Written by BD from Portland

24-Feb-2008

My mini-DVI to VGA adapter is terrible. It worked fine for a few months, but then started having problems. The color channels don't all stay connected.. sometimes the screen turns green or magenta or blue. It's truly a poor piece of equipment. I haven't even moved it from its original location.. it stays connected to my laptop 99% of the time. And, of course, since this is apparently a proprietary specification (mini-DVI), I'm forced to buy another one of these terrible cables. Thanks Apple for pulling a Microsoft on us!

145 of 226 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

works for Powerbook G4 and MacBook?

Written by DR

29-Dec-2008

My old computer is a PowerBook G4 12" and my new one is a MacBook with Intel Core 2 Duo. The overview for this adapter says it's compatible with both. However, both of these have very different mini DVI ports. I have an adapter that was bought a long time ago that fits the PowerBook G4 DVI port but does not fit the MacBook port. So, the overview is clearly misleading and somebody's still bound to be screwed over. Despite the review about different PowerBooks having different DVI ports, they still haven't thoroughly clarified the issue.

I suggest that no one buy this product and keep leaving one-star reviews until they fix this and put up some more pictures of the DV-side of the adapter so you can at see for yourself if it looks compatible with your port.

76 of 89 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

. . .

Written by TM from Lakewood

4-Dec-2006

The Adapter works, but we knew that.

This came with the ibook but now costs $19. This is not an accessory, it is a necessity. All other laptops can be plugged into an external monitor without having to pay $19 for an adapter. Pretty upsetting, Apple's been getting on my nerves with charging extra for something that should come with the laptop or ipod. Examples: Ipod originally came with a firewire cable, usb cable, and a/c adapter. Now comes with USB cable and costs $30 for the a/c adapter!

115 of 169 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Excellent - but be good at taking care of it, it can damage easily

Written by GD from Cincinnati

18-Aug-2008

I originally paid $30 for this, but it appears to be $20 now. If the cable is bent, it may start to work unreliably. When my cable is bent a certain way, the screen turns a blue tint even though you can still read everything. Then I move the cord slightly and it fixes itself. So be very careful when transporting this cable so that you do not damage it.

53 of 56 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Bridging two standards

Written by PB from Oakland

18-Jul-2006

We use these a lot with our 12" powerbooks, they haven't had any problems at all. However, a warning to those using DVI-based projectors - make *sure* to use a mini-DVI to DVI instead of DVI to VGA to the projector's DVI to VGA cable. This adapter cannot make heads or tails of a converted projector signal, only the original signal.

79 of 109 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

works pretty well

Written by JL from Conestoga

26-Sep-2009

For the most part it is pretty useful for connecting your macbook to your hdtv. But I wish the one end of the cable fit a little more securely in my computer.

49 of 53 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Works perfectly connecting 2009 Mini to Sony Bravia

Written by JB from Calgary

24-Mar-2009

I bought a 40" 1080p Sony Bravia television in anticipation of the Mac Mini refresh. Due to the delays I hooked up my G5 tower to be our media center in the meantime. It worked pretty well but the new setup is far better - the Sony Bravia works perfectly as a monitor for the new Mini via this connector. It's seamless.

48 of 52 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Great product, but not built to last

Written by SS from Denville

19-Jul-2007

Bought this adapter with my Macbook when the Macbook was released last year. It has worked great until now, when the monitor starts to fade/flicker and I have to bend the little cable until it stabilizes. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find anyone else who makes these adapters, so I'll have to continue paying $19 every time my adapter goes bad.

82 of 120 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Lasted over two years

Written by CM from Missoula

21-Feb-2006

I assume this is the one I have because it says 12 inch PB G4 in the description. Mine just recently, after more than two years, began to loose its connection. It has been indispensable to me for teaching and I am ordering a new one right now.

102 of 161 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Good Luck Getting the One You Need

Written by DM from Guaynabo

5-Dec-2008

As someone baptized in Mac Religion and having set up my new company only with Mac equipment it is SOOOOOOOOO frustrating to find that every time a new version of a MacBook comes out they change the mini-DVI output configuration.

One of my various Macs is a black core-duo MacBook fromk about 2 years ago. I went and bought the mini-DVI to VGA adapter and find that IT DOES NOT FIT MY MAC BOOK. NO WHERE on the packaging does it say that the mini-DVI end fits only certian versions of Mac Book. And I cannot find where I can find which one to buy (or even if back issue ones are for sale).

I have to use this computer as my back up for projecting presentations but I can't without the adapter. What do I have to do - buy a brand new Mac Book and get the adapter the same day????????????????

63 of 84 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

not full resolution

Written by MN from Edmonton

13-Feb-2008

Beware if you're hooking up to a large monitor. According to the tech specs, the Macbook supports up to 1920x1200 on an external display. But buried in the manual it says this connector will only provide 1600x1200. Fortunately my monitor has inputs for both VGA and DVI, or I'd be angry!

87 of 133 people found this useful

Apple Mini DVI to VGA Adapter

Works but not durable

Written by RG from Martinez

30-Sep-2007

Mine worked fine but began having problems within 6 months of purchase. The cable has poor connections; you get just certain colors unless you fiddle with it and get it into just the right position Poor quality; not very reliable.

141 of 242 people found this useful