USB SuperDrive (2014)

According to Apple, “The Apple USB SuperDrive is compatible with Mac models from 2008 and later that don’t have a built-in optical drive.” This includes MacBook, MacBook Air with Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, MacBook Air, iMac (late 2012) and later, Mac mini (late 2009) and later, and Mac Pro (late 2013). 

The drive is compact at 0.67 inches by 5.47 inches by 5.47 inches, and weighs 0.74 pounds. The drive includes a USB-A port, making an adapter necessary to use it with newer Macs that only include USB-C ports; however, no separate power adapter is required.

Apple proclaims that this drive is “Everything you need in an optical drive. Whether you’re at the office or on the road, you can play and burn both CDs and DVDs with the Apple USB SuperDrive. It’s perfect when you want to watch a DVD movie, install software, create backup discs, and more.”

Sources: Apple (Store, Support)

MacBook Air 11-inch (2014)

This MacBook Air 11-inch featured a 22-nm Haswell 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor. It included 4 GB or 8 GB of memory and 128 GB or 256 GB of flash storage. This was the smallest of Apple’s MacBook Air line of laptops measuring 0.11 to 0.68 inches and weighed 2.3 pounds. It included a 720p FaceTime HD webcam, a backlit full-size keyboard, and an 11.6-inch widescreen TFT LED backlit active-matrix glossy display (1366×768).

Wireless connectivity included 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, while ports included analog audio out, one Thunderbolt port, and two USB 3.0 ports.

A previous version of the MacBook Air 11-inch nearly identical except for a slower processor and less available RAM and flash storage.

In my role as Assistant Superintendent for Technology & Innovation, I led the teams that managed nearly 4,500 of these laptops over a five-year period (2014–19). At the time, all high school students in the school district were issued a MacBook Air 11-inch and students used the same model for their 4-year high school career. Apple stopped manufacturing this laptop in 2018 and the high school switched to the iPad Generation 6.

Source: EveryMac.com

MacBook (white, 2009)

Apple originally released the MacBook in 2006 as a followup to the iBook line of laptops. The MacBook was the first laptop to use the MagSafe connector, a power connector that attached to the laptop with a magnet that easily broke free to prevent the power cord from pulling the laptop off a table or a lap.

I own both a black and white version of the first-generation MacBook. White MacBook laptops have two finishes: the outer case is glossy and prone to light scratches; the inside is a flatter and has a less reflective white finish.

Source: EveryMac.

MacBook (black, 2008)

Apple originally released the MacBook in 2006 as a follow-up to various iBook laptop iterations. The MacBook was the first laptop to use the MagSafe connector, a power connector that attached to the laptop with a magnet that easily broke free to prevent the power cord from pulling the laptop off a table or a lap.

The first-generation MacBook was made of polycarbonate and was available in glossy white or matte black.

I own both a black and white version of the first-generation MacBook. To purchase it new, the black model was just over $100 more than the white version for no other reason than it came in black. At the time, all other Mac models were white or silver.

Source: EveryMac