I want to buy a Mac Air 13in. What cables do I need to download files from my iMac 2015 to the new MacAir? What is included in the box? Also will my Canon Pixma printer still work with the new Mac Air?
iPhone XR, iOS 18
You can transfer your files from your 2015 iMac to the new 13-inch MacBook Air using Apple’s Migration Assistant, and you may not need to connect the two Macs directly.
Apple supports transferring your documents, applications, user account and settings from a Time Machine backup as well as directly from the old Mac. (Apple Support)
If you already have a current Time Machine backup of the 2015 iMac on an external drive,
I would generally recommend using that backup with Migration Assistant.
A direct connection to the backup drive avoids relying on a Wi-Fi transfer and can be faster and more dependable, depending on the drive and connection.
Apple provides instructions here: Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant
If you do not have a Time Machine backup, you can transfer directly from the old iMac, including wirelessly. I would wait before buying a cable because the correct cable or adapter depends on the exact ports on your 2015 iMac.
For the MacBook Air, the exact box contents depend on the model and configuration you purchase.
Apple provides the specifications for each model here: MacBook Air specifications
For your Canon PIXMA printer, I would need the exact model number to confirm compatibility with the macOS version on the new MacBook Air.
You can transfer your files from your 2015 iMac to the new 13-inch MacBook Air using Apple’s Migration Assistant, and you may not need to connect the two Macs directly.
Apple supports transferring your documents, applications, user account and settings from a Time Machine backup as well as directly from the old Mac. (Apple Support)
If you already have a current Time Machine backup of the 2015 iMac on an external drive,
I would generally recommend using that backup with Migration Assistant.
A direct connection to the backup drive avoids relying on a Wi-Fi transfer and can be faster and more dependable, depending on the drive and connection.
Apple provides instructions here: Transfer to a new Mac with Migration Assistant
If you do not have a Time Machine backup, you can transfer directly from the old iMac, including wirelessly. I would wait before buying a cable because the correct cable or adapter depends on the exact ports on your 2015 iMac.
For the MacBook Air, the exact box contents depend on the model and configuration you purchase.
Apple provides the specifications for each model here: MacBook Air specifications
For your Canon PIXMA printer, I would need the exact model number to confirm compatibility with the macOS version on the new MacBook Air.
I always recommend using the TimeMachine backup you’ve been making on an external drive along with Migration Assistant to transfer data to a new computer. Given the age of your old computer I recommend that you select just the data folder to transfer and not your applications. Also I do not recommend trying to use WiFi with Migration Assistant - wireless speeds just arent’ fast enough and WiFi isn’t reliable enough.
Without knowing the model number of the printer we can’t say whether the printer will be compatible. Canon has been pretty good about maintaining compatibility as Apple upgrades its OS every year but eventually old printers do lose support. You can always go to Canon’s site to find out - that’s what we’d wind up doing.
MacBook Air setup: File transfer, box contents, and printer compatibility
