Macbook 12" and Thunderbolt

Thank you very much - a definitive answer, and one that matches the conclusions I have been reaching,

i have to say that I think that was a particularly regrettable design decision by Apple, and one that reinforces the inadequacy of the “single universal port” concept of MacBook. Having been obliged to replace my old 11” MacBook Air after it lost an argument with a cup of tea, and having used the new MacBook for about 6 weeks now, i can honestly say that - the magnificent Retina display apart - there is absolutely nothing about the new MacBook that I prefer over the computer it replaced. I am extremely disappointed at how much less capable is the new machine than the old, yet how much greater the price.

This is a question about the ability (or otherwise) of the MacBook to drive Thunderbolt 1 or 2 devices. I only mentioned La Cie to show that the drive is well-known to work with Thunderbolt on other Macs, as they were once sold in Apple stores

Thank you. You mirror my own train of thought. However, there seems to considerable confusion caused by Thunderbolt 3 sharing the same physical connector as USB-C, and by Thunderbolt 1 and 2 sharing the same physical connector with Mini Display Port (MDP).

It is known that the USB-C ports on the MacBook Pro support Thunderbolt 3, whilst that on the 12” MacBook does not. It is also known that the USB-C port on the MacBook supports MDP Via a suitable adaptor What is not clear is whether or not that USB-C port supports Thunderbolt 2.

It appears that the Apple adaptor you describe does not work In my situation, so I conclude either that it is the wrong adaptor - does “Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)“ apply to the MacBook port (which is NOT Thunderbolt 3, only USB-C)? - or that the port itself does not support any version of Thunderbolt. If the latter then I must say that I would consider myself severely short-changed by the MacBook, which is the only realistic replacement now available for my much-loved but suddenly defunct 11” MacBook Air ...

Very many thanks for that link - highly informative! After all the searching I have done in the internet I am slightly surprised not to have found it myself, but as I hinted in the initial post, the signal to noise ratio on the web, especially on this subject, is remarkably low. In this case it seems the noise just drowned out the signal! It's the first time I've seen it explicitly stated anywhere on the internet, least of all on the Apple website, that the MacBook does not support Thunderbolt in any form, even though it does support MDP, and even though the MacBook Pro does support all versions of Thunderbolt. Apple truly does move in mysterious ways!

Anyway, thanks again - I can now move on! :-)

Yes, you highlight the apparent failure of Apple explicitly to to make clear it’s withdrawal of Thunderbolt support from MacBook. A punter looking for a new machine (and especially one making an emergency purchase to replace a computer that died 2 days before a lengthy trip abroad - I had no choice but to buy from a Heathrow departure lounge!) does not expect to have to trawl through the specs of multiple models in order to deduce that a staple interface of all Macs for several years past has been inexplicably withheld from just one model in the product range.

I very much appreciate - and have thanked you for - your initial definitive answer to my question, and your subsequent reinforcement of it. However, we now seem to have descended to the differences between “explicit” and “implicit” statements, which strikes me as unhelpful, boring for other readers, and outside the scope of this forum - so I hope it will not appear impolite of me to discontinue this conversation. My thanks again, and goodbye,

Colin