The Ports on Your 17-Inch Pro – What They Are and What They Do

If, by any chance, you don't know what the Mini DisplayPort on your MacBook Pro is good for, or how to use FireWire 800 to your advantage, perhaps you should scroll through this piece and see what every connector on your Early-2009 unibody notebook does and how you should use it.

As if you could miss them, Apple says “You can find the external ports and connectors of a MacBook Pro (17 inch, Early 2009) on the left side of the computer.” Then again, if you don't know what the USB ports are good for, maybe it's a good thing Apple has outlined that aspect too.

While most users know that flash drives, printers, mice and other devices are connected via USB, while the headphones go in the headphone port, not everyone is aware of what the ExpressCard/34 slot does, for example. This is why Apple has decided to post a new knowledge base article detailing these facts.

So, here are the ports on your 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro and what they do.

MagSafe power port - Plug in the included 85W MagSafe Power Adapter to recharge the MacBook Pro battery.

Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000Base-T) - Connect to a high-speed Ethernet network, a DSL or cable modem, or another computer. The Ethernet port automatically detects Ethernet devices and doesn’t require an Ethernet crossover cable.

One FireWire 800 port - Connect high-speed external devices, such as digital video cameras and storage devices.

Three high-speed USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 ports - Connect an iPod, iPhone, mouse, keyboard, printer, disk drive, digital camera, joystick, modem, and more to your MacBook Pro.

Mini DisplayPort (video out) - Connect to an external display or projection system that uses a DVI or VGA connector. You can purchase adapters for supported video formats.

Audio in/optical digital audio in port - Connect your MacBook Pro to a line-level microphone or digital audio equipment.

Headphone out/optical digital audio out port - Connect external speakers, headphones (including iPhone), or digital audio equipment.

ExpressCard/34 slot - Expand the capabilities of your MacBook Pro with standard 34mm ExpressCards. To eject an ExpressCard, push gently on it to activate the spring, and then remove it from the slot.

Upon introducing the new 17-inch notebook, Apple has released a making-of video with an emphasis on the system's battery. In the video, Bob Mansfield, SVP of Mac hardware, explains that the 17-inch Pro features a revolutionary, new, built-in battery that delivers up to eight hours of use, and up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries.

Apple was supposed to introduce the latest member of the unibody family even earlier than Macworld 2009. It was speculated back then that the company was having trouble with some of the notebook's components, or that they weren't arriving on time. The notebook was eventually delayed again, arriving only in February at the doors of those who ordered them. The 17-inch Pro, advertised by Apple as being able to deliver up to eight hours of battery life, houses a few very different components compared to the ones found in its unibody siblings.

Apple also has a Support piece detailing the use of external ports and connectors on the Mac mini Early 2006 and Mid 2007 models. Owners of either computer model should visit this page, in order to learn where to find and how to use the ports on their mini. Apple has also recently introduced an updated version of the Mac mini. The compact desktop system is now equipped with NVIDIA graphics and twice the RAM and storage for the same ($599) entry price.