I have a new apple laptop which I was planning on taking on my trip to Europe next month. Can anyone tell me if a plug adapter is adequate to protect the computer or do you need one of those bigger transformers. Forgive me if I get the terms wrong. I have always just used the cheap adapters for my iPhone and iPad. Thanks.
Charlie
You'll need a plug adapter to fit the outlets where you're going (also, the UK and Ireland use a different one from mainland Europe), but that should be all. Apple laptops are designed for 100 to 240 voltage, so no converter is necessary. If you want to double-check, look at the tech specs page for your model on Apple's website. This is the one for my macbook pro, http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/ If you scroll down a bit, you'll get to "Electrical and operating requirements."
Caroline
if you stay at the flat mentioned by Laurel in your other question, they even have 110v plugs, even though you have still have a europlug adapter.
A plug adapter should be all you need. I put the plug adapter on the end of a 6 foot extension cord and then i have three outlets for equipment that can work with 220. Frequently the plugs are in difficult places and I need to charge multiple devices.
Charlie,
All Apple chargers in recent years are designed for multi-voltage operation from 100-240 VAC, so all you'll need is Plug Adaptors specific to the areas you'll be travelling. All of my Apple products use two-pin plugs so a non-grounding Plug Adaptor will be fine. As someone else mentioned, if you'll be travelling in the U.K. as well as the continent, you'll need two different models of Plug Adaptors.
I'm not sure what you mean by "protect the computer"? You won't need a Voltage Converter as the Apple chargers are designed to provide the proper voltage to the computer / phone / iPad. The function of the Plug Adaptor is to allow the North American style plugs to be connected to European outlets, which have a different pin configuration.
Be careful with transformers. Some may be robots in disguise.
