I visited an Apple Store recently to get a Thunderbolt cable, but they didn't have it in stock. The staff mentioned that they could transfer my data between my devices if I left them there for 24-40 hours. I'm curious about how they manage to transfer data between my MacBook Pro and MacBook Air without selling the necessary cables. Is this process called data migration? Also, are there different types of data transfers?
7 Answers
The process is generally referred to as data migration. It's possible they ran out of stock on the cables but can still perform the transfer in-store using their own cables. Sometimes, they have backup cables for situations just like this!
You could totally do the transfer yourself if you had the right high-speed USB cable! I learned that the hard way when I wasted time with a basic cable; it just wouldn't work for my transfers. A good quality cable makes such a difference!
If your MacBook Pro is from 2015 or older, you would need a Thunderbolt 2 cable and possibly an adapter since Apple doesn't sell those anymore. However, you can perform the transfer over WiFi if you're able to use Migration Assistant from your MacBook Air.
Does Apple still sell those Thunderbolt adapters?
Data migration can definitely be done over WiFi, which makes life easier if you don’t have the right cables on hand.
I transferred data myself at an Apple Store. I asked to borrow a Thunderbolt cable instead of buying one. It took just under 20 minutes for over 100 GB of data! Super convenient!
Did you do the transfer in-store?
The Apple Store usually keeps some old cables for these situations, even if they don’t sell them anymore. They might only pull them out during transfers or troubleshooting for older devices, just like some still need the 30-pin chargers for older models.
It might not be just a quick 10-minute appointment, so they may ask you to book multiple Genius Bar slots if they are busy. This way, they can accommodate your data transfer request.
Why would I need multiple appointments? They said it would take a whole day to process!
How are they able to do it in the store?