2021 MacBook Pro Rumored to Feature More Ports: Here's a Look at What Previous Models Offered

[panjandrum]

I sure hope most of these rumors are true, although just slightly too late for us as we were finally forced to purchase a number of more recent MacBook Airs and most recently M1 MacBook Airs for our school, which are tremendously fast but which still lack any normal ports or magsafe. A return to some semblance of real-world compatibility with even one dang normal USB port would be such great news. We put off new purchases as long as we possibly could, hoping to see a turn around in Apple's designs, but too many of our iPads aged-out of usability and we decided to put our $$$ into laptops instead of more iPads. If these rumors pan out I might try to talk management into allowing me to refurb every 'butterfly keyboard' and 'usb-c only' model we have and resell them, and then re-invest. It's really that big a PITA to us, as we can buy any number of USB adaptors and they always get quickly lost and staff and students are always scrambling to find them. We are also afraid to let any student use a USB-C charger since they don't unplug if a cord is tripped over, so I've redesigned our charging carts so the USB-C adaptors can't be removed (I'm handy like that, a man of many talents... In my own mind anyway 😂). That's something we never worried about with the MagSafe chargers and would let students take them to their work-areas if necessary. Apple equipment resale values are so good we could probably do that and only reduce our entire fleet by (relative) handful of units.

 

[irontiger82]

I only can assume maybe a SD card slot and extra USB C ports, and magsafe charging port.

 

[Brien]

6 USB-C and a CF Express Type A/SD combo reader would be killer.

Don’t really miss Magsafe TBH... maybe it’ll be wireless like the watch and phones.

 

[macduke]

I've been buying USB-C everything for the past few years and now they're going to add ports back in?

I'd be fine with five USB-C and SD card reader (UHS-III for future compatibility with faster cards). If they had to add some kind of an additional port, I think it should be HDMI 2.1 or better. There's something kinda nice about just being able to plug a laptop into about any TV or monitor, kinda like how some new PCs still have VGA for old projectors, lol, but not nearly so extreme. I was hoping newer TVs would start including USB-C for inputs but I haven't really seen that much outside of monitors. TVs are really what needs more ports. I need to buy an HDMI switch for my consoles.

Are they going to do MagSafe with USB-C by making the port just slightly bigger and use magnets to hold it in place? But then that would kinda limit things to a certain port. They could just build-in the breakaway functionality with their power cable. I've seen some options for accessories that do this on Amazon but there seems to maybe be some fire risk which makes it not worth it whatsoever.

 

[magicvash]

I doubt they'll go VGA but a full sized HDMI port would be fantastic for presentation reasons. At some point we'll all go back to work and stop using Zoom. Other than that, I'm not sure what more would be useful besides the SD card...maybe 6xTB/USB-C.

 

[MacBH928]

When its Air/entry model I can see how 1 port would work, but when its PRO it should have all the standard ports because its PRO! HDMI, USB-A, and Magsafe is still very much sought after.

I feel sorry for those who drank the kool-aid back in 2016 that Apple is going to push USB-C as the future standard. 4 years later USB-A still more ubiquitous, and they will put back the ports. Glad I was not one of them.

 

[Stephen.R]

it should have all the standard ports

I'll be eagerly awaiting the next MBP that has eSATA, Dual 10Gbit Ethernet, FibreChannel, ExpressCard, Quad Mini DisplayPort, CFExpress, um what else?

What? That's too much? It won't physically fit, nor are there enough PCIe lanes to support that many ports? Well ****. Those are all "standard" ports for professionals damnit. What should we do.

****. This is a real ****er of a problem. **** me, what are we going to do.

Oh. What's that. There's a standard connector that can be used, which will let us carry a 4 lanes of PCIe to an external device, so each use case can be supported? Well that sounds OK I guess, but what if I need two of those things? What? I can use multiple ports like that? And I can daisy chain seven devices on each? Halle-****ing-luja. What are we waiting for let's add this to all laptops!

What do you mean they did that four years ago, and all (some) people have done is whine and moan about losing less ports than a single $25 USB-C hub has combined?

 

[trims]

I've stuck with my old 13 inch 2015 MB Pro because I prefer the form factor, keyboard, MagSafe, and multiple I/O ports. Apple have ditched the 'butterfly' keyboard for the current MB Pro. It would be great if they could now reintroduce MagSafe and some more I/O options (we all have our preferences here). Perhaps shrink the touchpad a fraction? I don't have a Touchbar now and could certainly live without it (would save costs). An M1/2 processor and edge to edge 14 inch retina screen would top off the package. Bring it on!

 

[BradMacPro]

This has been solved. Plenty of Dell and other vendors laptops now use a slim port which opens up to accept the RJ45 connector when in use.

Reminds me of the original MacBook Air with the flip-down hatch for USB and headphones.

 

[BradMacPro]

Adding a higher power Magsafe type connector, which does not have to match the old style or the slimmer not so old MagSafe 2 connector, besides offering faster charging than USB-C with Power Delivery, if the rumors are to be believed, frees up a USB-C/Thunderbolt port for more useful things. The question has been, what constitutes a Pro laptop? What do pros need. Ethernet involves a plug leading to the wall, so it doesn't seem like a good old RJ-45 on the unit is needed that can't be served with an adapter/dongle. The same could be said for a HDMI connection, which is rather large as well. The SDXC card slot does make sense for the on-the-go camera buff. I rather like the old push button and laser drilled holes for the battery indication and the breathing light for the sleep indicator as well. A second pair of USB-C ports on the right still makes a lot of sense. Perhaps an optional secondary battery for the bottom, now that it's flat. Could stay put magnetically.

What actually makes a lot of sense is for Apple to have their own multi-port dock as opposed to uncertainty in the market for 3rd party units. It should have two DisplayPort connections for a pair of modern monitors. Pros tend to get upset that only one external monitor can be used with the existing M1 based machines and Apple has to fix the problem with Ultrawide monitors. A DisplayPort avoids the existing un-documented problem with DVI adapted older monitors lacking HDCP. It would be sweet if it offers four USB-C ports, as a single Thunderbolt connection offers the speed of four USB-C 10 Gb/sec ports. For the sake of convenience, a Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 port and a full size HDMI port for those that need it.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Those non-retina 15" Unibody MacBook Pros had the perfect amount of ports. If you wanna replace FireWire 800 and Thunderbolt 1/2 and put two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3/4 ports in their places, I'm cool with that. But that was perfect for a mobile machine supposed to be my desktop on the go.

 

[komban]

I can finally upgrade my macbook pro after 6 years now. I love the magsafe and cant count the number of times it saved my macbook from my little one.
I wish to get a magsafe, 2 or 3 USB C, 1 or 2 USB A, 1 HDMI, a card reader and a headphone jack. With the new flattened design I feel these old ports can do a come back without an issue.
I loved the touchbar on my friends macbook pro using photoshop but maybe wont miss it and lightroom is still not on it. I was more thinking the next move would be a touchbar with haptics. But anyhow feels soon it's time for an upgrade.

 

[Tech198]

Apple is forgiven here, but only because it's a"pro" model.
However how do we know Apple isn't testing the waters here either ? The ports could just go away again on future models if they were on this one.

Who really knows.. What if Apple came back after a year in 2022 or 23 and said "We decided to remove all ports again and replace wit USB-C" ?

We'd all be back complaining like we were when Apple removed them in the first place several years ago.

 

[Stephen.R]

We'd all be back complaining like we were when Apple removed them in the first place several years ago.

You would be back complaining about a slight inconvenience with a multiple cheap, readily available, easy to use solutions.

Whereas if they replace the USB-C/TB3 ports with USB-A, or HDMI, or SD Slots, a good chunk of us will be complaining very loudly about an actual problem, that is not solvable without a change to their product designs.

 

[MacBH928]

I'll be eagerly awaiting the next MBP that has eSATA, Dual 10Gbit Ethernet, FibreChannel, ExpressCard, Quad Mini DisplayPort, CFExpress, um what else?

What? That's too much? It won't physically fit, nor are there enough PCIe lanes to support that many ports? Well ****. Those are all "standard" ports for professionals damnit. What should we do.

****. This is a real ****er of a problem. **** me, what are we going to do.

Oh. What's that. There's a standard connector that can be used, which will let us carry a 4 lanes of PCIe to an external device, so each use case can be supported? Well that sounds OK I guess, but what if I need two of those things? What? I can use multiple ports like that? And I can daisy chain seven devices on each? Halle-****ing-luja. What are we waiting for let's add this to all laptops!

What do you mean they did that four years ago, and all (some) people have done is whine and moan about losing less ports than a single $25 USB-C hub has combined?

eSATA, ExpressCard, CFExpress are not ubiqtous ports an fall in the specialized area. Meanwhile my iphone and ipad still have USB-A wires to charge and my TV has HDMI input. SD card are popular enough to add to laptops.

 

[Stephen.R]

eSATA, ExpressCard, CFExpress are not ubiqtous ports an fall in the specialized area. Meanwhile my iphone and ipad still have USB-A wires to charge and my TV has HDMI input. SD card are popular enough to add to laptops.

That's a lot of words to say "I want what I want, and **** everyone else".

 

[00sjsl]

There will never again be a USB-A port on an Apple laptop.

I wish it wasn't so, but I just can't see it happening.

Dongletown until 2030 when USB-C actually is the most common connector.

USB-C will have been replaced by then.

 

[Stephen.R]

USB-C will have been replaced by then.

USB type-A lasted 23 years before being “not supported” by a new USB spec.

Type-C has been out for roughly 6 1/2 years, and already has much wider use-cases and flexibility than type-A ever had.

 

[theluggage]

I'll be eagerly awaiting the next MBP that has eSATA, Dual 10Gbit Ethernet, FibreChannel, ExpressCard, Quad Mini DisplayPort, CFExpress, um what else?

You forgot 20mA current loop, 5-pin MIDI, SCART, Centronics parallel printer, Kansas City cassette tape interface and - oh yes - the Strawman 2.0 socket that literally everybody in this thread has been asking for.

That's a lot of words to say "I want what I want, and **** everyone else".

As opposed to "I don't want a USB-A/HDMI/Magsafe port so ***** all the other people who do"? Because that wouldn't be hypocritical at all.

Whereas if they replace the USB-C/TB3 ports

The story is "Rumored to feature more ports". Nobody is saying that USB-C/TB are going away, just that some of the old ones are coming back. People who want standard ports win - you don't lose.

Don't worry - if there's enough demand I'm sure someone will produce a set of stickers in silver, space grey, gold etc. that will hide those horrible ports that cause you such irrational offence, so you can go on enjoying exactly the same benefits of USB-C/TB that you currently do.

Worst scenario for you: you only get 2 TB4 ports instead of 4, but, hey, drag yourself into 2021 and just get one of those new Thunderbolt 4 hubs to expand the number of TB ports.

Unless, of course:

You would be back complaining about a slight inconvenience with a multiple cheap, readily available, easy to use solutions.

 

[Stephen.R]

The story is "Rumored to feature more ports". Nobody is saying that USB-C/TB are going away, just that some of the old ones are coming back. People who want standard ports win - you don't lose.

Every other Mac that has a physical hdmi port loses the ability to send a video stream to a tb3/USB-c port.

this has been the case at least since the 2018 Mac mini and continues with the m1 Macs.

every USB type-a port has bandwidth requirements, so unless you’re happy with usb2 ports, adding several equates to tens of Gbits of bandwidth requirements.

The amount of i/o bandwidth any computer has is finite.
Routing that via tb3 ports gives the customer the choice of how it’s used.
Routing it via usb-a or hdmi ports removes a lot of choice from the customer.

but sure, I’m just complaining about nothing. It’s not as if the vast majority of people want what they want and have no ****ing idea or care what the ramifications of that would be.

 

[theluggage]

every USB type-a port has bandwidth requirements, so unless you’re happy with usb2 ports, adding several equates to tens of Gbits of bandwidth requirements.

... and, by the same argument, every time you plug a USB 2 device or a power supply into a TB3 port, you waste tens of Gbits of bandwidth and display capability.

Each pair of full-function TB3 ports guzzles 4 PCIe lanes and 2 DisplayPort streams, which is why we're stuck with 2-4 ports on a MacBook. Adding a couple of USB-A ports only needs a fraction of that bandwidth. If, in 2016, Apple had just swapped the 2015 MBPs 2xTB2 ports for 2xTB3 ports, they'd have had spare PCIe and DisplayPort lanes aplenty to implement the other ports, along with more potential I/O bandwidth from the two TB3 ports than any other laptop. Because the vast majority of people do not need to connect twin 5k displays and a pair of 20 Mbps SSD arrays to their laptop (which would probably have melted before using all that bandwidth anyway).

The amount of i/o bandwidth any computer has is finite.

True. If only Apple could make their own System-on-a-chip with the specs that they needed for their laptop designs, rather than making do with what Intel offered, they wouldn't have to make these compromises. Isn't it funny that this rumour comes just as Apple are doing just that?

Although, thinking about it, simply dropping the touchbar is going to free up at least the equivalent of a USB3 port...

NB: The M1 was clearly designed primarily for the fanless MacBook Air. One external display is all that needs, its iGPU thrashes any intel iGPU, and it doesn't physically have space for USB or HDMI connectors. If the M1X/M2/whatever in the higher-end Macs doesn't improve significantly over the M1 in terms of CPU cores, GPU capability, RAM capacity and, yes, I/O capability then people here are going to have a lot more to moan about than TB3 ports.

 

[Stephen.R]

you waste tens of Gbits of bandwidth and display capability.

It's definitely not the case with display capability. Unlike the HDMI ports on recent Mac minis which claim a potential video stream permanently, the DisplayPort connections are routed to where it's needed.

I would agree with you that plugging a USB2 mouse into a TB3 port is 'wasting' the bandwidth: but that's a user choice. The user can quite easily plug a USB or TB3 hub into that port, and get a comparatively ridiculous amount of connectivity from it.

If Apple dedicate 10 or 20 Gbps to a couple of USB 3.1/3.2 ports, a user can't decide that they'd rather have an extra TB3 port, can they? Conversely, if Apple gave us another TB3 port, the user could decide that they want a couple of USB 3.1/3.2 ports.

If only Apple could make their own System-on-a-chip with the specs that they needed for their laptop designs,

I'll be waiting for the press release announcing Apple's SOC that provides infinite I/O.

 

[theluggage]

Every other Mac that has a physical hdmi port loses the ability to send a video stream to a tb3/USB-c port.

Every other current Mac with a physical HDMI port means "no current MacBook Pros". The Intel Mini has a grotty Intel iGPU. The M1 Mini has a SoC designed for a MacBook Air, is the cheapest machine that Apple sell. The last high-end MBP with HDMI was discontinued in 2016 after a year or two of neglect. None of them can run multiple 5k or better displays, so there's nothing you could do display-wise with an extra Thunderbolt port that you couldn't do with HDMI.

You're extrapolating that to a hypothetical flagship, high-end MacBook Pro with an as yet unspecified custom-designed Apple Silicon GPU that can finally use DP 1.4...

It's definitely not the case with display capability. Unlike the HDMI ports on recent Mac minis which claim a potential video stream permanently, the DisplayPort connections are routed to where it's needed.

If you can route a DP stream you can route a HDMI stream. Or use a DP-to-HDMI converter. The M1 Mini has terrible display support, justified by its low (by Apple standards) price and the fact that it's not meant for pro graphics users. Sure, Apple could stuff up any new Mac by cutting corners, but there's no reason to assume that before the fact.

If Apple dedicate 10 or 20 Gbps to a couple of USB 3.1/3.2 ports, a user can't decide that they'd rather have an extra TB3 port, can they?

Again, you're presuming that Apple are going to cut the number of TB3 ports, and ignoring that each TB3 controller uses 2-4x the bandwidth of a USB 3.1 controller.

I'll be waiting for the press release announcing Apple's SOC that provides infinite I/O.

Math check: 4 x TB3 + 2 x USB-A 3.1 < infinity. By quite a large margin.

Higher-end processors have more I/O. The Intel chips in the 16" MBP have more I/O than the Intel MacBook Air. The iMac Pro has more I/O than the iMac (hence it can have 4 TB3 ports and 4 USB 3 ports and 10G Ethernet). The Mac Pro has more I/O than the iMac. Which one do you think has "infinite" I/O?

 

[Stephen.R]

so there's nothing you could do display-wise with an extra Thunderbolt port that you couldn't do with HDMI.

Except, you know, run a display using DisplayPort, or USB-C.

You're extrapolating that to a hypothetical flagship, high-end MacBook Pro with an as yet unspecified custom-designed Apple Silicon GPU that can finally use DP 1.4...

The M1 Mac mini has a custom-designed Apple Silicon GPU, and supports DisplayPort 1.4, and yet the HDMI port has a hard-wired video stream to it.

I'm not extrapolating anything, I'm simply referring to the computers they've released in the last 2 1/2 years with built in HDMI ports.

If you can route a DP stream you can route a HDMI stream. Or use a DP-to-HDMI converter.

Again, nowhere have I said this is technically impossible. I'm simply saying what does and does not work on existing products Apple have released with your beloved HDMI connector.

Again, you're presuming that Apple are going to cut the number of TB3 ports, and ignoring that each TB3 controller uses 2-4x the bandwidth of a USB 3.1 controller.

I didn't say cut the ports. If the choice is 4x TB3 + 2x Type-A supporting 10Gbit, or 5x TB3 - I would choose the 5 TB3 ports, any day of the week.

Math check: 4 x TB3 + 2 x USB-A 3.1 < infinity. By quite a large margin.

Are you deliberately being obtuse? The CPU/SoC are designed to support a given amount of I/O. Sometimes an internal switch can allow for more ports sharing and routing the bandwidth "as needed" but regardless, the computer has a finite amount of I/O. Are you following so far?

If Apple decide that 20Gbit or 40Gbit or however much of that is dedicated to Type-A USB ports, that's 20 or 40 Gbit of potential I/O, that the user is forced to use via USB type-A devices, or not use at all.

If Apple allocated every bit of I/O to spare to as many TB3 ports as possible (let's say they swapped the 2 type-a ports, for a single Type-C TB3 port) the user is free to use the bandwidth as they wish, including just using the PCIe lanes externally via either an expansion chassis, an NVMe SSD, or even a card reader for modern formats, which, surprise ****ing surprise, use PCIe lanes.


It's a really simple ****ing concept, and I find it hard to believe you don't understand what I've saying this whole time.

A HDMI port can never be anything but a HDMI port.
A USB Type-A port can never be anything but a USB Type-A port.
An SD Card slot can never be anything but an SD card slot.


A USB-C/TB3/USB4/TB4 port can be used to do any of those things, or practically any other I/O on the ****ing planet. Savvy?

 

[kyykesko]

They should just add MagSafe, HDMI and an USB-A port.

The current chassis doesn't have space or height for any of those. They might be able to fit in a SD card reader but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for even that. For my use a single USB-A, HDMI and Ethernet would be useful. I know many others who don't need even that. The problem is - none of those would fit.

My fear is that they will come up with their own proprietary magsafe charger, reduce (or remove!) the USB-C charging which in turn means I wouldn't buy the device. I've lived over 30 years in the proprietary-charger-hell and I'm never going back. I don't use even lightning anymore because I'm so fed up with that crap. ...and wireless charging for laptops makes zero sense.