100+ years ago manufacturers were dropping the hand-crank on internal combustion engines.
If you can show me anyone outside of a restoration club that's still using hand cranked engines in cars today, you might have a point.
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Bloomberg: Next MacBook Pro to Feature SD Card Reader
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If you can show me anyone outside of a restoration club that's still using hand cranked engines in cars today, you might have a point.
Though I share your view, some people use it as “embedded” extra storage and consider it handy given the excessive cost of BTO SSD storage. Some even use it as “built-in”backup.
Nice try at a diversion, but not even close to having a point.
If I were arguing for having a phone jack on a macbook, then your point could be taken.
I definitely don’t miss those times, and would mind the extra weight, as it tends to direct you not to gym but rather the physiotherapist...
The faster computer manufacturers do away with USB-A ports, the faster you’ll get plenty of USB-C peripheral options. It’s a chicken and egg problem.
If Apple includes a USB-A port on a new MacBook, it’s only going to incentivize more companies to make peripherals using that crappy outdated port.
Well that's the sixty four million dollar question isn't it.
Because we have no idea what "adding legacy ports" would mean in terms of other ports. On Mac minis sold for the last 2 1/2 years, the presence of a HDMI port "steals" one possible video output stream permanently (i.e. the number supported over TB3/USB-C is one less than the total number supported).
If you don't have, or don't want to use HDMI, that's a bit more than inconvenient, isn't it?
Before Apple went all-in on TB3, they sold laptops with either 1 or 2 TB ports, and a handful of assorted legacy ports: USB Type-A either 2.0 or 3.0, SDXC, HDMI, MagSafe. Some of us actually use modern accessories, and use every TB3/USB-C port. If you consider it credible that Apple will add back those legacy & single-use ports, it's credible to suggest that they'll do it at the expense of TB3/USB4/USB-C ports.
So let me ask you again:
What's more inconvenient: a port you have to use a $9 adaptor for, or a port you can't use, and not enough of the ones you can use?
What you continually fail to realize is that convenience is not defined by everyone like you do.
Your version of doing the most with the least is one port to rule them all. It’s running high speed wired ethernet or a 4K monitor.
You fail to see that for many, “doing the most with the least” means having the option to use the myriad of legacy hardware that will still be out there for 10 years “with the least.” I.e., with just their laptop and not a pocket of adapters.
How hard is it to consider for a moment that what’s great on paper doesn’t always yet translate to clearly universally great in practice.
So you're suggesting that internal combustion engines used in 2020 are not improved at all from those that were used in 1920? Ok then. Good luck with that.
It’s been replaced by a superior port. USB4 dumped it entirely, so this last round of Macs might be the final ones ever with USB-A. Technology progresses and things get better. Eventually you’ll have plenty of USB-C accessories. But that’ll only happen once more manufacturers stop offering that inferior crappy port.
What you continually fail to realise is that USB-C ports make things slightly inconvenient for some people doing some things.
USB-A, HDMI ports and card readers make things impossible for some people doing some things.
Maybe it was meant like an adjective (creative engineers, etc)...
Though I find it too “fragile”, some people like to use it as extra, removable, “embedded” storage, and find it particularly handy given the overpriced BTO SSD options.
Interestingly some companies (eg GoPro) now have the ability to upload directly to the cloud - unfortunately it’s a GoPro specific cloud rather than options to use iCloud (for example) which would be sort of useful.
The problem then moves from physical (USB, SD, SDXC, etc) to having multiple cloud services. I’m actively using iCloud, OneDrive, Flickr (not sure whether that’s AMZ/GOOG/ANOTHER behind the scenes) and more recently GoPro. At least as long as it’s not time critical you can move content from one to the other and download.
What’s more convenient? Having a portable macbook with say at least one each USB A & C to please both the practical-minded folk who want to carry around a single portable item for the day that is sure to connect to 99% of what they have placed around the house or office, or requiring one to pocket a hub & dongles/adapters in addition to the macbook. There’s a trade-off to having to buy, keep, track, pocket, store, not forget, and then often replace those adapters/dongles that is so easy for many short-sighted self-interested folk to overlook.
not when you have at least one of each, for the nth time.
Good God. Read again. I didn’t say they were of the same quality and not improved from 100 years ago. The point was more to compare old tech gas-fired to new tech electric motor vehicles. To help spell it out which is obviously needed: the point is that old tech can be so refined and ubiquitous that it still offers a huge advantage over the latest tech that’s just impossible to overlook or throwaway yet. Geez.
Ok, you tell me how I plug two high-speed TB3 devices into one TB3 port and one USB-A port.
This is what you continually ignore, or refuse to acknowledge. USB-C can essentially "become" USB-A or HDMI or a Card Reader or anything else you ****ing want, trivially.
None of those things can "become" anything except what it is, and a lot of people use a lot of different types of connections.
A slight inconvenience for you, means the device is actually usable for a large number of people
A slight convenience for you, means the device is useless for a large number of people.
So your argument is that no one could possibly need more than 1 USB-C/Tb3 port?
Seriously?
Your analogy is inaccurate. USB-C/TB3 ports can literally support USB-A or HDMI devices.
A Tesla is fundamentally limited by the aspects of being an electric car: it can't be electric now, pop in an adapter and use petroleum tomorrow.
the only reason to put an SD or micro SD card slot would be to allow some extra removable cheap storage option.
Seriously, there aren't that many people taking photos on digital cameras. Everyone uses their phones for most tasks.
The touchbar has definately been a divider. Personally I like it. The ability to display icons and other graphic elements is cool. Just under utilized. Certainly it adds to the cost.
Seriously, there aren't that many people taking photos on digital cameras. Everyone uses their phones for most tasks.
The touchbar has definately been a divider. Personally I like it. The ability to display icons and other graphic elements is cool. Just under utilized. Certainly it adds to the cost.
Sorry I must have missed when someone released a "hub or dongle" that plugs into a USB-A port, and magically makes it (a) support Tb3 devices downstream and (b) increases the speed of the port to 40Gbps.
Good God, really?
Use your USB3/TB3 port and connect away.
Our Favorite Thunderbolt Dock Is an Upgrade Over a USB Hub
If your computer has Thunderbolt ports, a Thunderbolt dock is faster and more versatile than a USB hub. We have options for every budget.
www.nytimes.com
Quite the opposite, the tb port is the one I very rarely use on my rMBP 2013. I quite often use the usb, the hdmi, the headphone jack and the sd card slot. They transfer data today just fine.
I can use both types, and prefer to have both over having only one and a dongle, thank you very much.
If you prefer having a usb-c only laptop you can skip the next version, as I did the las four years, IF the rumor turns out to be true.