Bloomberg: Next MacBook Pro to Feature SD Card Reader

[Digital Dude]

Hard to believe that it took this long for Apple to realize that folks liked types of ports and MagSafe. Actually, I think they always and you knew, they were just being stubborn. In any event, this may be too late for me, as I have my sights on a Panasonic Toughbook to replace my MBP. While I wouldn't give up my iOS ecosystem, I don't currently see the need for the Mac to be part of that.

 

[cupcakes2000]

They're not the same ports they were, nor do they have the same capabilities as before. You're confused and uniformed on the issue.

What are you talking about?

Correct me if I’m wrong.

Now they have usb4/tb3 with a usbc connector. There is a tb controller per port.

Before they had usb3/tb3 with a usbc connector. There was 1 tb controller split between 2 ports.

How is this statement you made: “not the same ports they were, nor do they have the same capabilities as before”, true in the negative way you implied?

Can you give me some links to the info you’re referring to please?

(Edited for clarity)

 

[0924487]

Intel doubles down on Thunderbolt 3, cans licensing fees | bit-tech.net

Promises integrated controllers, too.

bit-tech.net

$0

No. It’s free for accessory manufacturers, but the TB3 controller integrated into the consumer Intel CPU is not license free. This is not a problem for Intel computers. Apple would need a license for the TB3 controller in M1, which is not free.

Just like it is (almost) free to publish iOS apps, but it’s not free to copy and ship your own distribution of iOS.

 

[Stephen.R]

No. It’s free for accessory manufacturers, but the TB3 controller integrated into the consumer Intel CPU is not license free. This is not a problem for Intel computers. Apple would need a license for the TB3 controller in M1, which is not free.

Just like it is (almost) free to publish iOS apps, but it’s not free to copy and ship your own distribution of iOS.

The TB3 spec was given to USB-IF, to make USB4: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...sb4-as-intels-interconnect-goes-royalty-free/

 

[DMike]

I am going to laugh like a crazy person if they "bring back HDMI", only to use HDMI Type-C or Type-D (HDMI mini/micro respectively) ports because they're thinner (~2.4/2.2 mm respectively).

I may or may not also do a dance yelling "You want some HDMI, here's your HDMI". If the luddites thought it was annoying needing a USB-C to HDMI adapter, wait till you need an even more obscure one.

And I'll laugh like crazy if Apple replaces USB-C ports with a new proprietary port that requires an Apple licensed dongle. Cause they would never do that. Wait......

 

[kb923689]

Wow. We won't need to buy an expensive adapter for every useful port. The ones saying this is old tech are clueless. HDMI, SD cards, USB A etc are still being used nowadays.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Many Thunderbolt docks include an SD card slot.

Those manufacturers obviously think the SD card is still important... or else why would they bother?

 

[cmaier]

No. It’s free for accessory manufacturers, but the TB3 controller integrated into the consumer Intel CPU is not license free. This is not a problem for Intel computers. Apple would need a license for the TB3 controller in M1, which is not free.

Just like it is (almost) free to publish iOS apps, but it’s not free to copy and ship your own distribution of iOS.

No, it’s royalty-free across the board.

 

[loadafreak]

Please enlighten us what dedicated port you want, that USB-C can't provide via an adaptor?


You're ****ing kidding me right? You think "hubs and adaptors" didn't exist before USB-C?




It certainly isn't an answer to the question, but it does reaffirm my opinion about those who want single-use ports.

And what is your opinion if I may ask? I mean, please don’t get me wrong and this may be very subjective but I’d rather have something I use frequently integrated to the device. Plus, I am not implying I don’t want USB ports either.

Take an external hard drive, for instance. You have to carry around the hard drive itself... and its cable anyway.

Are you telling me it's inconvenient to carry around a tiny USB-C dongle too?

Sure... it's three things instead of two... but presumably you carry everything in some sort of bag... including the laptop and its charger.

Or you can get a different cable that attaches the hard drive directly to USB-C. Therefore you're carrying the same amount of items since you need a cable anyway.

I dunno... it difficult to understand the "inconvenience" of carrying a dongle when you're carrying multiple items already.

I do understand where you’re coming from. However, I am not carrying just 3 items; like my camera gear, earphones, mouse and such.

I know, what’s one more item right? It’s one more item to lose, if not the dongle, it may be something else. To me, it is inconvenient as I didn’t have to carry a dongle prior to this new MacBook Pro I have. I guess you can say I’m spoilt.

That being said though, new cameras have built in wifi and I can then transfer wirelessly.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I do understand where you’re coming from. However, I am not carrying just 3 items; like my camera gear, earphones, mouse and such.

I know, what’s one more item right? It’s one more item to lose, if not the dongle, it may be something else. To me, it is inconvenient as I didn’t have to carry a dongle prior to this new MacBook Pro I have. I guess you can say I’m spoilt.

That being said though, new cameras have built in wifi and I can then transfer wirelessly.

Oh I get it. Not needing a dongle will eliminate the chance of you forgetting said dongle. Totally understood.

But you could forget something else entirely... and you'd be in the same situation.

I forgot something exactly once... I learned from it... and it never happened again.

Hell... I need a checklist to make sure I have everything! You should see me packing my multiple Pelican cases before I travel to do video production. It's a lot. But small items stay in my bag... always ready to go.

I hope Apple includes an SD card slot in the new Macbook Pros. If anything it will reduce the amount of "dongle talk" in the forums.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Oh I get it. Not needing a dongle will eliminate the chance of you forgetting said dongle. Totally understood.

But you could forget something else entirely... and you'd be in the same situation.

I forgot something exactly once... I learned from it... and it never happened again.

Hell... I need a checklist to make sure I have everything! You should see me packing my multiple Pelican cases before I travel to do video production. It's a lot. But small items stay in my bag... always ready to go.

I hope Apple includes an SD card slot in the new Macbook Pros. If anything it will reduce the amount of "dongle talk" in the forums.

The only thing that will shut people up in this forum will be Apple going out of business.

Apple could put USB-A on this next MBP (they won’t) and all we would here is that they let didn’t put enough for somebody’s fringe use case.

 

[loadafreak]

Oh I get it. Not needing a dongle will eliminate the chance of you forgetting said dongle. Totally understood.

But you could forget something else entirely... and you'd be in the same situation.

I forgot something exactly once... I learned from it... and it never happened again.

Hell... I need a checklist to make sure I have everything! You should see me packing my multiple Pelican cases before I travel to do video production. It's a lot. But small items stay in my bag... always ready to go.

I hope Apple includes an SD card slot in the new Macbook Pros. If anything it will reduce the amount of "dongle talk" in the forums.

Fair enough, you probably think I’m slow or something. But all I am just trying to say is that it is one less item to think about and to me that would be convenient.
To each his own I guess.

 

[dannys1]

That's because nobody is asking for that. Thunderbolt is not going away. Nobody here knows what the I/O capabilities of the M1X/M2 chip will be - and it's an opportunity for Apple to design an SoC that delivers the I/O needed by the MBP rather than work with what Intel offers. (You know, maybe that's why this rumour is happening now?) Apple just need to find the space for the equivalent of one extra PCIe lane - a quarter of what would be needed for an extra TB port.

Maybe by getting rid of the touch bar?

Honestly you'd be surprised when you say "no one" I've seen a few people asking for 2x USB 4 and 2x USB-A instead, crazy.

 

[dannys1]

Pro photographers for one

They're not using it as "expandable storage" though are they - they're using it to get photos off their camera. This guy was on about using it like a second hard drive, everything SD cards were NOT designed for.

 

[dannys1]

The only thing that will shut people up in this forum will be Apple going out of business.

Apple could put USB-A on this next MBP (they won’t) and all we would here is that they let didn’t put enough for somebody’s fringe use case.

Hahaha you're totally right - someone always comes up some very specific niche use case that in reality they don't encounter but they've decided is worth a single use port being put on a machine for.

 

[0924487]

The TB3 spec was given to USB-IF, to make USB4: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...sb4-as-intels-interconnect-goes-royalty-free/

I know, but we are still on USB 3.2, which is not given out.

Also, PDF standard was given to ISO, but Adobe still charges a subscription for Adobe Acrobat. Why? Because the standard is free to adopt but the implementation is proprietary.

 

[Stephen.R]

I know, but we are still on USB 3.2, which is not given out.

Also, PDF standard was given to ISO, but Adobe still charges a subscription for Adobe Acrobat. Why? Because the standard is free to adopt but the implementation is proprietary.

USB4.0 is out, and Apple at least, is using it.

The Adobe/PDF example is an apt comparison, but I dont think it makes the point you intended.

Adobe gave the spec to the ISO, so anyone else can implement it and be interoperable. It doesn't mean Adobe has to give away their software for free.

Intel gave the spec for TB3 to the USB-IF, so anyone else can implemented it as part of USB4 and be interoperable. It doesn't mean Intel give away their controllers for free.

 

[theluggage]

Honestly you'd be surprised when you say "no one" I've seen a few people asking for 2x USB 4 and 2x USB-A instead, crazy.

USB4 instead of Thunderbolt? Oh, no! Gosh, yes, that's almost as bad as when Apple decided to implement Firewire instead of iLink!!! (sorry, really can't decide if you were making a joke or not).

...and while there's no need for Apple to put less than 4 TB4/TB3/USB4 on a future 14" or 16" MBP, and no evidence that they plan to do so, the 2 ports on the M1 machines each have their own controller so, with a TB4 hub or two you get the same TB bandwidth as the previous Intel Macs... but then complaining about hubs/dongles is only silly when it's other people complaining.

I mean, I can't remember anybody ever coming up to me in a meeting and handing me a USB-A memory stick or portable hard drive, whereas everyone I know routinely flies around the world with a pair of 32" XDR monitors and a handful of 40Gbps RAID arrays... I wonder which of those applications should need a dock?

This guy was on about using it like a second hard drive, everything SD cards were NOT designed for.

Finished music/video libraries, document archives, useful downloads and other infrequently-changed files work perfectly well from SD cards (and, yes, they were absolutely designed for storing multimedia files on mobile devices). On machines that come with expensive, non-expandable SSDs, being able to free up space by shunting large, seldom-changed files onto a cheap SD card - especially a "low profile" one that can be left semi-permanently fitted - is a great idea.

You might at least try to understand what other people do with their Macs.

 

[Stephen.R]

USB4 instead of Thunderbolt? Oh, no! Gosh, yes, that's almost as bad as when Apple decided to implement Firewire instead of iLink!!! (sorry, really can't decide if you were making a joke or not).

the point was that multiple people have claimed "no one is asking for TB3 ports to be removed", and yet several people have said, and now you're defending a hypothetical removal of those ports. Whether they're TB3 or USB4 is clearly not @dannys1's point.

while there's no need for Apple to put less than 4 TB4/TB3/USB4 on a future 14" or 16" MBP, and no evidence that they plan to do so, the 2 ports on the M1 machines each have their own controller so, with a TB4 hub or two you get the same TB bandwidth as the previous Intel Macs...

Using the same assumptions (or extrapolation, if you prefer), you could also suggest that a future 4 TB3/USB4 port MBP would have four controllers, and thus double the available bandwidth of the previous models. The marketing writes itself: "Same ports. Double the available bandwidth".

But I'm sure no one has a use for that, as much as you apparently need a ****ing USB-A port.

 

[theluggage]

you could also suggest that a future 4 TB3/USB4 port MBP would have four controllers, and thus double the available bandwidth of the previous models.

You know what it could also have? 4 TB3/USB4 and a USB-A port because that's a perfectly feasible amount of I/O for a high-end Apple Silicon CPU to provide (especially if - as is quite plausible - the same chip going to end up in the iMac/iMac Pro replacing the Intel desktop chips). Except, I forget, 4 + 1 = infinity.

But I'm sure no one has a use for that, as much as you apparently need a ****ing USB-A port.

I get it. Even if the new Mac comes out with 4 full-fat TB3 ports and a USB-A port then that will still be robbing you of fantasy TB3 ports #5 and #6, even though that would need 4x the I/O bandwidth... because "compromise" means someone else giving up something they use every day so that you can have something you might want someday.

 

[Lemon Olive]

What are you talking about?

Correct me if I’m wrong.

Now they have usb4/tb3 with a usbc connector. There is a tb controller per port.

Before they had usb3/tb3 with a usbc connector. There was 1 tb controller split between 2 ports.

How is this statement you made: “not the same ports they were, nor do they have the same capabilities as before”, true in the negative way you implied?

Can you give me some links to the info you’re referring to please?

(Edited for clarity)

You highlighted the only good thing about them, which is that they each have their own bus. But now instead of 4, there are 2. And instead of handling 2 TB displays, can only handle 1. Nor can you connect a TB eGPU. There is no practical improvement here for any user, despite the controller per port. It's a step backward.

 

[cupcakes2000]

You highlighted the only good thing about them, which is that they each have their own bus. But now instead of 4, there are 2. And instead of handling 2 TB displays, can only handle 1. Nor can you connect a TB eGPU. There is no practical improvement here for any user, despite the controller per port. It's a step backward.

That ‘only good thing about them’ as you say, is a massive improvement. Weird to not acknowledge that.

They only ever had two ports. The models replaced low end MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. They already only had two. But now because of ‘the only good thing about them’ - they’re twice as good.

I think the other two things you mention are arbitrary decisions by Apple, or perhaps a limitation with their interpretation of ‘low end’ m1 chips.
I think- before anything else- it’s important to wait until they realise their full vision.

It’s more telling if you look at what they’ve left in their line up, intel wise, than it is trying to speculate from the AS systems released so far.

 

[Stephen.R]

Except, I forget, 4 + 1 = infinity.

Wow, you really are going all in on completely missing the point, aren’t you?

good for you.

 

[cupcakes2000]

You know what it could also have? 4 TB3/USB4 and a USB-A port because that's a perfectly feasible amount of I/O for a high-end Apple Silicon CPU to provide (especially if - as is quite plausible - the same chip going to end up in the iMac/iMac Pro replacing the Intel desktop chips). Except, I forget, 4 + 1 = infinity.



I get it. Even if the new Mac comes out with 4 full-fat TB3 ports and a USB-A port then that will still be robbing you of fantasy TB3 ports #5 and #6, even though that would need 4x the I/O bandwidth... because "compromise" means someone else giving up something they use every day so that you can have something you might want someday.

It’s my view that all the other ports are redundant with usbc. That’s a fact, also. It’s long been apples MO to remove what they see as legacy ports. Usbc enables them to remove such ports. They’re widely still in use I agree- but the point is you can still use them.
Buying into the MacBook eco system does necessitate certain comprises. Changing a few cables out and carrying a dongle if you need to is hardly unusual based Mac issues.

 

[Mr.PT]

They're not using it as "expandable storage" though are they - they're using it to get photos off their camera. This guy was on about using it like a second hard drive, everything SD cards were NOT designed for.

FYI:
Apple on Using SD card as startup volume.