Ethernet

[bobbyslice]

I was so excited reading about the retina display macbook pro, knowing that this laptop was the one that would last me through the next three years of college. But then I realized... No ethernet port! This was one of the glaring reasons I decided to get a macbook pro 13" over a macbook air.

I understand where they are headed by taking away the optical drive (although I still partially don't agree with it, but oh well), but whyyy do they want to rid their laptops of ethernet ports already! I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I just really like the comfort of having an ethernet port for wired connections (in my dorm or at home).

(Also I realize that there is a usb adapter, but I would still much rather just have my laptop and not have to carry around excess cords and what not, other than the charger).

 

[brentsg]

Now that they've moved from USB to TB for the ethernet adapter I don't care. You're probably going to end up carrying an ethernet cable with you anyways. Just leave the adapter on the end of it.

No sense in the computer being larger and heavier just to accomodate a port that most people won't ever use.

 

[Rudy69]

Now that they've moved from USB to TB for the ethernet adapter I don't care. You're probably going to end up carrying an ethernet cable with you anyways. Just leave the adapter on the end of it.

No sense in the computer being larger and heavier just to accomodate a port that most people won't ever use.

Last time I used an ethernet port on a notebook is in 2005

 

[brentsg]

Last time I used an ethernet port on a notebook is in 2005

Yeah that's probably pretty common. Unfortunately I have to use them all the time because most of my clients don't have open WiFi networks that have access to their infrastructure. Usually anything they have will be a flaky guest network.

But I realize that I'm in the minority. As long as the TB adapter provides stable GigE I'm good.

 

[samac92]

An ethernet port wouldn't fit on the side of the MBP, simple as that. Look at the size of your magsafe charger, they had to make that slimmer to get it to fit, and an ethernet cable is significantly chunkier than the magsafe.

 

[therealseebs]

No sense in the computer being larger and heavier just to accomodate a port that most people won't ever use.

Boy, sure is a shame that Apple can only ever make one line of products, and can't have a "pro" line with a broader selection of useful ports, and a regular consumer line that omits those specialized bits.

 

[Stetrain]

Boy, sure is a shame that Apple can only ever make one line of products, and can't have a "pro" line with a broader selection of useful ports, and a regular consumer line that omits those specialized bits.

You mean like the Pro models that they sell that have "a broader selection of useful ports"?

 

[brentsg]

Boy, sure is a shame that Apple can only ever make one line of products, and can't have a "pro" line with a broader selection of useful ports, and a regular consumer line that omits those specialized bits.

That must be the most confusing post ever. They do have a pro line exactly like you describe.

 

[Demosthenes X]

The amount of whining about the ethernet port boggles my mind. There's an adapter. It weighs almost nothing. Buy it, stick in your bag, and be done with it.

I've used my ethernet port a handful of times in the last 3 years. But I've moved my MBP regularly. The added lightness and thinness is a good trade.

 

[throAU]

Boy, sure is a shame that Apple can only ever make one line of products, and can't have a "pro" line with a broader selection of useful ports, and a regular consumer line that omits those specialized bits.

You mean like the current refreshed macbook pro?

I'm the first to complain long and hard about a lack of gigabit ethernet (which is why, up until now, an air has been totally useless to me - 100 meg or wifi is TOO DAMN SLOW), but there's a cheap thunderbolt adapter for it.

no issue.

 

[NathanA]

That must be the most confusing post ever. They do have a pro line exactly like you describe.

I believe what you were responding to is called "sarcasm."

Anyway, I have to agree with the OP: wired ethernet is not going away anytime soon. In fact, I'm willing to put down money on RJ45-connectorized copper wired ethernet outlasting that HDMI port they stuck on there over the span of that computer's usable life. They already put 2 Thunderbolt ports on the thing, they already have a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI adapter for sale, and you can't have more than 3 total active screens powered by the computer anyway, so my vote would have been to ditch the native HDMI port which is a true waste of space and to give that space over to an integrated copper GigE port.

I should mention, though, that this is truly my only beef with this machine, which in all other respects looks awesome.

-- Nathan

 

[Stetrain]

I believe what you were responding to is called "sarcasm."

Anyway, I have to agree with the OP: wired ethernet is not going away anytime soon. In fact, I'm willing to put down money on RJ45-connectorized copper wired ethernet outlasting that HDMI port they stuck on there over the span of that computer's usable life. They already put 2 Thunderbolt ports on the thing, they already have a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI adapter for sale, and you can't have more than 3 total active screens powered by the computer anyway, so my vote would have been to ditch the native HDMI port which is a true waste of space and to give that space over to an integrated copper GigE port.

-- Nathan

A copper GigE port wouldn't fit in place of the HDMI unless it was a proprietary miniaturized version.

From some quick googling it looks like a standard female RJ45 port is about 0.54" tall(above the board it is mounted on). The entire Retina MBP, including the display which couldn't possibly contribute to port area, is only 0.71" tall.

I believe that part of the reason for including the HDMI port is that Displayport to HDMI can't drive as a high a resolution as a true HDMI port (simply due to silly licensing reasons).

 

[NathanA]

A copper GigE port wouldn't fit in place of the HDMI unless it was a proprietary miniaturized version.

Okay, that's a fair point...

I believe that part of the reason for including the HDMI port is that Displayport to HDMI can't drive as a high a resolution as a true HDMI port (simply due to silly licensing reasons).

Also interesting if true. I will do some research on this.

Thanks for an actual, informative reply.

-- Nathan

 

[BiggAW]

I was so excited reading about the retina display macbook pro, knowing that this laptop was the one that would last me through the next three years of college. But then I realized... No ethernet port! This was one of the glaring reasons I decided to get a macbook pro 13" over a macbook air.

I understand where they are headed by taking away the optical drive (although I still partially don't agree with it, but oh well), but whyyy do they want to rid their laptops of ethernet ports already! I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I just really like the comfort of having an ethernet port for wired connections (in my dorm or at home).

(Also I realize that there is a usb adapter, but I would still much rather just have my laptop and not have to carry around excess cords and what not, other than the charger).

I agree with you, but that's the way Apple is going, unfortunately. Luckily USB adapters are cheap. I'm plugged in on my MBP right now, and I get how bad wifi can be in dorms. I used Ethernet a lot in mine at school.

 

[apolloa]

I was so excited reading about the retina display macbook pro, knowing that this laptop was the one that would last me through the next three years of college. But then I realized... No ethernet port! This was one of the glaring reasons I decided to get a macbook pro 13" over a macbook air.

I understand where they are headed by taking away the optical drive (although I still partially don't agree with it, but oh well), but whyyy do they want to rid their laptops of ethernet ports already! I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I just really like the comfort of having an ethernet port for wired connections (in my dorm or at home).

(Also I realize that there is a usb adapter, but I would still much rather just have my laptop and not have to carry around excess cords and what not, other than the charger).

I totally agree that it's dumb to remove the ethernet port, stupid, BUT how the hell would they fit it in that chassis?? It's way too thin, I mean they have even had to change the MagSafe port to make it fit...

And lets be honest, the Thunderbolt gigabit ethernet adapter isn't exactly expensive is it? I can't believe I'm saying these things!! BUT Apple have offered you an acceptable compromise with the adapter for a lot more portability.

 

[Nermal]

Are the Wi-Fi latency issues fixed now? I've owned the Late 2006 and Early 2011 models, and at some point between those models the Wi-Fi gained excess latency (using the same AirPort Extreme base). Software/firmware updates for the Early 2011 have made it much better than it used to be, but to this day there are still latency spikes which make gaming a nightmare.

Does anyone know whether this has been resolved in the 2012 models? I wouldn't mind the lack of Ethernet if Wi-Fi performance is back up to reliable levels.

 

[brentsg]

I believe what you were responding to is called "sarcasm."

Hmm, perhaps I need to get more sleep. Dang iPad..

 

[BiggAW]

Yeah, it's tough on the thin chassis. Maybe they should have kept a thicker one. Some of us just prefer to be hardwired, my laptop is about 2 feet away from our N600 AP/switch (router with the router turned off), but even then, I like wired gigabit.

 

[aristobrat]

whyyy do they want to rid their laptops of ethernet ports already!

Below is a picture of a MBP. Notice how the Gigabit Ethernet port is "taller" than the USB 3 port?

Below is a picture of the Retina MBP. Notice how the side of the R-MBP is barely tall enough to fit a USB 3 port? A traditional ethernet port wouldn't fit, without making the side of the R-MBP taller.

Maybe they should have kept a thicker one.

Like the non-Retina MBP?

 

[MisterSensitive]

Let's not pretend that adapters are elegant solutions to port limitations.

I'm fine with Apple making this move. It just signals their transition away from Enterprise and a full embrace of the Consumer market (which is probably the direction that computing goes - toward fully commodizied products suited for BYOD environments). Yes, some will argue that there are enterprises that exist which rely on wifi as their network infrastructure backbone, but the prevailing sentiment is wired=security. Rightly or wrongly, that's the conventional wisdom and will be for some time.

 

[theSeb]

Last time I used an ethernet port on a notebook is in 2005

Last time I used it was today and I am using it right now. The Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet makes this a non-issue as far as the new RMBP and MBA is concerned.

----------

Let's not pretend that adapters are elegant solutions to port limitations.

I'm fine with Apple making this move. It just signals their transition away from Enterprise and a full embrace of the Consumer market (which is probably the direction that computing goes - toward fully commodizied products suited for BYOD environments). Yes, some will argue that there are enterprises that exist which rely on wifi as their network infrastructure backbone, but the prevailing sentiment is wired=security. Rightly or wrongly, that's the conventional wisdom and will be for some time.

What is so not elegant about it? There is nothing about a chunky Ethernet plug or cable in the first place. A Thunderbolt adaptor is a very elegant and brilliant solution for something that you don't use all the time.

 

[limo79]

As I know Ethernet is still popular in film industry!

 

[MisterSensitive]

[/COLOR]
What is so not elegant about it? There is nothing about a chunky Ethernet plug or cable in the first place. A Thunderbolt adaptor is a very elegant and brilliant solution for something that you don't use all the time.

• Clunky
• extra part to lose
• extra point of failure

Other than that, you're right. They're quite elegant.

 

[aristobrat]

Image

If Apple wanted to design a thicker R-MBP (to match the Toshiba above), I'm sure they could have.

You can easily do ethernet on the new R-MBP.

 

[theSeb]

Image
Ethernet is still popular in movie creation process!

Yes, that looks better. I am off to order one right now. /sarcam