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Ethernet

I think my gripe is simply this. Me personally, I did not need a thinner laptop!

Had Apple also included a base SSD and a retina display on the thicker Macbook Pro (so basically a thicker retina-display Macbook Pro with its ethernet port (and its optical drive)), I would have taken that over the thinner laptop in a second! I simply do not see the original Macbook Pro 15"'s size as any sort of hindrance.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
It's funny -- some of these same arguments were made when the first MBP didn't have a modem. That was 2006. Six years later a modem seems so antiquated. Modems were just as pervasive in '06 as Ethernet is today -- OK maybe a bit less so but there were still a lot of hotels, esp non-U.S. that didn't offer Internet service.

I think there is a parallel here. It takes guts for a company to finally kill off a still used, but dying tech. Customers are bound to get annoyed or worse. But the beautiful thing about tech is that it dies b/c something better is out there to replace it. It's just a matter of weaning people off the old b/c people hate change, even when it's good.
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I think anyone would agree, except that wired networking is far from being a dying tech.

Being that this is a laptop I find the change acceptable. I'll have a problem when they move away from wired networking on their desktops.
 
I REFUSE to use, carry or PURCHASE a DONGLE.....Imo there should be an option that when you order it either in store, by phone or online that if you DESIRE a stupid dongle that Apple provide it as a COURTESY. $2-3000.00 for a computer and we have to purchase a dongle if we need ethernet??

Pro my horse's a**....

This is one reason I will not be purchasing a laptop from Apple in the future.....

Another one (important for me) no 17" laptops.

Dongle requirements.......

Some posters have said they never use ethenet port and that no one likely does. When I am at home and I wish to do something that requires faster connection like gaming etc, I wire it in. Just like for the same reason when I have a PC I don't use wireless mice or keyboards. Latency.

Dongles indeed....
 
aristobrat said:
At the time the smaller USB port started replacing the bulkier parallel/serial ports on laptops, there was a healthy presence of devices that used parallel/serial ports.
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True, although dropping Ethernet on the premise that wireless is equivalent or superior is troubling, IMO. I can't wait for the day that's true and ubiquitously so.

aristobrat said:
So what's the difference between that transition of ports then, vs the R-MBPs transition of today's equiv. of bulky ports (Firewire, ethernet, DVI/VGA, etc) now that there is finally a smaller port capable of replacing them (Thunderbolt).
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See above. And I freely admit an aesthetic revulsion to adapters/dongles/etc. Then again aesthetics are one of the main reasons I'm drawn to Apple, enough to overcome my disdain for their heavy-handed know-whats-best-for-youism

aristobrat said:
I'm in IT mgmt at a Fortune 500 company whose enterprise-class network is primarily ethernet based, so you're preaching the choir.
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Cool, me too (although I've gone from Manager in 80,000 person firm to CIO in a 1,000 person org)

aristobrat said:
I'm just saying that replacement of bulkier ethernet, FW, VGA/DVI ports with smaller ports is inevitable. End result will be adapters that downsize the bulkier ports to smaller ports, not necessarily the end of the bulkier technology. We still use plenty of serial devices where I work, despite the fact that none of the laptops that we purchase have come with a serial port in the last god-knows-how-long.
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I think we're largely in agreement on all these points. And I'll add that it makes good business sense for Apple to drop the Ethernet ports, but only in that they are ceding the Enterprise market to Microsoft, VMware and Citrix, perhaps thinking that BYOD will take off and then Apple is back in the catbird seat.
 
bobbyslice said:
I think my gripe is simply this. Me personally, I did not need a thinner laptop!

Had Apple also included a base SSD and a retina display on the thicker Macbook Pro (so basically a thicker retina-display Macbook Pro with its ethernet port (and its optical drive)), I would have taken that over the thinner laptop in a second! I simply do not see the original Macbook Pro 15"'s size as any sort of hindrance.
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Actually that would have made me upgrade from my early-2011 Macbook Pro. Because of the lack of these features, I'm in no hurry to upgrade.
 
Rizzn said:
I think anyone would agree, except that wired networking is far from being a dying tech.

Being that this is a laptop I find the change acceptable. I'll have a problem when they move away from wired networking on their desktops.
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Exactly.

Anytime I stay at a hotel for work, the Ethernet connection is much more reliable than the Wi-Fi ... Sure I don't stay at hotels often but come on, the RJ45 costs nothing and they only took it out to shave off fractions of an inch from the thickness.

How thin does a laptop need to be for crying out loud? Weight I can understand, but thinness? Come on!
 
Adamantoise said:
Exactly.

Anytime I stay at a hotel for work, the Ethernet connection is much more reliable than the Wi-Fi ... Sure I don't stay at hotels often but come on, the RJ45 costs nothing and they only took it out to shave off fractions of an inch from the thickness.

How thin does a laptop need to be for crying out loud? Weight I can understand, but thinness? Come on!
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Yeah, I definitely feel like there are a few too many compromises with the rMBP just to achieve the thinness. The big one being upgradability with standard ram and ssd sizes.
 
Adamantoise said:
Exactly.

Anytime I stay at a hotel for work, the Ethernet connection is much more reliable than the Wi-Fi ... Sure I don't stay at hotels often but come on, the RJ45 costs nothing and they only took it out to shave off fractions of an inch from the thickness.

How thin does a laptop need to be for crying out loud? Weight I can understand, but thinness? Come on!
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"Stop complaining, the Mac Pro has Ethernet. If Ethernet is important to you, get a mac pro. I don't understand why you're even posting this stupid complaint."

Does that bug you? 90% of your posts since the announcement have been exactly like this. Stop doing it.
 
You guys do realize that by moving the port out, they can offer even more adapters, supporting newer standards. If they come up with a TB to USB3 adapter, then you can now have up to 4 USB3 ports. If they come up with a 10GbE to TB adapter, you can now have 10GbE. Moving from a built-in, non-0upgradeable, non-changeable port to a TB port with adapters is a better move for them, since they can sell adapters, and for consumers, who can now choose exactly which ports they have on their computers.
 
therealseebs said:
"Stop complaining, the Mac Pro has Ethernet. If Ethernet is important to you, get a mac pro. I don't understand why you're even posting this stupid complaint."

Does that bug you? 90% of your posts since the announcement have been exactly like this. Stop doing it.
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I already own a laptop with Ethernet and have no intent to buy another one in the foreseeable future. You on the other hand are crying rivers because Apple didn't make your dream computer.

Big difference.
 
Everyone here keeps either saying that ethernet is good and should stay or that Apple is fine removing the old technology, but why doesn't anyone mention an in-between point? When Apple didn't like the size of DVI, they invented a new standard called mini-DVI. Why can't the same be done for ethernet? While wireless is not always a good alternative for wired networking, ethernet is such a bulky standard that's outdated. It was good in 1980 when it was first announced, but the design hasn't changed once since then. If someone created a new standard the size of thunderbolt with the range of ethernet, that could solve both the thickness problem and the fact that people still want wired networking.
 
Moot point really as you'll still end up with an adaptor, in this case to convert Apple mini-Ethernet to a standard RJ45 plug on the patch lead.
 
mackmgg said:
Everyone here keeps either saying that ethernet is good and should stay or that Apple is fine removing the old technology, but why doesn't anyone mention an in-between point? When Apple didn't like the size of DVI, they invented a new standard called mini-DVI. Why can't the same be done for ethernet? While wireless is not always a good alternative for wired networking, ethernet is such a bulky standard that's outdated. It was good in 1980 when it was first announced, but the design hasn't changed once since then. If someone created a new standard the size of thunderbolt with the range of ethernet, that could solve both the thickness problem and the fact that people still want wired networking.
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So if they called the Thunderbolt port a Mini-Ethernet port you would like that better? As far as I know a mini-ethernet port would have no advantages over the Thunderbolt and would actually have fewer potential uses.
 
BiggAW said:
Ethernet is faster and more reliable than a modem.

Wifi is not faster or more reliable than Ethernet.
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Ethernet is a "dumb" networking vehicle. It's not an alternative to an "active" modem. Usually you plug Ethernet into something, like a modem, that is generating or receiving a signal. So I'm entirely unsure of what your point is.

I'll grant you WiFi is neither faster nor more reliable than Ethernet, but fast Internet via Ethernet is far less common outside of offices. So if you are traveling and your choice is slower, but ubiquitous WiFi or faster but nowhere to be found Ethernet, guess which one the road warrior uses. It's like that old photography maxim, the best camera is the one you have with you.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Ethernet is a "dumb" networking vehicle. It's not an alternative to an "active" modem. Usually you plug Ethernet into something, like a modem, that is generating or receiving a signal. So I'm entirely unsure of what your point is.

I'll grant you WiFi is neither faster nor more reliable than Ethernet, but fast Internet via Ethernet is far less common outside of offices. So if you are traveling and your choice is slower, but ubiquitous WiFi or faster but nowhere to be found Ethernet, guess which one the road warrior uses. It's like that old photography maxim, the best camera is the one you have with you.
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The conversation was talking about the comparison between eliminating 56K modems and eliminating ethernet.

Ethernet is TCP/IP, in some cases you would need a modem to convert from one type of transmission to another, other times you can connect directly to the internet through Ethernet (like on a college LAN that has a multi-gbps Ethernet connection to the internet).

You do realize that you can move files over a LAN with Ethernet, right? And you realize that Verizon is pushing 75mbps home internet connections out for a reasonable rate? And that many college LANs can pull nearly 100mbps off of the internet and/or their local LAN?
 
bobbyslice said:
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).
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Just buy the TB adaptor IMO. It's still not as good as a dedicated ethernet port, but will have to suffice if you really want a retina MBP.

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Rudy69 said:
Last time I used an ethernet port on a notebook is in 2005 :eek:
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I pity you.
 
bobbyslice said:
I think my gripe is simply this. Me personally, I did not need a thinner laptop!

Had Apple also included a base SSD and a retina display on the thicker Macbook Pro (so basically a thicker retina-display Macbook Pro with its ethernet port (and its optical drive)), I would have taken that over the thinner laptop in a second! I simply do not see the original Macbook Pro 15"'s size as any sort of hindrance.
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Exactly why Apple didn't do it. They need enough sales volume on the RMBP to make it viable. If they did the above, then less people would buy the RMBP.
 
BiggAW said:
Ethernet is TCP/IP, in some cases you would need a modem to convert from one type of transmission to another, other times you can connect directly to the internet through Ethernet (like on a college LAN that has a multi-gbps Ethernet connection to the internet).
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I wanted to let the comment about ethernet being much different from a modem connection slide, but this I can't let go. Ethernet and modems reside at the same layer of the OSI model (physical). Ethernet is most definitely NOT TCP/IP, with TCP/IP operating at a much higher layer over ethernet (or some other phyical layer).
 
eron said:
Exactly why Apple didn't do it. They need enough sales volume on the RMBP to make it viable. If they did the above, then less people would buy the RMBP.
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You miss my point. They simply did not need to make the thinner laptop period. People may say what they want now, but I guarantee had the thinner Macbook Pro never came about (as well as no rumors of it), sales would have remained very much the same
 
bobbyslice said:
You miss my point. They simply did not need to make the thinner laptop period. People may say what they want now, but I guarantee had the thinner Macbook Pro never came about (as well as no rumors of it), sales would have remained very much the same
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There is more demand for a thinner RMBP, than a regular sized RMBP.
 
bobbyslice said:
I think my gripe is simply this. Me personally, I did not need a thinner laptop!

Had Apple also included a base SSD and a retina display on the thicker Macbook Pro (so basically a thicker retina-display Macbook Pro with its ethernet port (and its optical drive)), I would have taken that over the thinner laptop in a second! I simply do not see the original Macbook Pro 15"'s size as any sort of hindrance.
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Then battery life would have gone to hell. The retina MBP's battery is around a quarter larger in capacity. You would be sitting here ranting and complaining about the battery life.

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derickdub said:
Just buy the TB adaptor IMO. It's still not as good as a dedicated ethernet port, but will have to suffice if you really want a retina MBP.
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What makes it not as good?
 
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