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Five Things You Still Can't Do With a MacBook Pro

djdj said:
That's exactly what we want to avoid.
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Would be nice to these extra ports built in, I get it.

But I think enough workarounds exist where it's not a big deal anymore. Most consumers simply don't require an ethernet port built into the chassis.

I still have my mid 2012 MBP and it's very convenient for troubleshooting network issues, but I get why they went the other direction.
 
I think Logitech should license their lighting wireless connection to manufacturers like Apple, Dell, Lenovo, etc. Their wireless mouse connection is waaaay better than bluetooth but it's kind of a pain to have to have the dongle, especially when they dont make one in USB-C form and you need an adaptor as well.
 
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Adamantoise said:
Would be nice to these extra ports built in, I get it.

But I think enough workarounds exist where it's not a big deal anymore. Most consumers simply don't require an ethernet port built into the chassis.

I still have my mid 2012 MBP and it's very convenient for troubleshooting network issues, but I get why they went the other direction.
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More people should be using Ethernet. The consistency and reliability of WiFi still just isn't great. I'm sure you've all been on Zoom calls where someone's video or audio cuts in and out... probably due to being on WiFi.
 
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rorydaredking said:
Point 4 is redundant due to the seamless personal hotspot functionality. Apple experimented with modems as evidenced by that prototype MacBook Pro years ago, why would they suddenly add more wireless kit that needs antennas, shielding, standards, chips etc- when their software integration solution works so well.
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Not exactly. It's a lot of extra steps to set that up every time, most cellular plans have data caps and/or are speed limited when tethering, and those connections tend to not stay up and running indefinitely.

If you've had an iPad with cellular, it's way more convenient than tethering with an iPhone.
 
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Adamantoise said:
I think enough workarounds exist where it's not a big deal anymore. Most consumers simply don't require an ethernet port built into the chassis.
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I think if you pay >$2000 for a laptop, having to "work around" obvious limitations is a bit of a kick in the teeth. And consumers might not always need an ethernet connection, but many professionals who visit client offices absolutely do. After all, this is supposed to be a professional laptop, not a consumer one.
 
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It's still a whole lot more than you can do with an iPad Pro which costs more or less the same

Re SD Cards I had a 250 gig file to move from one mac to another ( Photos file ) the sd card was utterly useless and hopelessly slow , I was unpleasantly surprised tbh . Thankfully I bought a usb c ssd hd recently , that saved the day but tbh I'm finished with sd cards , they're unreliable too . Even AirDrop was faster .... smh
 
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MacRumors said:
Here are five features some Mac users are still waiting for.

1. Support for 120Hz 4K Displays
2. Support for UHS-III SD Cards
3. Ethernet Port
4. 5G Network Connectivity
5. Wi-Fi 6E Support
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  1. Its still a 4K world out there, irregardless the MBP doesn't offer 4K@120Hz over HDMI 2.0. That port is there for convenience like you need to plug it in to a VTC setup at work. You have three TB4/USB4 ports to use.
  2. UHS-III card support would have been nice, but those cards are not in common use due to their cost. Most videographers use UHS-I or UHS-II cards, both of which are supported.
  3. Whats so hard about getting a dongle/hub or something else for ethernet connectivity. Not like you need that most of the time on a MBP?
  4. There aren't that many PC laptops with 5G build in, and this is actually the first time I seen 5G as something Mac users are waiting for. Yes you can using a 5G iPhone as a WiFI hot spot, and 5G is built in to iPhones and optional for iPads.
  5. WiFi 6E just came on the market, example netgear routers. But 6E is not used much yet. Heck my Tri-band netgear router (WiFI 6) connects faster then 1 Gbps as needed

Yes this list is like what can I possible complain about whats lacking with the recent 2021 MBPs, going by this list I don't see really any shortcomings.
 
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ghanwani said:
#6 No USB-A port.
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USB-A is a waste of space, as is the SD card slot on a pro laptops; save such low-end connections for the low-end laptops. We need more Thunderbolt ports so we can use dongles as needed for (evolving) pro connectivity to pro laptops.

Simple example: SD is very slow compared to the modern CFExpress or XQD cards in the Nikons I have used since 2016. Dongles are inexpensive and easy to custom-choose to suit different pro workflows.
 
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BrownyQ said:
I'm actually surprised they didn't include the ethernet port on the charging brick like it was done for the iMac. Figured it was a technical limitation of keeping the MagSafe port size as small as it is.
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Remember the 140 watt charger is unique
The only GaN charger that Apple has released to date is its 140W USB-C power adapter, included with the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro and sold separately.
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Why does the title include the word ‘Still’ - I get that these things are probably important to quite a few folk, but aren’t all of these things hardware issues? Were we expecting to download an ethernet port as an OS update? You STILL can’t use it as a floatation device either.
 
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MauiPa said:
no VGA out either, or how about some other legacy ports? Seriously? I have a few external HDDs, bought 2 usb-c to that stupid flat connector cables for $6. Much better than adding an obsolete port. I have a 13 MBP M1, also bought a usbC to HDMI cable, why do people fall in love with their old cables, seriously?
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I remember similar nonsense regarding the removal of floppy drives in leu of CD rom on the original iMac. Then again with the removal of optic drives. People just like to complain that progress means losing what they’re familiar with.
 
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Add to the list: Unable to purchase and receive a new custom configured MBP at your local Apple store let alone order on for delivery in a timely manner. Timely manner = two weeks or less. All together say, "COVID, COVID,COVID" and click your heals three times. Those that have been vaxed and boosted can substitute "chip shortage" for "COVID". Yeah, a bit frustrated here.
 
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djdj said:
They could include Ethernet in the chassis if they wanted to. I've had a couple different laptops that have Ethernet ports even though the chassis is thinner than the connector -- it's done with a drop-down door to hold on to the bottom of the connector while the connecting pins are permanently fixed in place.
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You lost everyone at drop down door, which Apple hasn’t done since 2008 and even then it was a bad idea. Just keep a small USB-C or Thunderbolt hub with you that has USB-A and DP/HDMI and you’re all set.
 
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