HATE the Body on new M1 MBPs - Squared-Off, Cheap Feel???

[Tozovac]

Some of us have transitioned away from using USB-A years ago. Seriously, why do you still have USB-A hardware? It’s an issue a cheap modern USB cable can fix trivially.

Well la tee dah for your successful transition. 🙂

Seriously, you're dishing out usb-A connectivity recommendations after your own similar usb-C connectivity inconvenience complaints? 😳

My earlier post was less about my thoughts on usb-A hardware and more about how ironic it is to read about one’s convenience being affected with “just” 3 of those magical usb-c ports that were supposed to ease all connectivity woes. @turbineseaplane got my drift. 🙂

 

[leman]

My earlier post was less about my thoughts on usb-A hardware and more about how funny it is when the shoe is on the other foot as far as your convenience being affected with “just” 3 of those magical usb-c ports that were supposed to ease all the usb connectivity woes. @turbineseaplane got my drift. 🙂

USB-C does ease all the connectivity woes. But it's still a port. The new Macs reduce the four ports to only three, which is a significant reduction in functionality. It's very simple, really. HDMI and Magsafe do rectify this lack of ports for some common situations, but we still have one port less.

We could argue about what is a more balanced solution (four universal ports which make some common usage scenarios inconvenient) or three ports + integrated HDMI/charging hub (which gives you less USB ports) for most users, but it's not a constructive enterprise as there are no objective criteria we will be able to agree upon. My point is simply that "functionality" is in the eye of the beholder. I would completely agree that the new laptops are more functional if they would have retained all the connectivity of the previous model — but they did not.

In the end, I completely understand why Apple did it — it's a great PR move and also a good way for them to save money and increase margins without lowering the price and causing an outrage. I am fine with the port situation myself. Sure, my employer will have to buy me a new thunderbolt hub for the office (not my money), and I can find some use for the HDMI port, so it's not that big of a loss in practical terms.

 

[Rashy]

Barely anyone needs 4x TB ports at once. Having 3x TB + Magsafe + HDMI + SDXC is far more convenient for like 95% of all users. Plus, the old 4x TB Macbooks only had shared TB controllers (=80Gbps in total). Now you get 120Gbps. You can split or daisy-chain without performance loss. It requires one more cable/dongle, but guess what, many users weren't amused about using dongles since those crappy 2016 models themselves, so it's only fair.

USB-C can be as magic and multi-functional as it wants to be, doesn't help anyone when large parts of the industry doesn't move. People promised us "everything gonna be USB-C in a few years". Guess what, still not the case at the end of 2021. Heck, even new high-end gear like Denon Prime, Pioneer CDJ/XDJ and other DJ/producing gear have only USB-A and SD-slots. Projectors and TVs all have HDMI, cables are common and everywhere in reach if you forget your own one. Having an USB-C only "Pro" MacBook with unreliable and ugly dongles in such environments was ridiculous, most users, polls and reviews agreed here.

The current port situation is a solid compromise, and I am very happy with it. An additional USB-A wouldn't have hurt for stuff like mouse or software license dongles, but so what...

Btw, OT is a troll, didn't even post anything since dumping his initial nonsense.
They are barely any thicker, have better cooling, speakers, batteries. Function > Design.

 

[Vermifuge]

In the end, I completely understand why Apple did it — it's a great PR move and also a good way for them to save money and increase margins without lowering the price and causing an outrage. I am fine with the port situation myself. Sure, my employer will have to buy me a new thunderbolt hub for the office (not my money), and I can find some use for the HDMI port, so it's not that big of a loss in practical terms.

You keep spewing this cost savings malarkey. There may be one less physical USB-C port but there are also additional TB controllers that make those 3 ports far more powerful than the 4 ports of previous models. If this were a cost savings maneuver Apple would have simply reused the two controller configuration of Macbook Pros past.

 

[leman]

You keep spewing this cost savings malarkey. There may be one less physical USB-C port but there are also additional TB controllers that make those 3 ports far more powerful than the 4 ports of previous models. If this were a cost savings maneuver Apple would have simply reused the two controller configuration of Macbook Pros past.

Malarkey only happens if you twist the context . That Apple is dedicated to the decision of providing a separate controller per port should be clear by now, and it again reaffirms the high quality of their implementation. They are not cutting any corners here and their implementation puts that of other manufacturers to shame. But offering three ports instead of four trivially allows them to keep down the number of TB controllers and PCI-e lanes offered by the SoC, and — even more importantly when we are talking about cost — simplifies the logic board.

 

[arche3]

It’s less that 2mm thicker than the previous model… and the second-thinnest MBP model in history of Apple. How is it too thick?

Umm. It's almost 2mm thicker. I didn't measure it but if you say so yeah. It's too thick imo. Why do you even need to argue about an opinion? Lol

 

[archi penko]

Rather than the being critical of the underside, (and also the odd unbalanced weight issue), I think it’s problematic the top lid of the LCD screen

There’s a hollowness to it, that I don’t think is necessary as “thermals” or whatever. (Yet screens to need to be heat managed but). There are pictures from a previous poster who fell and there was a huge dent in the top lid of their new macbook

I think with the previously design, it didn’t need to be there. The current MacBook Pros 2021 lid could be so much thinner, and so much more solid but there is a hollowness to it. And leaves it more prone to damage and dents like this.

It could be because of a cohesive design, but still I think it should’ve been far more sturdy and like the previous iteration (gluing things more closely).


If people say function (again & again) well, I don’t think it’s function to make the device more fragile.

 

[tmoerel]

Rather than the being critical of the underside, (and also the odd unbalanced weight issue), I think it’s problematic the top lid of the LCD screen

There’s a hollowness to it, that I don’t think is necessary as “thermals” or whatever. (Yet screens to need to be heat managed but). There are pictures from a previous poster who fell and there was a huge dent in the top lid:

View attachment 1918323

I think with the previously design, it didn’t need to be there. The current MacBook Pros 2021 lid could be so much thinner, and so much more solid but there is a hollow next to it. And leaves it more prone to damage and dents like this.

It could be because of a cohesive design, but still I think it should’ve been far more sturdy and like the previous iteration (gluing things more closely).


If people say function (again & again) well, I don’t think it’s function to make the device more fragile.

So you are ranting about the screen of the new macbooks but you show a dent in an old model. That won't get your argument far now will it!!??

 

[leman]

Umm. It's almost 2mm thicker. I didn't measure it but if you say so yeah. It's too thick imo. Why do you even need to argue about an opinion? Lol

From the touchbar 15” to the new 16” it’s almost 2mm, yes. The 14” is only half a mm thicker than the old 13”. Definitely not looking to diss or otherwise invalidate your opinion. I was simply surprised that someone would consider a 15.5mm to be too thick for a workstation laptop. Now, something like a MS surface studio laptop - that’s a real clonk considering its mediocre hardware…

 

[pi=e=3]

Rather than the being critical of the underside, (and also the odd unbalanced weight issue), I think it’s problematic the top lid of the LCD screen

There’s a hollowness to it, that I don’t think is necessary as “thermals” or whatever. (Yet screens to need to be heat managed but). There are pictures from a previous poster who fell and there was a huge dent in the top lid:

View attachment 1918323

I think with the previously design, it didn’t need to be there. The current MacBook Pros 2021 lid could be so much thinner, and so much more solid but there is a hollow next to it. And leaves it more prone to damage and dents like this.

It could be because of a cohesive design, but still I think it should’ve been far more sturdy and like the previous iteration (gluing things more closely).


If people say function (again & again) well, I don’t think it’s function to make the device more fragile.

It really couldn't be thinner.

For one, a microLED screen has more complexity to it, and generates significant heat when run at high brightness. Ever noticed how 4k144 monitors have fans in them? Check out the LG 27GN950.

For two, and the whole reason we have a notch, the 1080P camera module has some depth.

Finally, if it was any thinner, how do you think screen flexure would be? The bendability of an object is a property of two things, E (Youngs modulus, a property of the material, about 70GPa for Aluminium) and I (the moment of inertia). The moment of inertia of a rectangle is 1/12bh^3, where h is the height wrt the bending axis. IE, reducing or increasing the thickness of the object on its bending plane has an exponential impact on its bending resistance.

 

[leman]

The current MacBook Pros 2021 lid could be so much thinner, and so much more solid but there is a hollow next to it.

I think it’s more of a marvel that they have polled off a miniLED 120hz display of this class in a lid this thin. I mean, just have a look at the MSI Creator…

 

[halfway2anywhere]

USB-C does ease all the connectivity woes. But it's still a port. The new Macs reduce the four ports to only three, which is a significant reduction in functionality. It's very simple, really. HDMI and Magsafe do rectify this lack of ports for some common situations, but we still have one port less.

We could argue about what is a more balanced solution (four universal ports which make some common usage scenarios inconvenient) or three ports + integrated HDMI/charging hub (which gives you less USB ports) for most users, but it's not a constructive enterprise as there are no objective criteria we will be able to agree upon. My point is simply that "functionality" is in the eye of the beholder. I would completely agree that the new laptops are more functional if they would have retained all the connectivity of the previous model — but they did not.

In the end, I completely understand why Apple did it — it's a great PR move and also a good way for them to save money and increase margins without lowering the price and causing an outrage. I am fine with the port situation myself. Sure, my employer will have to buy me a new thunderbolt hub for the office (not my money), and I can find some use for the HDMI port, so it's not that big of a loss in practical terms.

How many ports do you have when you use one of those four USB C ports for power? Three.

Literally the only time the old MacBook pro has more ports is when it's unplugged, and god help anyone trying to run four USB devices off batter power.

This hill you're trying to die on really doesn't make sense.

 

[leman]

How many ports do you have when you use one of those four USB C ports for power? Three.

But I am not using one of those four ports for power. They are multifunctional ports for a reason. I am using a single port for power AND driving a 4K display AND connecting my wired keyboard/mouse (via the display USB hub) AND backing up my iPhone (again, via the display USB hub). And after I connected all these things I still have three ports left. On the new model I will have only TWO ports left.

And sure, you can tell me, "duh, use MagSafe + HDMI + USB hub", but then I still only have TWO ports left. And need to deal with three cables instead of one. And I have to bring my MagSafe change with me to the office (or buy a second one to keep it there). Again, these are only minor annoyances and they are easily rectified. But this is a real world practical case where the new model offers less connectivity than the old one.

Of course, if you are not using an external monitor and just use a power port (like I do at home), it doesn't really matter. But then again, when I am at home I hardly need any ports at all — all my stuff is wireless anyway.

This hill you're trying to die on really doesn't make sense.

Such an odd thing to say. I am not the one arguing that three USB ports are better than four USB ports 😉

 

[halfway2anywhere]

But I am not using one of those four ports for power. They are multifunctional ports for a reason. I am using a single port for power AND driving a 4K display AND connecting my wired keyboard/mouse (via the display USB hub) AND backing up my iPhone (again, via the display USB hub). And after I connected all these things I still have three ports left. On the new model I will have only TWO ports left.

And sure, you can tell me, "duh, use MagSafe + HDMI + USB hub", but then I still only have TWO ports left. And need to deal with three cables instead of one. And I have to bring my MagSafe change with me to the office (or buy a second one to keep it there). Again, these are only minor annoyances and they are easily rectified. But this is a real world practical case where the new model offers less connectivity than the old one.

Of course, if you are not using an external monitor and just use a power port (like I do at home), it doesn't really matter. But then again, when I am at home I hardly need any ports at all — all my stuff is wireless anyway.



Such an odd thing to say. I am not the one arguing that three USB ports are better than four USB ports 😉

Wait can you not still just use one USB port to do all four things at the same time on the new MacBook pro? Or is someone forcing you to separate it out into three separate cords? I get that it's better hyperbole to make it sounds more annoying than it is but you can do everything you did before and still have two very powerful USB/tb ports and a dedicated HDMI port available.

 

[leman]

Wait can you not still just use one USB port to do all four things at the same time on the new MacBook pro? Or is someone forcing you to separate it out into three separate cords? I get that it's better hyperbole to make it sounds more annoying than it is but you can do everything you did before and still have two very powerful USB/tb ports and a

I do not understand what the confusion is. Of course I can do all these things on the new machine. But this leaves me with only two additional ports to connect other devices. With the older machine I had three.

Or, to make it less of a hyperbole — I am currently using a three-cable setup in my office (display/power, ethernet, backup hdd). This still gives me one useable port. With a new machine I have zero, so I either have to buy a hub or unplug the backup HDD if I need to attach a thumbdrive. I don't get it, is this such a contrived case? And yes, it is kind of annoying. Now I have to go to my boss and tell him that he has to spend additional $100+ for a decent quality hub on top of the $4000 they already had to spend on the laptop because I'm not in the mood to mess around with cables.

 

[3Rock]

So you are ranting about the screen of the new macbooks but you show a dent in an old model. That won't get your argument far now will it!!??

In addition to what you said, the MacBook fell. On what? Of course is going to dent if it falls onto somthing for goodness sake‘s.

 

[lederermc]

Barely anyone needs 4x TB ports at once. Having 3x TB + Magsafe + HDMI + SDXC is far more convenient for like 95% of all users. Plus, the old 4x TB Macbooks only had shared TB controllers (=80Gbps in total). Now you get 120Gbps. You can split or daisy-chain without performance loss. It requires one more cable/dongle, but guess what, many users weren't amused about using dongles since those crappy 2016 models themselves, so it's only fair.

USB-C can be as magic and multi-functional as it wants to be, doesn't help anyone when large parts of the industry doesn't move. People promised us "everything gonna be USB-C in a few years". Guess what, still not the case at the end of 2021. Heck, even new high-end gear like Denon Prime, Pioneer CDJ/XDJ and other DJ/producing gear have only USB-A and SD-slots. Projectors and TVs all have HDMI, cables are common and everywhere in reach if you forget your own one. Having an USB-C only "Pro" MacBook with unreliable and ugly dongles in such environments was ridiculous, most users, polls and reviews agreed here.

The current port situation is a solid compromise, and I am very happy with it. An additional USB-A wouldn't have hurt for stuff like mouse or software license dongles, but so what...

Btw, OT is a troll, didn't even post anything since dumping his initial nonsense.
They are barely any thicker, have better cooling, speakers, batteries. Function > Design.

You don't need a dongle if you use the proper cord. I recently bought an enclosure that came with a USB-C to USB-A cord. I just wish the new iPhone would stop using lightning and use C to C instead.

 

[halfway2anywhere]

I do not understand what the confusion is. Of course I can do all these things on the new machine. But this leaves me with only two additional ports to connect other devices. With the older machine I had three.

Or, to make it less of a hyperbole — I am currently using a three-cable setup in my office (display/power, ethernet, backup hdd). This still gives me one useable port. With a new machine I have zero, so I either have to buy a hub or unplug the backup HDD if I need to attach a thumbdrive. I don't get it, is this such a contrived case? And yes, it is kind of annoying. Now I have to go to my boss and tell him that he has to spend additional $100+ for a decent quality hub on top of the $4000 they already had to spend on the laptop because I'm not in the mood to mess around with cables.

I guess since everyone's use case is different it's moot. I'm a video DJ and couldn't wait to have a real HDMI port and an SD card slot. I've been able to go from hubs and dongles to a power adapter and HDMI cable that are already in the booth, and sticking in my SD card. The new computer made setup dramatically simpler for me.

 

[arche3]

From the touchbar 15” to the new 16” it’s almost 2mm, yes. The 14” is only half a mm thicker than the old 13”. Definitely not looking to diss or otherwise invalidate your opinion. I was simply surprised that someone would consider a 15.5mm to be too thick for a workstation laptop. Now, something like a MS surface studio laptop - that’s a real clonk considering its mediocre hardware…

I was comparing it to my 2019 16 i9 w5600m. But I will take performance over thin. It just seems there is so much performance overhead they could of made it thinner.

 

[tmoerel]

I was comparing it to my 2019 16 i9 w5600m. But I will take performance over thin. It just seems there is so much performance overhead they could of made it thinner.

Stop obsessing over a few milimeters. It is a great tool and a huge improvement over the previous models. If a perceived thickness is bothering you then perhaps this is not a machine for you. Get on with life!

 

[leman]

I was comparing it to my 2019 16 i9 w5600m. But I will take performance over thin. It just seems there is so much performance overhead they could of made it thinner.

That's less than a mm difference... I hope mine arrives soon so that I can have a real look. On paper it doesn't sound like there should be much of a noticeable difference.

 

[leman]

I guess since everyone's use case is different it's moot. I'm a video DJ and couldn't wait to have a real HDMI port and an SD card slot. I've been able to go from hubs and dongles to a power adapter and HDMI cable that are already in the booth, and sticking in my SD card. The new computer made setup dramatically simpler for me.

Exactly, everybody has a different use case and it's hard to find a balance to please everyone. As I said before, I don't really need the integrated hub we get with the new models (although HDMI port does make things less annoying when teaching or giving talks), but I can definitely understand that there are plenty of folks that find HDMI and card reader very useful in their daily work. I just wish they wouldn't have sacrificed the fourth USB port, that's it.

 

[KUKitch]

Exactly, everybody has a different use case and it's hard to find a balance to please everyone. As I said before, I don't really need the integrated hub we get with the new models (although HDMI port does make things less annoying when teaching or giving talks), but I can definitely understand that there are plenty of folks that find HDMI and card reader very useful in their daily work. I just wish they wouldn't have sacrificed the fourth USB port, that's it.

While I do completely understand your point, it sounds like your complaint is that there’s one less port, but you still only want to use one cable for all your connections anyway - so it wouldn’t have a practical effect… or maybe I missed something in the comments?

Also, couldn’t a dock include ethernet so you wouldn’t need to use a separate port for that?

 

[halfway2anywhere]

Exactly, everybody has a different use case and it's hard to find a balance to please everyone. As I said before, I don't really need the integrated hub we get with the new models (although HDMI port does make things less annoying when teaching or giving talks), but I can definitely understand that there are plenty of folks that find HDMI and card reader very useful in their daily work. I just wish they wouldn't have sacrificed the fourth USB port, that's it.

While I do completely understand your point, it sounds like your complaint is that there’s one less port, but you still only want to use one cable for all your connections anyway - so it wouldn’t have a practical effect… or maybe I missed something in the comments?

Also, couldn’t a dock include ethernet so you wouldn’t need to use a separate port for that?

I'm assuming the issue is the remaining ports for additional peripherals after the initial connections.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Funny, when i griped here about needing a dongle for usb A hardware, I was met with responses about the superior versatility of usb C ports and suggestions to buy an adapter or hub. So here…why not just carry around a hub/port expander? Problem solved!

Apple does X, people want Y, Apple does Y, people want X. There’s never going to be enough ports on a laptop for quite a few people here, especially with people hanging 3-4 (or more) drives off of their Mac and still saying that they need more USB ports, because data hoarders.

Apple gave the loud people what they wanted, now I don’t want to hear anything from any of them about what they got. USB-A has no place on the MacBook Pro anymore, period. Desktops are another matter, but zero usefulness on a portable. Everyone can deal with a dongle or a hub. I have them for my M1 MBP and my 2016 MBP. Hubs, dongles and adapters have been around forever, so I have no idea why people are still grousing about this as if it doesn’t happen to pretty much anyone outside of a stationary PC desktop user!