Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models With HDMI Port and SD Card Reader to Launch Later This Year

[throAU]

• USB A - don't care, let it die - it's always been a brain damaged physical connector since birth
• HDMI - sure, why not
• SD card reader - not a deal breaker, but sure. For what its worth, I DO use it for cameras, switch console storage, raspberry pi stuff, etc. A usable USB combo type A/C to SD card adapter is under 15 dollars.

So long as I do not lose DisplayPort over USB type C (i.e., the single cable docking with power/video/peripherals still works), I don't care.

 

[Ma2k5]

I've been repeatedly called a fanboy when I say Apple is right and an Apple hater when I say Apple is wrong on this forum.

Grouping others who you disagree with and labeling them doesn't help your argument.



That's like saying "Apple didn't help accelerate the adoption of touch screens on phones, they only had 2% marketshare". You're just wrong.

The touch screen on phones is definitely one they done great - but you are comparing apples and oranges. One is a new innovation of screen technology while others were stuck on physical keyboards, the other is removing a feature that was present on the 99%+ market share in some countries on a widely used medium. Other companies were able to profit by copying Apple in going touch screen, no one was going to profit by removing a CD-ROM drive when they were used so heavily. Again it might be different in some countries, this was my experience in the UK.

 

[Ethosik]

No, they don’t. They use the same twin, two port controller setup as the mini.

Oh right, it was the processor supporting more PCIe lanes compared to the Mini I believe. Or it is due to the dedicated GPU.

 

[jchurchill]

I'll go back to the Mac (-book pro) if they get rid of that stupid touch bar.

 

[Surf760]

So - serious question - Does anybody still use ethernet?. And could I have an old USB for dongles? Please.

Yes, ethernet is essential to my business. Even for the dumbest of tasks. We regularly do multi hundred page print jobs. We used to try to do that through our large printer’s wireless capabilities. It was a nightmare. Things would take forever to print and have all sorts of weird spooling delays. For clarity sake, we run an Orbi mesh system in a small 10 person office.

I couldn’t imagine what people doing large video file swaps in an office would experience without a dedicated hardline.

 

[alexandr]

Or liquids…

and spies!

 

[hot-gril]

That’s not usual for a Touchbar, hope you had Apple fix your machine.

It happens with my friends' personal machines too. They have tons of corporate extensions on my Mac, so who knows what the culprit was. I dunno if this fixes it, but I had them give me a 2019 model instead because the keyboard is actually good on it.

 

[hot-gril]

So - serious question - Does anybody still use ethernet?. And could I have an old USB for dongles? Please.

Yes, but I'm fine using a dongle for ethernet.

 

[Fomalhaut]

As expected, lot of people being distracted by this, which is Apple's intention here.

The M1 Mac mini dropped from 4 TB ports down to 2. That's no accident.

In the next round of machines Apple plans to update, those are (well, were) also machines with 4 TB ports. My guess is that those will also be reduced to 2 TB ports, which is why the new/old ports will be making a comeback, not the other way around. This isn't because Apple has decided after 5 years that we need ports we got rid of 5 years ago. It is because Apple is needing to reduce the number of TB ports, and has to fill in the gap.

I don't know if its a limitation with Apple Silicon design, or a licensing issue, but M1 Macs are distinctly different in that they have 2 TB controllers and 2 ports (as opposed to 1 controller for every 2 ports in Intel Macs). The end result is both sets of Macs have the same number of Thunderbolt controllers, but half the ports for M1.

I have heard this theory a couple of times now, and there may be something to it.

I would be surprised to see an HDMI port return, and greatly surprised if USB-A ports came back to Mac laptops, but it is certainly conceivable if there are only 2 TB3 ports on the next models. Especially if you could still only connect a single external monitor via TB3, which would need HDMI in order to connect 2 monitors.

I find this rumor of a return to "legacy ports" to be dubious, but certainly possible if Apple has a technical limitation that can't be solved any other way. That would be a pretty big ball for Apple to drop with the design of Apple Silicon if it comes to pass.

My view is that HDMI and SD card slots are convenient (no dongles for commonly used peripherals), but not essential. They could be justified however because HDMI and SD are likely to be relevant and widely-used standards for the next 5 years at least, even if TB/USB-C is superior and becomes the eventual successor.

Including USB-A seems to be a step backward because it's now an obsolescent technology, albeit widely used (and will continue to be for many years due to its ubiquity)

 

[kerr]

* Ethernet port

I don't want a fat laptop. Ethernet ports are too big, is there such a thing as a mini-ethernet port?

 

[farewelwilliams]

but you are comparing apples and oranges.

Disagreed, let me explain:

One is a new innovation of screen technology while others were stuck on physical keyboards, the other is removing a feature that was present on the 99%+ market share in some countries on a widely used medium.

1. I don't have hard data on keyboards or DVD/CDROMs when new technologies were introduced, but one could argue that those drives were just as common as physical keyboards on phones.
2. Capacitive touch screens existed well before iPhone. They just borrowed that and executed it well in the iPhone. It wasn't invented by Apple.
3. One could argue "physical keyboards" were a "removed feature" just like drives were.
4. Remote Disc was invented by Apple (new innovation) to solve a problem of not having a piece of physical hardware.
5. Also 1.8 inch drives were used (not new, but borrowing technology that existed previously) just like how iPhone borrowed capacitive touch screen technology.

Not really comparing apples and oranges here IMO

no one was going to profit by removing a CD-ROM drive when they were used so heavily. Again it might be different in some countries, this was my experience in the UK.

Disagreed. Companies could profit by
1. Removing another point of failure that could be costly via warranty claims (as with any moving part in a product).
2. Companies can save money by editing current designs to not include the drive (essentially leaving a hole). And instead, upsell external disc drives for those that need one (which Apple did).
3. For new complete redesigns, it likely started a new upgrade cycle for ultra portables.

 

[MacBH928]

I really would like to see the faces of those who though Apple was on the right path and ditching all ports for USB-C in the PRO laptops 2016 making the claim its time to move on, and now Apple themselves are bring back SD card and HDMI in 2021.

USB-C is STILL no the most ubiquitous port 4 years later even my Apple made 2020 SE phone does not have USB-C, talk about being future proof 🤣

 

[MacBH928]

I don't want a fat laptop. Ethernet ports are too big, is there such a thing as a mini-ethernet port?

You are not wrong but they are PRO laptops after all. If you want thin you can go for Air models. PRO people should be willing to accept fatter machines in favour for more capability and addition of ports and GPU.

I know there is a mini-USB->Ethernet dongle, probably a USB-C ethernet one too. Point is, we don't want to carry dongles. Dongle for HDMI, for Ethernet, For SD card, for USB-A, for AUX...much easier to be built in than carry 4 wires around.

 

[danielsutton]

Some Mac enthusiasts seem to have gotten really mad at Apple for planning to make the device too accessible to a wider range of users. I really can't say I'm surprised at the snobbery.

I do hope that Apple lowers the prices and makes their products more accessible to people. I would actually be much more likely to stay in the Apple ecosystem if products had lower prices. I would be very grateful if they would do this with iPhones as well as iPads and Macs. And throw in the Apple Watch and Apple TV for good measure!!

 

[Stephen.R]

I would be surprised to see an HDMI port return, and greatly surprised if USB-A ports came back to Mac laptops, but it is certainly conceivable if there are only 2 TB3 ports on the next models. Especially if you could still only connect a single external monitor via TB3

The so far released M1 Macs are all decidedly entry level. The laptops literally replace machines that already had just two TB3 ports.

The mini notably, doesn't specifically replace the Intel mini completely, it replaces the - you guessed it - entry level i3 model.


Whether or not Apple add back single-use legacy ports to satisfy the whiners is debatable, but the idea that Apple would release a replacement for it's flagship portable with fewer modern ports than the previous model, is crazy, and will absolutely affect sales negatively.

You think it's inconvenient, having to use a HDMI adapter with a USB-C only laptop? How do you think all the people who have invested in current TB3/USB-C technology will react if the new model suddenly won't support their devices at all because it traded TB3 ports for USB-A and HDMI?


Remember this is all a rumour.

Remember just last June, when he claimed the first Arm Macs would be a 13" MBP, and a 24" iMac? Or last March when he said there'd be a new iMac Pro in Q4 2020? What about in Oct 2019 when he claimed an AR headset aimed at the Apple ecosystem (i.e. not specifically made by Apple but endorsed by them/built in collaboration) would come in Q2 2020?

How many "predictions" has he made, which have then been followed by "oh that product is delayed.." and mysteriously never arrives.


Sure, he gets some things right. That doesn't mean he's a sooth seer.

 

[hot-gril]

I do hope that Apple lowers the prices and makes their products more accessible to people. I would actually be much more likely to stay in the Apple ecosystem if products had lower prices. I would be very grateful if they would do this with iPhones as well as iPads and Macs. And throw in the Apple Watch and Apple TV for good measure!!

Used Macs aren't very expensive. Even new Macs aren't really more expensive per year than Windows PCs, given that they realistically last a lot longer, but the upfront cost is high.

 

[GizmoDVD]

You are not wrong but they are PRO laptops after all. If you want thin you can go for Air models. PRO people should be willing to accept fatter machines in favour for more capability and addition of ports and GPU.

I know there is a mini-USB->Ethernet dongle, probably a USB-C ethernet one too. Point is, we don't want to carry dongles. Dongle for HDMI, for Ethernet, For SD card, for USB-A, for AUX...much easier to be built in than carry 4 wires around.

“PRO” means nothing. It might as well say “Neato”. The “PRO” part hasn’t meant anything in well over a decade.

 

[applebro]

So you're saying the SD cards are for not for professionals but for entry level cameras for consumers? Sorry but that trend line is going down too. Makes 0 sense.

I'm sure your parents used the DVD drive when the MacBook Air came out. Look at where we are now.

TIL my a7r3 is an entry level camera lol

 

[SHAUNOH]

Not to mention I have never been more infuriated with a design update that turned changing my volume into a 2 step process I know need to pay close attention to. Function key; press. Done. Ugh.

I have to intervene here, and bare with me for this as this may shock you. If you press and hold on the volume button on the touch bar, it will change to the slider, and no matter where your finger is, you slide it from left to right and it will change the volume up and down. This also works for brightness etc.

 

[throAU]

Yes, but I'm fine using a dongle for ethernet.

Same here, because sooner or later i'm going to be using 2.5, 10, 25 or 40 gig ethernet and thunderbolt will support that. An inbuilt port will not.

 

[Fomalhaut]

“PRO” means nothing. It might as well say “Neato”. The “PRO” part hasn’t meant anything in well over a decade.

Agreed. "Pro" should really be "Plus" - i.e. the machine has some added features or performance that the cheaper models lack. The suitability for professional work has nothing to do with it with the vast majority of users. This has been debated to death over many, many, years.....

I'd like a new MacBook Neato 14 though.....

 

[Galas]

So - serious question - Does anybody still use ethernet?. And could I have an old USB for dongles? Please.

I do, as every other Infosec/Netadmin on my company, and pretty much on any similar company

 

[raccoontail]

Actual "pro" users would welcome a thicker laptop with a plethora of ports. USB-C, USB-A, ethernet, HDMI, 3.5 audio, SD slot and MagSafe would be nice. The extra space could also be used for a bigger battery. Those who want thin can buy a MBA. And now that Apple Silicon macs run iOS apps, ditch the Touch Bar, and offer a touch screen as an option.

 

[blazerunner]

That we need more than one type of interface/connector in the year of 2021 is a failure. One of the biggest failure of the tech industry in fact.

Truth! Apple's largely to blame though; lighting port.

 

[blazerunner]

So - serious question - Does anybody still use ethernet?. And could I have an old USB for dongles? Please.

Yes, I do. In the office and at home. It's way faster.