Some of us are more than happy to use a USB adapter, or a a Type-C to Type-A cable, or a Dock or what have you, because we know that port isn't stuck being a USB type-a port for the life of the computer.
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Kuo: New MacBook Pro Models With HDMI Port and SD Card Reader to Launch Later This Year
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Some of us are more than happy to use a USB adapter, or a a Type-C to Type-A cable, or a Dock or what have you, because we know that port isn't stuck being a USB type-a port for the life of the computer.
An HDMI port might require a small case redesign. Here's the 3.5 mm audio jack on the M1 MBP:
To have enough vertical for an HDMI port (4.45 mm) (remember they can't go to the edges -- they need some metal above and below) without making the case thicker, they may do something like what LG does with the Gram, which is to have the flat side extend down more at the back of the case. That way you still have the curved underbelly under most of it so you can grab it from undeneath to pick it up:
To have enough vertical for an HDMI port (4.45 mm) (remember they can't go to the edges -- they need some metal above and below) without making the case thicker, they may do something like what LG does with the Gram, which is to have the flat side extend down more at the back of the case. That way you still have the curved underbelly under most of it so you can grab it from undeneath to pick it up:
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Ok, so I'm a computer professional, I use optical drives (which aren't nearly as obsolete as Apple thinks they are) FAR more than I use SD/CF cards.
But of the professional photographers I've personally worked with, defined as people who make a very good living taking pictures as their only source of income, ALL of them use cameras with SD cards.
Your experience goes rather counter to my own, but that can indeed happen. Every single one of my cameras from a 1DIV to current has had CF, CFast, XQD, or CF Express. Every photographer in my group has bodies that can only support CF, Cfast, XQD, or CF Express. SD is far too slow for these cameras.
Every wedding photographer I know has been on the Canon 5 series line with a few exceptions that had the 1DsIII. So exclusively CF users. CF is far and away been 'the' format for professionals until the CFast vs XQD hiccup that promptly gave way to CF Express due to necessity as no CF card (and of course no SD card) can keep up with 45 MP * 20 FPS.
The new Sony A1 can shoot 50MP stills at 30fps (and 8K video) to SD Cards (UHS-II), so no, it's not too slow. Is CF-Express faster? Yes, and if you are frequently filling your camera's buffer (about 150 RAW photos) it will clear the buffer faster than an SD card.
There probably aren't that many applications where this is a real concern - professional sports and extremely fast-moving wildlife perhaps?
For high-resolution video (>= 4K) at high frame rates? Sure, SD-cards can be too slow with some codecs, but a lot of videographers still use them with hybrid cameras, or the cheaper cinema cameras (e.g. Canon C70/C100).
There only appear to a handful (< a dozen I could find) of current DSLR/Mirrorless cameras that don't use SD at all (e.g. Nikon D6, Canon 1DX), so by elimination, the others are either older cameras (e.g. using Compact Flash) and a couple of XQD offerings (just Nikon?), or use SD cards.
I'm not arguing that CFExpress is not better - just that it still doesn't a huge penetration into the market, except for a few offerings at the very top end of each manufacturer. I'm pretty sure that not every professional photographer is using a Canon 1DXiii, Nikon D6, or whatever else is CFExpress/XQD only. The Canon R5, Nikon Z7, Sony A9 are all cameras regularly used by professionals...and I'll best most users are running SD (not in the Nikon, which uses the now discontinued XQD).
In any case, this all academic. Apple just needs to have a hybrid SD/CFExpress-A slot and everyone is happy. SD will be around for a long time, and CFExpress will (almost certainly) be its successor. SDExpress may enter as a faster evolution to SD to confuse the market
In any case, this all academic. Apple just needs to have a hybrid SD/CFExpress-A slot and everyone is happy. SD will be around for a long time, and CFExpress will (almost certainly) be its successor. SDExpress may enter as a faster evolution to SD to confuse the market
Well a hybrid CF Express A/SD slot would make the Sony people happy, but for everyone else those PCIe lanes could have given us another TB4/USB4 port. I would rather have 6-8 TB4/USB4 ports than any built in card reader. I currently have 6 TB/3 devices and about 16+ USB-C devices. My only cards are XQD and CF Express. I have 0 USB-A devices. I could get use out of HDMI, but only if that isn't taking up PCIe lanes that could be used for another TB4(It shouldn't).
Also you are not using a A1 with SD cards without crippling stills. Even the D500 which is a much older camera has unlimited buffer with XQD but even the fastest SD card limits you to under 50 shots at 20MP. So aye, you can plug a SD card into the A1, but you are buggering it. Z7 users can only use XQD/CF Express. R5 users primary card is CF Express and the camera slows down a lot with SD. I guess if you are just taking carefully composed landscapes then SD will not be a hindrance, that however does not change that it is the backup slot.
MacBook Pro Pro model.
Dell has their Precision line which is their real Professional product for architects, CAD/CAM, etc.
That the MacBook Pro never got a mobile Xeon and mobile Quadro/Fire was always a bit daft to me. It kept being a hybrid between a consumer machine and professional tool, caught between worlds and having to try please both but making things daft for both. The loss of optical audio was a bigger loss than anything else (no one seems to talk about this though), I would love to see that come back and that would mean one less box to connect.
Ethernet ports will not make the laptops too fat. It is not all that much bigger than an HDMI port and would not add to the weight of the machine much at all.
An Ethernet plug is almost twice as thick as an HDMI plug.
Yeah, its a pro-sumer computer and everyone seems to forget that Apple changed their name from Apple Computer..... not a single maxed out MBP has ever actually been a ‘desktop replacement’ for me. In fact even imac is not a desktop replacement
I use them as a companion computer, and no longer have any expectations of them being my only computer [this is for pro CAD / vis etc]
Anyway, based on the above I think SD slot suits the intended level it is at based on all the comments above.
It is really not an issue! You don’t need to worry about a fat laptop. Apple should add the port, and seriously, it will not add much to the heft, you will still be able to carry it with you just as easily
As someone who owned multiple Mac laptops with Ethernet, I’m quite familiar with whether they’re fat. (Compared to a modern MacBook Pro, they are.)
This isn’t gonna happen.
Everybody has their own ideal selection of ports that they want to see in a computer. How does one go with the right mix?
Some "need" HDMI, some don't. Some want it on the right side of the laptop, others prefer it on the left.
Same with the charging port. Should MagSafe be on the left or right? Again, there's not going to be a right answer with this. Does there even need to be MagSafe, considering how M1 MacBooks have now longer battery life. People have gotten by just fine with their iPads not having MagSafe all these years.
Likewise with Ethernet. Some swear by it. Personally, even my home iMac is running purely off wifi. I haven't plugged in an Ethernet cable into any computer in years.
I honestly think that the more ports people want to add back to the MBP, the more sense it makes to just outsource all of them to adaptors and continue to go all-in on USB-C.
This way, there is no "wrong port". People can still continue to get the selection of ports they want with the right adaptor, while also retaining the versatility of deciding whether they want to connect the cable(s) to the right or left side of the laptop. If you want HDMI, there's an adaptor for that. If I don't need ethernet, I don't have one redundant port hanging by the side with me wishing that it were something else instead. If in some part of the people, people are still dealing with VGA or DVI, getting that port is likewise just an adaptor away.
This also makes the device more future proof. If a new port ever goes get released in the future, it's simply a matter of getting the right adaptor for said port.
USB-C was supposed to solve all these issues. I see what Apple was trying to do by going all-in on USB-C, and many times, I just wished that more people would move along with Apple. Especially the self-styled "pros" here who by definition ought to be more tech-savvy and able to handle this sort of transition.
Some "need" HDMI, some don't. Some want it on the right side of the laptop, others prefer it on the left.
Same with the charging port. Should MagSafe be on the left or right? Again, there's not going to be a right answer with this. Does there even need to be MagSafe, considering how M1 MacBooks have now longer battery life. People have gotten by just fine with their iPads not having MagSafe all these years.
Likewise with Ethernet. Some swear by it. Personally, even my home iMac is running purely off wifi. I haven't plugged in an Ethernet cable into any computer in years.
I honestly think that the more ports people want to add back to the MBP, the more sense it makes to just outsource all of them to adaptors and continue to go all-in on USB-C.
This way, there is no "wrong port". People can still continue to get the selection of ports they want with the right adaptor, while also retaining the versatility of deciding whether they want to connect the cable(s) to the right or left side of the laptop. If you want HDMI, there's an adaptor for that. If I don't need ethernet, I don't have one redundant port hanging by the side with me wishing that it were something else instead. If in some part of the people, people are still dealing with VGA or DVI, getting that port is likewise just an adaptor away.
This also makes the device more future proof. If a new port ever goes get released in the future, it's simply a matter of getting the right adaptor for said port.
USB-C was supposed to solve all these issues. I see what Apple was trying to do by going all-in on USB-C, and many times, I just wished that more people would move along with Apple. Especially the self-styled "pros" here who by definition ought to be more tech-savvy and able to handle this sort of transition.
I have also owned many laptops, Apple and otherwise, and it has never been a problem. When Apple removed DVD drives from their laptops it did made them a lot lighter, so this was a good thing. But an Ethernet port is really a non-issue, they can add it back without dramatically increasing the size and weight.
Totally agree and i am more than happy with the way things are.
‘the problem is nothing ever suits everyone so there needs to be that middle ground that allows flexibility.
The perfect computer for my use actually doesn’t exist, but no point me complaining about the MBP not meeting my needs when it sells to a huge amount of people. They obviously have something right.....
But who exactly needs it is the bigger question.
you obviously do, I have never had any want at all for one, and was glad to see the back of them.
The only time I need a port is when I’m debugging my cable modem. Dongle works fine for that. No Ethernet port please. Every laptop with such a port is needlessly bulky.
I think adding an Ethernet port would make the Mac thicker than it needs to be. I have no problem using a Ethernet to USB-C dongle. HDMI and SD card reader ports are things I have no use for.
When I am out and about, WiFi suits me very well because it is wireless; connnecting to and disconnecting from networks is a breeze. I enjoy it very much.
When I am at home or in the office, though, my laptop is on a desk, in a fixed location, and I appreciate the speed and stability of a wired connection. So I do have a use for an Ethernet port, and I hope to see one on the new MacBook computers. For everyone else, it really would not take up much space, and it would not add much to the weight or size of the machines. Don’t take anything away from people, but add something that increases utility. I am not asking for anything to be taken away from anyone!
This is absolutely on point. Very well said.
Onboard HDMI (as Apple has implemented it for the last few years) is the most egregious, as it’s not just “don’t use it if you don’t want it” - it gets a dedicated video output, so if you want to use the maximum displays the computer supports, you have to use HDMI for one of them.