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Let's be honest: This is an iCloud push.

E

Essenar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 24, 2008
553
186
USB-C: You cannot connect external storage at the same time as you charge your MacBook. This essentially means, if you're the type of person who likes to maintain a live storage back-up and keep larger files off your "completely not upgrade friendly" limited flash storage, you have to use a USB or Thunderbolt port to access those files.

Power users or at least, professional users are going to want to use their MacBook plugged in so that when they finally leave their workstation, they'll have battery for the road.

So what's your only option? Cloud storage. But conveniently, Apple's cloud storage syncs much better with Apple devices and your mobile iOS devices. What a coincidence that USB-C adapters are starting out at $79.99 when iCloud storage upgrades can be had for as "little" as $47.99 per year for 200 GB.

Apple wants us off external drives. They want us in the cloud. There'd be no reason to push such a thin, small device that requires only one port unless they not only wanted the smaller form factor, but WANTED the consequences of what you lose. And these consequences generate more revenue for them. So of course they'd toss out Thunderbolt/USB 3.0.
 
The rub is that this also prohibits the use of an external monitor. Don't they want to sell us monitors?
 
flur said:
The rub is that this also prohibits the use of an external monitor. Don't they want to sell us monitors?
Click to expand...

No. They want you to buy this MacBook for the road and a Retina iMac for home.
 
swordfish5736 said:
this comes with 256gb of storage standard, more than the macbook air. It also looks like they are selling multi-port adapters that provide a type c charging port, VGA or HDMI port, and a USB 3.1 gen 1 port.

So you could easily connect multiple devices while charging.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter




hows that?
Click to expand...

Now tell me how to connect that to my Thunderbolt display with only one adapter. I'll wait.

Also, it's $79. Let that sink in. It's $79. Who cares if it has 256? I need a $79 adapter to connect it to my flash drive.
 
it's macbook, not air, not pro. they're billing this as a base model macbook. only ridiculous thing is that it costs more than the more advanced models.
 
Essenar said:
Now tell me how to connect that to my Thunderbolt display with only one adapter. I'll wait.

Also, it's $79. Let that sink in. It's $79. Who cares if it has 256? I need a $79 adapter to connect it to my flash drive.
Click to expand...

we may see a type c to mdp adapter who knows.


lol, you didn't see the $19 type c -> 3.1 adapter did you?
 
Essenar said:
So what's your only option? Cloud storage. But conveniently, Apple's cloud storage syncs much better with Apple devices and your mobile iOS devices.
Click to expand...

...Except, Apple's iCloud solution is a copy, not remote storage, so it doesn't solve the problem. If you put 256GB in the cloud, you've used an extra 256GB local.

The current state of Apple cloud storage doesn't make me happy.
 
Essenar said:
USB-C: You cannot connect external storage at the same time as you charge your MacBook.
Click to expand...
flur said:
The rub is that this also prohibits the use of an external monitor. Don't they want to sell us monitors?
Click to expand...
Yes, you can connect external storage and a display, with a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter
Essenar said:
Now tell me how to connect that to my Thunderbolt display with only one adapter. I'll wait.
Click to expand...
As they have done in the past, Apple will likely release an adapter for that in the very near future.
 
Erphern said:
...Except, Apple's iCloud solution is a copy, not remote storage, so it doesn't solve the problem. If you put 256GB in the cloud, you've used an extra 256GB local.

The current state of Apple cloud storage doesn't make me happy.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong but I don't think thats the case with iCloud drive
 
GGJstudios said:
As they have done in the past, Apple will likely release an adapter for that in the very near future.
Click to expand...

There's no adapter to enable the use of Thunderbolt devices with anything other than native Thunderbolt ports.
 
m11rphy said:
I could be wrong but I don't think thats the case with iCloud drive
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you are wrong.

If, for example, you have three computers associated with your Apple ID (with iCloud Drive enabled), and on one of them you put 100GB in iCloud Drive, then all your computers will download that 100GB - so you'll have used 400GB of local storage and 100GB of cloud storage.

It doesn't scale - it's really awful. Now, if Apple makes things more granular so you can choose what gets downloaded and what lives in the cloud, then that'd be just peachy.
 
People gotta stop viewing this thing as a full on laptop replacement. Its an iPad like device that's capable of more productivity functions.

Think about an iPad use case, now remember the time you wished it had a keyboard, or it was better at multi tasking. Boom, get this.

It's not designed to be used as laptop that you can plug into a monitor, hook up to power, and do some serious work on for a few hours. For that, there's MBA and rMBP.

For example, my current apple line up is:
iPhone 6, iPad, MBA, iMac

But since i don't need to WORK on the go, future apple line up will be:
iPhone 7 Plus, this Macbook, and iMac.
 
Erphern said:
Unfortunately, you are wrong.

If, for example, you have three computers associated with your Apple ID (with iCloud Drive enabled), and on one of them you put 100GB in iCloud Drive, then all your computers will download that 100GB - so you'll have used 400GB of local storage and 100GB of cloud storage.

It doesn't scale - it's really awful. Now, if Apple makes things more granular so you can choose what gets downloaded and what lives in the cloud, then that'd be just peachy.
Click to expand...

Except it won't in future. "Photos" (Photos.app for OS X, that's in beta) gives you the OPTION per device of storing locally small, standard, or fullsize versions. The small ones take minimal space on any device.

This will be rolled-out to other apps eventually, when Apple make sure it's scalable by testing it with Photos.app first. Patience, I'm afraid.

----------
MoreAwesomeDanU said:
People gotta stop viewing this thing as a full on laptop replacement. Its an iPad like device that's capable of more productivity functions.

Think about an iPad use case, now remember the time you wished it had a keyboard, or it was better at multi tasking. Boom, get this.

It's not designed to be used as laptop that you can plug into a monitor, hook up to power, and do some serious work on for a few hours. For that, there's MBA and rMBP.

For example, my current apple line up is:
iPhone 6, iPad, MBA, iMac

But since i don't need to WORK on the go, future apple line up will be:
iPhone 7 Plus, this Macbook, and iMac.
Click to expand...

Pretty much agree, except you can hook-up to display+peripherals concurrently WITH adaptors. A MiniDP one will come soon enough as the specs say it can support 4K (only at 30Hz, though).
 
People won't use iCloud, they'll use Dropbox, like they've always done, because Dropbox is a better product.

So it wouldn't be to Apple's benefit.
 
MoreAwesomeDanU said:
People gotta stop viewing this thing as a full on laptop replacement. Its an iPad like device that's capable of more productivity functions.

Think about an iPad use case, now remember the time you wished it had a keyboard, or it was better at multi tasking. Boom, get this.

It's not designed to be used as laptop that you can plug into a monitor, hook up to power, and do some serious work on for a few hours. For that, there's MBA and rMBP.

For example, my current apple line up is:
iPhone 6, iPad, MBA, iMac

But since i don't need to WORK on the go, future apple line up will be:
iPhone 7 Plus, this Macbook, and iMac.
Click to expand...

Soooo... do you think this will cut into the already saturated tablet market?
 
MoreAwesomeDanU said:
People gotta stop viewing this thing as a full on laptop replacement. Its an iPad like device that's capable of more productivity functions.

Think about an iPad use case, now remember the time you wished it had a keyboard, or it was better at multi tasking. Boom, get this.

It's not designed to be used as laptop that you can plug into a monitor, hook up to power, and do some serious work on for a few hours. For that, there's MBA and rMBP.

For example, my current apple line up is:
iPhone 6, iPad, MBA, iMac

But since i don't need to WORK on the go, future apple line up will be:
iPhone 7 Plus, this Macbook, and iMac.
Click to expand...

So the $300 cheaper device is more of a full size computer? And really, if it's not a full size computer, why did they even make it? They already had an iPad with a retina screen.

They even said, "We're reinventing the notebook." No you're not. You're reinventing the iPad because that's not a full computer by everyone else's admission. You have to have an octopus of cables and adapters sticking out of it to use it like a computer.
 
jimthing said:
Pretty much agree, except you can hook-up to display+peripherals concurrently WITH adaptors. A MiniDP one will come soon enough as the specs say it can support 4K (only at 30Hz, though).
Click to expand...

I never said it can't... I meant its not optimized to be used in such fashions.

baypharm said:
Soooo... do you think this will cut into the already saturated tablet market?
Click to expand...

I believe it's the beginning of apple's plan to eventually merge OSX and iOS. Except unlike Microsoft with the whole surface and Win8 push, they are doing it slowly, over a longer period of time.

With phones getting so big, tablets are already stuck in an awkward "good to have" zone. You don't really need an iPad to read or browse when your phone is only a few inches smaller... It's nicer, but i don't need it. Yet when you're doing some extensive browsing or paper writing, a laptop is SO much better than a tablet (keyboard, multi tasking capabilities, etc)

Think about it, this thing is pre-configed (storage options for iphone/iPad), and comes in 3 colors (again, same with ipad/iphone), you have 1 plug for everything, and charge it maybe once a day (again, same with ipad/iphone). The minute you throw iOS and touch screen on it, its an iPad air + keyboard.

Its definitely more of a "workhorse" iPad than "a more portable" laptop.
 
flur said:
The rub is that this also prohibits the use of an external monitor. Don't they want to sell us monitors?
Click to expand...

They only sell a thunderbolt model, which is not compatible at all with this macbook. The hdmi is just for giving powerpoint presentations. It is mirror only.

----------
MoreAwesomeDanU said:
People gotta stop viewing this thing as a full on laptop replacement. Its an iPad like device that's capable of more productivity functions.

Think about an iPad use case, now remember the time you wished it had a keyboard, or it was better at multi tasking. Boom, get this.

It's not designed to be used as laptop that you can plug into a monitor, hook up to power, and do some serious work on for a few hours. For that, there's MBA and rMBP.

For example, my current apple line up is:
iPhone 6, iPad, MBA, iMac

But since i don't need to WORK on the go, future apple line up will be:
iPhone 7 Plus, this Macbook, and iMac.
Click to expand...

I would agree, but it is priced at a laptop price. Not just any laptop price. It's at 13" macbook pro retina level price.

Give it less storage and ram and put it at ipad prices, and it becomes an interesting ipad alternative.
 
Essenar said:
No. They want you to buy this MacBook for the road and a Retina iMac for home.
Click to expand...

They want you to buy every single product in their lineup. Lol. iMac for Monday, MacBook Air for Tuesday, MacBook Pro for Wednesday, MacBook for Thursday, Mac Pro for Friday, ipad for Saturday, Mac mini for Sunday. And iphone And Apple watch for every day of the week!
 
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