There's still a chance the touch bar MBPs could support optical audio out. It's possible the functionality was only taken out of this low end MBP model (along with the touch bar, extra ports, etc) to keep the point of entry as low as possible. Though admittedly then I don't know why this model deserves the name "pro".
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New MacBook Pro Models Lack Optical Audio Out via Headphone Jack
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This is kinda disappointing. Seems they have some up with a gimmick to separate the laptop from the rest of the pack, although Touch ID integration is good even though finger print unlocking of laptops has existed for years, and they removed features for thinness and increased the price to make mor profits.
He new MacBook Pro certainly represents dreadful value for money even for Pros, Phil Schiller went to great lengths to say the things they had done for Pros during the launch event, shame he never said what they removed for Pros...
I cannot wait to find out what they've removed from the four grand 15" model....
He new MacBook Pro certainly represents dreadful value for money even for Pros, Phil Schiller went to great lengths to say the things they had done for Pros during the launch event, shame he never said what they removed for Pros...
I cannot wait to find out what they've removed from the four grand 15" model....
Optical cables have much more potential over copper wire, the limitations with only doing 5.1 lossy audio is the lack of industry support, as that limitation is by the electronics not the cable itself.
...The Thunderbolt spec. will go to 100G, but only with optical cables. Optical cables are also currently used for longer connections for TB and with Gb Ethernet. As far as I know, no blu-ray players have this connection anymore, so that's it.
Someday I hope the entire electronics industry will ditch copper wire and fully utilize optical wiring, then maybe they can get the price of optics down.
Seriously. With all the stuff this guy has around. They use this cheap@$$ HD
Just wondering what your doing that pushes past the physical 16GB limit? I have 16GB in my 2015, and I run VMware Fusion with 2012 server, Windows 10, Windows 7, and 8.1 for testing. I setup an AD domain on the 2012, and networked the other 3 os's to it. I even did a semi prone to failure network routing with the server to feed internet traffic from the MacBook WiFi so any network I am on I can get WiFi access to pass thru, while still keeping a separate network for the VM's. Again semi prone to failure
So my TV, my PS4, my Amazon Fire TV, my surround sound amp all have optical, but Apple say no because in their marketing talk opinion 'no one uses it'. In fact I believe a lot of TVs have the ports as do a lot of home AV kits, the sort of kit Apple customers own...
Meh it doesn't matter as you can't plug the new MacBoo Pro,into any AV kit or TVs anyway..... without a dongle....
Meh it doesn't matter as you can't plug the new MacBoo Pro,into any AV kit or TVs anyway..... without a dongle....
You can't be seriously saying that even the newest and fastest SD cards & slots are just as good as the transfer speeds of a portable external Thunderbolt 3 SSD?
Nope, it's a deal breaker for me. I use the optical out all the time.
Seriously. With all the stuff this guy has around. They use this cheap@$$ HD
Just wondering what your doing that pushes past the physical 16GB limit? I have 16GB in my 2015, and I run VMware Fusion with 2012 server, Windows 10, Windows 7, and 8.1 for testing. I setup an AD domain on the 2012, and networked the other 3 os's to it. I even did a semi prone to failure network routing with the server to feed internet traffic from the MacBook WiFi so any network I am on I can get WiFi access to pass thru, while still keeping a separate network for the VM's. Again semi prone to failure
I do 3D art - my pipeline needs every single bit of ram, every core, and every cycle i can throw at it. I don't expect to have the performance of my desktop when I travel, but going over 16Gb makes a major difference in Poser; at 32Gb, I can have everything open, instead of 1 product at a time.
This is all on, for the most part, hobbyist (Poser, Daz Studio (for exporting DS content only), Adobe Elements, Acrobat[Full]) and professional (Zbrush, Vue, software (Poser).
Keep in mind, I am not by any stretch a 3D professional, I just like making comics for my own amusement.
Apple appears to have removed optical audio output support from the headphone jack on its new 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys, suggesting it is unlikely to have made the transition in the Touch Bar equipped models either.
Optical audio output is used to link Macs to home theater setups and A/V systems capable of multi-channel surround sound, by way of a mini TOSlink adapter connected to the 3.5mm jack.
The removal of optical audio was first noted by AppleInsider, after it was discovered that Apple's technical specifications for the headphone jack no longer mentions support for "audio line out (digital/analog)".
Removal of the standard was confirmed by comparing the System Profiler report on a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which makes no mention of S/PDIF Optical Digital Audio Output, against reports on 2015 models, which do.
Support for optical audio out, as it appears on a 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro
When queried about the removal, Apple said the feature was dropped due to a lack of customers using the functionality, noting that "plenty of USB-C zero-latency professional peripherals are available now, or coming very soon" with optical audio out connectivity.
The phasing out of the standard from the new MacBook Pro models follows a trend that began with the Apple TV. Apple ditched the optical audio port on the fourth generation Apple TV in favor of a USB-C port, preventing users from connecting headphones directly to the device.
Article Link: New MacBook Pro Models Lack Optical Audio Out via Headphone Jack
It's so frustrating this. I use the optical out all the time when moving my notebook from studio to studio. I can quickly plugin to a real good digital to audio connector with just one cable and without disrupting another machine (as in takining it's USB interface out). We use this for playing stuff back through our in studio converters. Now what?
I'm hoping that they do, but I'm not holding my breath. Unfortunately, my email to Mr. Schiller after the last event regarding this exact subject has gone unanswered.
I use the optical output on my 2012 MBP every day as it is the primary connection between the MBP and an audio DAC. If the output is gone, I guess I have these options, each of which will cost me $$:
1. Add the USB board to my DAC and hope that the audio quality is close to Toslink. Manufacturer says no and so do many audiophiles, but I'd be willing to give it try. Would have to buy and install the "upgrade" and, ideally, find a USB-C to USB-B cable (since USB-B ports seem to be the "standard" for hardware like this).
2. Get a USB-Toslink "adapter" and continue to use Toslink, though I'd have to get a Toslink adapter: New MBP --> USB-C to USB-A adapter --> USB-to-Toslink adapter --> mini-Toslink to Toslink adapter --> existing cable --> DAC. Wow.
Good job! Seriously.
Everyone else here complaining should do the same thing and just get on with life instead of whining for things you'll never get. Instead of hanging around MR whining in every article, get a PC and move on.
That's actually what makes you an amateur photographer and an end consumer. Professionals aren't stopping their photo shoots to empty their cards onto another device. They're swapping cards and continuing the shoot. Wifi is a convenience feature and marketing bullet point, not a professional necessity.
Some of us really need a powerful machine. In you case I think an iPad 1 will be enough .
Too many compromises.
Anyway, the problem(s) here is not just with the MacBook Pro. Many users/customers are also furious with Apple's reluctance to update/upgrade important devices in their ecosystem and their inability to give enough options. And I am not talking about iMac.
Trying to convince pro users that 16GB is all they need, that having all these small USB-C adaptors for even basic stuff you should take for standard is cool, that a 15" screen in front of their big expensive monitors doesn't hurt, that WiFi is better than wired ethernet, etc isn't going to cut it.
And just because I still like the better-than-nothing MacOSX system/platform more than say Windows, doesn't mean I have to defend Apple on everything. Neither do I care if they make billions as a company selling overpriced machines that become less and less relevant. I could see them in a few years selling new i5-powered, 8GB RAM laptops made of Swarovski crystal in airports at 10,000 USD (i.e. 18,000 EUR if you are in Europe), next to those gold/diamond Android 4.x smartphones.
Anyway, the problem(s) here is not just with the MacBook Pro. Many users/customers are also furious with Apple's reluctance to update/upgrade important devices in their ecosystem and their inability to give enough options. And I am not talking about iMac.
Trying to convince pro users that 16GB is all they need, that having all these small USB-C adaptors for even basic stuff you should take for standard is cool, that a 15" screen in front of their big expensive monitors doesn't hurt, that WiFi is better than wired ethernet, etc isn't going to cut it.
And just because I still like the better-than-nothing MacOSX system/platform more than say Windows, doesn't mean I have to defend Apple on everything. Neither do I care if they make billions as a company selling overpriced machines that become less and less relevant. I could see them in a few years selling new i5-powered, 8GB RAM laptops made of Swarovski crystal in airports at 10,000 USD (i.e. 18,000 EUR if you are in Europe), next to those gold/diamond Android 4.x smartphones.
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Every detail that comes out about this new Mac makes it worse and worse and worse.
I ordered a new model because my old one was past its useful life. But I really wish I could skip this generation.
I have a feeling the suits at Apple realized they went too far, and the next gen will have current gen processors, OLED displays, and fix all of these cheap corners Apple cut. (2 underpowered ports, etc.)
I ordered a new model because my old one was past its useful life. But I really wish I could skip this generation.
I have a feeling the suits at Apple realized they went too far, and the next gen will have current gen processors, OLED displays, and fix all of these cheap corners Apple cut. (2 underpowered ports, etc.)