Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ports, and my love/hate for my macbook...

fisherking

fisherking

macrumors G4
Original poster
Jul 16, 2010
11,595
5,980
ny somewhere
13 inch, brand new. really, it's 95% love. but this is what frustrates me: 2 usb ports (am using one with a powered hub). when i travel, need to figure how to connect 3 usb devices (so, i guess, a small hub).

the hate? 2 thunderbolt ports...that i have no use for. i have a really small usb audio DAC for work, a usb music keyboard. and (sigh) a usb dongle.

there ARE no thunderbolt keyboards, no SMALL thunderbolt audio interfaces. so...useless ports. and another small device (the hub) to carry.

thunderbolt never lived up to it's promise, there are not a lot of peripherals. wish we had one more usb port (and one less thunderbolt port). is this everyone's problem? of course not, but...raise your hand if you use either (or both) thunderbolt ports (hmmm...i don't see any raised hands...:rolleyes: )... so it goes.
 
I'm looking at the specs for past MBP's. And except for the 17" models, no models have ever had 3 USB ports. So, historically, you can't blame the lack of a 3rd USB port on Thunderbolt. The people who miss the Ethernet port and Firewire port would strongly disagree that a 3rd USB port be given higher priority. Myself, personally, I find the SDXC slot even less useful than a Thunderbolt port, but I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me on that one (and I would understand why). And actually, the USB and Thunderbolt worlds are converging. The standard Thunderbolt 3 connector is the USB-C connector - the connector on the new MacBooks. The MacBook connector is not Thunderbolt 3 but there's a good chance that that's where it's going. I just ordered a Thunderbolt SSD (blame it on Apple's recent penchant for lack of internal upgradability).
 
fisherking said:
13 inch, brand new. really, it's 95% love. but this is what frustrates me: 2 usb ports (am using one with a powered hub). when i travel, need to figure how to connect 3 usb devices (so, i guess, a small hub).

the hate? 2 thunderbolt ports...that i have no use for. i have a really small usb audio DAC for work, a usb music keyboard. and (sigh) a usb dongle.

there ARE no thunderbolt keyboards, no SMALL thunderbolt audio interfaces. so...useless ports. and another small device (the hub) to carry.

thunderbolt never lived up to it's promise, there are not a lot of peripherals. wish we had one more usb port (and one less thunderbolt port). is this everyone's problem? of course not, but...raise your hand if you use either (or both) thunderbolt ports (hmmm...i don't see any raised hands...:rolleyes: )... so it goes.
Click to expand...

Well then you should have bought something with more USB ports it's not like you didn't know when you bought it.

As for thunderbolt that is the best display connector for 4K and other Hi def external screens, it is also the best way to connect a raid array for those with huge storage needs. I personally use mine more than the USB but then I use neither very often in these days of wireless connectivity.
 
yeah.. current thunderbolts are useless for most of people. Hope they will install classical USBs and Type C USBs.

for my production needs i use everything inside the laptop. Ableton Live makes me to get rid of 99% MIDI keyboard needs, also good headphones will do the job.
 
fisherking said:
there ARE no thunderbolt keyboards,
Click to expand...
Why would there be? There's no need to have a keyboard with that much data bandwidth - unless you're a really really fast typist :)

Thunderbolt is still mostly an Apple only technology and as such peripherals have only been trickling out, and even when they do come out, the cost is prohibitively high..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Samuelsan2001
OllyW said:
I think he's talking about MIDI keyboards. :p
Click to expand...

oops, yes. also, when i say small usb audio devices, i mean something like the apogee groove, or the audioengine D3. i live/work in nyc, so...i do a lot of backpacking. carry my cme keyboard in a shoulder bag, plus my mac. nice to have small, minimal extras.

but a macuser since late 90's, so i know, there's never been more than 2 usb ports. will adapt of course (what else is there to do?) thanx for comments! :cool:
 
fisherking said:
oops, yes. also, when i say small usb audio devices,
Click to expand...
I'm not musically inclined and when I see keyboards, I think of

:p

keyboard.png
 
ctg7w6 said:
Uh no, I like to hook up two monitors at the same time using thunderbolt.
Click to expand...

i get that. i'm really thinking, in a mobile context, how many people carry thunderbolt peripherals? anyway, just ordered this tiny 2-into-1 usb plug (tiny!); will try that with my licenser and midi keyboard, and use the other port for audio...and should be fine.

maflynn, when is that ibm keyboard coming out? it's amazing looking, and i bet i could type text AND play music on it... :cool:
 
Regarding the use of thunderbolt, keep in mind Thunderbolt was never intended for use with small devices. It's intended for use with "pro grade" devices that require a lot of bandwidth.

Think big boxes with lots of harddrives in, or high end audio interfaces.

It provides an absolute ton of bandwidth but is also pricey to implement so not something you're going to find in a low end consumer product.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back