No reason you can't have a bus-powered USB4 hub.
Except they don't exist, and even the powered ones, are expensive. So, your solution is to buy something that doesn't exist, as opposed to something that is ubiquitous and cheap.
Great talk.
But I get it - people needing external hub/docks adapters is perfectly fine as long as it happens to other people.
Not at all. A big part of the benefit of USB-C/TB3/USB4/TB4 ports is the ability plug in adapters. Before an eGPU, I used a TB3 to Dual DP adapter for 2 4K displays. Imagine that. Two, 4K displays, from one tiny port.
For a while I had the laptop setup as a second machine on the desk, next to the mini, and again, a DP display (using a USB-C to DP cable this time).
I'm not against using hubs or docks or adapters. I'm against adding single use ports that are solved by cheap ubiquitous adapters or cables, at the expense of host-side ports, and being told "just use that non existent hub that's guaranteed to cost north of $200 even if it ever exists oh and good luck if it's ever available in your country".
USB-C to HDMI adapters are ****ing everywhere, thanks in part to the prevalence of USB-C on portable devices.
which don't need to share any resources - into a single port is a bloody stupid idea unless you're making a phone that only has space for one port
or unless you wanted to.. I dunno... support a plethora of downstream devices.
What's your suggestion? They use HDMI and USB type-A ports? What about DisplayPort monitors? Ok what if they use Mini DisplayPort again? Well you still need an adapter for HDMI. One of each? Ok great so this "pro" laptop is limited to one real monitor, and a ****ing tv. What if you want that external PCIe card? Well **** you USB type-A doesn't support that.
Maybe just maybe the stupid thing here isn't the most flexible port the computer industry has ever offered, but the people who insist on using a 20 year old port because their printer still has that type of plug.
because the M1 only supports a single display over Thunderbolt
Besides circular logic of "well the M1 mini does it" what's your logic for this? The behaviour was exactly the same on the intel mini before the M1.
as people keep explaining to you the hardwired HDMI is there on the Mini because the M1 has a hardwired output to drive a laptop display.
Do you know what technology practically every laptop display is connected to the GPU via? eDP. Embedded DisplayPort.
Your theory is, that eDP output can be converted to HDMI just fine and dandy, but it can't be routed to a TB controller?
and #4 has to be HDMI then, frankly, that's a non-issue - most 4k displays have HDMI in, anyhow.
So, again: we're back to losing functionality for
very slight convenience and it's "oh it doesn't matter". Doesn't matter to you maybe.
You think it is remotely plausible that Apple are going to put 2 TB controllers in the entry-level M1 chip and then only put one in the "pro" M1X/M2 chip?
Before this week would you have thought it remotely plausible that Apple would use a magnetically attached power code on a desktop computer, with ethernet in the charging brick?
My point there was not actually that the future models would go back to a 2:1 arrangement, it was that you consider some aspects of apple device history 'conveniently not relevant', while other aspects are a core part of your argument.
the only real question is whether the third port is (a) just a USB port, as per the M1 iMacs (b) sharing a TB controller with port 2 or (c) has a third TB controller. I'm gonna guess (a), but (b) or (c) would solve your display problem...
(a) would raise some serious questions about wtf is going on in Cupertino, when the bottom of the line (ok bottom but 1) All-in-One desktop has more I/O than their top of the line pro laptop.
(b) raises similar questions, if they didn't learn the mistake with the earlier 4-port 13" that had mis-matched port performance
(c) is the least bad scenario if the description in the OP is correct, that doesn't mean it solves all the problems presented.
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