Stolen MacBook Pro Schematics Confirm Apple's Plans to Add More Ports and Remove Touch Bar

[Tozovac]

I dunno, probably about as clever as pretending that a $200+ non existent portable usb4 hub is an equally valid suggestion as a $7 USB type-a adapter or $15 USB-c to HDMI adapter?

I told you already I’m done discussing this with you, so congratulations on war and peace pt deux, I’m sure it’s a wonderful tale of misleading claims and biased assumptions.

Flexibility=convenience to me.

Once again for the fifth time maybe? It’s less the cost it’s about convenience. Who will decide whose convenience is more important? Yours? Mine? Or what if there were ports of both types. Then you with your hub would be all set, as would I with my MacBook. Voila!

 

[GizmoDVD]

They never should’ve removed MagSafe. I’m always weary of tripping over my cord and pulling my MBP off the table. One of the best designs for a laptop.

who keeps their laptop plugged in all the time? The battery life is crazy long now.

Shame we’ll get stuck with these new POS machines for the next few years. Charging on either side with a cable EVERYONE has is great. This is a step backwards

 

[Tozovac]

who keeps their laptop plugged in all the time? The battery life is crazy long now.

Shame we’ll get stuck with these new POS machines for the next few years. Charging on either side with a cable EVERYONE has is great. This is a step backwards

Who assumes they’re keeping their laptop plugged in all the time?

How are you so certain that the existence of a MagSafe port will displace a data port.

I will go on record that I’d be shocked if HDMI returns. That does seem like a step back. I won’t pitch a fit if it does, but I’d just be surprised.

 

[sprague.rod]

USB C is the best thing to happen to device charging in decades.

I absolutely DO NOT WANT to return to proprietary chargers and connectors. Apple, hope the Magsafe is optional and this will remain chargeable from a USB C port.

I'm not sure that the people who had their laptop dragged off the table by a passing dog/cat/child would agree with you on that. It wasn't called MagSafe for nothing. I know mine has been saved from a tumble a few times by the easily detachable connection.

 

[HVDynamo]

What a self-martyring take. The fact that you can buy a $6 cable and move on with your life and be compatible with the next decade’s worth of computers isn’t good enough for you? You require that Apple continue to support old technologies forever? When would it be okay with you for Apple to drop USB-A? 2050? 2100? When you, personally, have finally replaced all your peripherals with USB-C connectors? When USB-D comes out?

There are two types of people in life. Those who need to complain about problems, and those who solve them. Here there is a simple solution.

A computer with a USB-C port is already capable of the future you speak of. No need to not have some other common ports still around. That doesn't impact the USB-C function that is ALSO there. You're posturing here is absolutely ridiculous, it's not about when I personally don't need an old peripheral it's when the ENTIRE INDUSTRY has moved on from it in a sufficient quantity. At this time THEY HAVEN'T... Why is that so hard for you all to understand. I'm not asking that they bring back the Firewire ports or Floppy discs because it is actually true that almost no one uses those anymore. But USB-A and HDMI are still EVERYWHERE... You seem to act like USB-A is dead when it absolutely isn't.

There's also the 3rd type of people, those that can't envision any one else using any device in a way different than how they do. Why should I have to buy a $6 cable for something that could just be plugged in to the computer directly? How many $6 cables do you have to buy before you realize you've now spent a decent amount of money on something that just worked before without spending anything extra? I'm all for progress, but we need some transition time for something like USB.

 

[Rodan52]

Let's face it folks the internet has become a hostile environment, not that corporate espionage hasn't been around forever cyberattacks are constant and ongoing. Just ask your bank how many attacks they fend off in a day. I mean this is MacRumors after all.
As for the details, I personally prefer the MagSafe connection its saved my MBP from being dragged off the table by passing dogs, cats and small children a number of times not tho mention absent mindedly picking the device up and walking off with it when it was connected to the charger, thats why it's called MagSafe. Then there's the indicator light, remember those times you quickly plugged in your device to charge only to find a couple of hours later that someone had unplugged the charger at the wall. Or when you plug it in to charge only to get the green light informing you it's already charged, invaluable.

 

[CasualFanboy]

Dang people. Not like MR stole the information themselves. I fully expect them to report this information if they have obtained it. This is journalism. Has anyone heard about the Pentagon Papers?

Plus is just a friggin up coming MacBook Pro schematic! Not like they are reporting out secret government nuclear sites that enemies can attack or something! Lighten up folks!

Shhhhhhhhh.....

If it weren't for pearl clutchers, where would we get our easy lulz?

 

[CasualFanboy]

I think a lot of people on this forum perhaps do not know a lot of history.

The freedom to post about trade secrets is NOT why Karl Marx wrote the Constitution.

 

[Arctic Moose]

But why do you care so much that a port go away?

I care much more about HDMI going away, because until it does, the expectance from conference organizers and and monitor manufacturers that pretty much any computer that needs to connect will be equipped with only USB-C will not materialize.

This is of course not solely on Apple. Dell, Lenovo and HP need to be onboard as well, and this failure is primarily on them.

Also, as far as number of Thunderbolt ports is concerned, I'll simply refer to the excellent argumentation by @Stephen.R in this thread.

What did it ever do to you?

Exist.

If you don't want to use it then DON'T.

Oh, I try my best, trust me.

It being there does nothing to cause you pain.

But it does. Its existence means that to this day many peripherals I would otherwise buy are still only offered with a legacy non-reversible connector on their permanently attached cables.

There is no reason, whatsoever for you all to get so upset over a port being included on a laptop.

Also, it is offensively thick, non-symmetric and ugly.

But USB-A is still very much ubiquitous, and it's dumb as **** to remove ubiquitous ports on a portable laptop if there is physical room to include them.

Besides the above, if it exists at the expense of something more useful, it sure as hell is not.

 

[GizmoDVD]

I'm not sure that the people who had their laptop dragged off the table by a passing dog/cat/child would agree with you on that. It wasn't called MagSafe for nothing. I know mine has been saved from a tumble a few times by the easily detachable connection.

MagSafe hasn’t been a thing for several years and things seem OK

 

[theluggage]

Also who uses that term lol. I am an English major and fix people's speeches all the time to make them sound more smart and I would lol if someone put that in.

I thank you for the invaluable feedback on my English and, in the future, I shall endeavour to employ a diminished vocabulary while incorporating more terms such as “lol” in order to make myself sound “more smart”.

 

[Arctic Moose]

when the ENTIRE INDUSTRY has moved on from it in a sufficient quantity. At this time THEY HAVEN'T...

And they WON'T until a number of big players lead the way. Chicken and egg.

Firewire ports or Floppy discs because it is actually true that almost no one uses those anymore.

If nobody ever killed floppy disks or firewire ports they would still exist. (I very can still vividly recall the uproar when the iMac was introduced without SCSI. Whaa, whaa, what about my expensive scanner?)

 

[Stephen.R]

Who will decide whose convenience is more important? Yours? Mine?

For the last time. You can adapt a TB3 port to a USB type-a port, with very minor inconvenience. You cannot adapt a USB-A or HDMI port or SD card slot to a TB3 port, regardless of how much inconvenience you're willing to go through.

Or are you suggesting that "inconvenience" people like myself should live with, is to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub, with our laptop? Because you don't want to use a USB type-a adapter? Is that really your suggestion here?

Or what if there were ports of both types.

As if all of Apple's history on the topic wasn't enough evidence, the schematic discussed in this very thread already shows TB3 ports removed, and HDMI port/SD slot added. Adding other ports will mean removing TB3 ports. That isn't in question. So again, your solution is for me to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub? Is that correct?

Then you with your hub would be all set

I don't have a hub, because I don't need one, because every Mac I've bought recently has had 4 TB3 ports on it.

who keeps their laptop plugged in all the time? The battery life is crazy long now.

I guess the next big thing will be MagSafe for an AC wall wart because a USB4 hub is apparently how people are supposed to get any decent I/O out of these things.

How are you so certain that the existence of a MagSafe port will displace a data port.

I will go on record that I’d be shocked if HDMI returns. That does seem like a step back. I won’t pitch a fit if it does, but I’d just be surprised.

Maybe he ****ing read the original post?

On the right side of the machine, there's a visible HDMI port, accompanied by a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and followed by an SD Card reader. The left side features two additional USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe charging slot, for a total of three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports instead of four as we have today.

And even that post/article assumes that all three USB-C ports are TB3/TB4 capable, which is not necessarily the case.

I'm not sure that the people who had their laptop dragged off the table by a passing dog/cat/child would agree with you on that. It wasn't called MagSafe for nothing. I know mine has been saved from a tumble a few times by the easily detachable connection.

Having a magnetic detachable charge cord is not a problem. It's a good idea. It's such a good idea, that USB-C accessory makers have been adding that concept to USB-C charge cables.

So those who want a detachable cable, can have it, and still charge on any port (or downstream USB PD port, on e.g. a portable hub). Literally everyone wins. Do you know what's required to change for this scenario? Literally nothing. You can buy a magnetic USB-C charge cable today.

MagSafe power adapters have a horrible tendency to fray the cord at the stress points, and because it's an Apple-only thing, you can't just e.g. swap to a different cable like with a USB-C charging system, or go buy a USB-C charge cable from any local store.

No need to not have some other common ports still around. That doesn't impact the USB-C function that is ALSO there.

So you also didn't read the original post?

On the right side of the machine, there's a visible HDMI port, accompanied by a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and followed by an SD Card reader. The left side features two additional USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe charging slot, for a total of three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports instead of four as we have today.

The only way the new port arrangement works out better, is if you (a) always have at least one TB3 port spare now, or (b) need exactly one HDMI and one SD. Any other combination of port use, and you're worse off or no better than before.

No need to not have some other common ports still around. That doesn't impact the USB-C function that is ALSO there.

So you're punter #3 who hasn't read the original post?

On the right side of the machine, there's a visible HDMI port, accompanied by a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and followed by an SD Card reader. The left side features two additional USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe charging slot, for a total of three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports instead of four as we have today.

There's also the 3rd type of people, those that can't envision any one else using any device in a way different than how they do.

The people who demand a port that does exactly what they want, and nothing else? Amirite?

How many $6 cables do you have to buy before you realize you've now spent a decent amount of money on something that just worked before without spending anything extra?

Well at most the MBP17 had 3 USB2.0 Type-A ports. There have never been more than 2 USB3.x Type-A ports on a Mac laptop... So.. I mean math isn't my strong suit here.. But... um.. $12?

but we need some transition time for something like USB.

That's fine. Take all the time in the world, seriously. A MBP15 from 2016 still works with USB-C devices (including adapters and alt-mode cables) produced now, 5 years later. A 2021 MBP's USB-C ports will work with USB-C adapters and alt-mode cables produced in 2016. They'll continue to work for the foreseeable future. USB Type-A lasted about 20 years, in terms of how long it's in a current spec (I don't doubt that some people will be using it in some fashion for years to come). If USB-C lasts as long, you've got another 15 or so years of compatibility ahead of you with a USB-C port.

I personally prefer the MagSafe connection its saved my MBP from being dragged off the table by passing dogs, cats and small children a number of times not tho mention absent mindedly picking the device up and walking off with it when it was connected to the charger, thats why it's called MagSafe

If they literally added back MagSafe, (or the new iMac magnetic power lead, which has data channels for ethernet, maybe other things?) and it didn't affect USB-C charging, or the number/function of USB-C ports, I don't think many would complain. Some might argue about it being un-symmetrical, and I think most of us would ridicule them for such comments.

The risk with wanting Apple to "add" anything is that they typically don't make changes like that. If they add something, it typically means they'll also remove something else.

 

[Arctic Moose]

Also, it is offensively thick, non-symmetric and ugly.

Some might argue about it being un-symmetrical, and I think most of us would ridicule them for such comments.

Go on, do your best, I can take it. I think.

 

[Stephen.R]

I've seen a number of people saying things like "I just want one USB-A port, but no I don't see a need for HDMI" or "I still need HDMI for a projector.. But no why would I want SD?" or "I use the SD slot all the time, but USB-A is over for me" (not actual quotes I don't think, of anyone specifically, but the sentiments are most definitely represented in a number of these threads).

All of these people are the perfect example of why standardising on a single, adaptable port, gives the most flexibility for the most customers. Have you noticed how no one says "I can't connect my 2016-2020 MBP to <device>" (well not if they're being honest). They absolutely can.

Keyboard issues aside, a 2016 MBP would have no issues in most 2021 workflows that require some form of external I/O. It supports 2 5K displays with 2 ports to spare, or four 4K displays, also with 2 ports to spare if you wish, or you-name-it external TB3 driven/adapted devices.

Try that with the fabled 2015 MBP. How do you like 30Hz HDMI? Or an SD slot attached internally via USB2? Or a 5K display that needs two cables and takes up your only two high-speed ports?


Plenty of port/cable types aren't likely to ever adopt a USB-C cable/connector, so some use-cases will need to use an adapter. But that adapter can be unplugged and you can use something different, if you need to. We've seen what happens with the alternative, having a 'variety' of single-use ports and very few really flexible ports:
do your needs happen to differ from what's deemed "common"? well tough luck.
do you happen to have a slightly older machine and want to use it with newer accessories? well tough luck.
do you happen to have some older accessories and and want to use them with your new laptop? well tough luck.

 

[Premal212]

@Stephen.R

Fully agree, the joys of having four ports that do everything on my machine is fab, I have plenty of dongles and connectors so something will always work.

I know if I'm on the road / rush I can just take my SD Card Reader and iPad and transferring pictures from my DSLR is a breeze. Let's face it there's no way an iPad would ever ever house an SD Slot so I will always need to own one of them - no matter what. Just makes sense for me to just use that as an adaptor, I have loads, whats the issue...

Need to charge the iPad and MBP on the train, no issue I only need one charger, want to quickly connect my display to my iPad when I'm at the misses place, no issue, only need one cable.

Life is so much easier with USB C

 

[theluggage]

And they WON'T until a number of big players lead the way. Chicken and egg.

Apple removed the VGA port in... heck, sometime before the Intel switch (ISTR the first Macbook Pros had full-size DVI ports!?) and VGA yet you'll still probably need to carry a VGA adapter around if you're giving presentations. They're still around because, however much better HDMI is, VGA will cope fine with an 800x600 data projector and people don't throw away perfectly good hardware just to get the latest port. Having a VGA port in a MBP would actually be pretty convenient for many people, but OTOH making the laptop 1/2" thick to accommodate it, plus all the DAC gubbins to get that nice "warm" fuzzy analogue effect, would be pretty inconvenient - so you have to draw the line somewhere.

USB 3 isn't anywhere like as outdated as VGA was when Apple dropped it. In fact, the USB3 used by the vast majority of USB-C peripherals is the exact same USB 3 that you'd get out of a USB A/B port (which can take USB 3.1gen2 as well). HDMI is still being actively developed for new resolutions, HDR etc. and you don't get "better" HDMI out of a USB-C port -you just need a (more expensive & active rather than passive) adapter to get back (hopefully) what you had before.

Heck, I'm currently awaiting delivery of a brand new bit of kit. It will have a USB B port and almost certainly come with a USB A/B cable. Which is what I need to plug it in to my 8-port USB 3 hub (please point me at the 8-port USB-C hubs) but if I also wanted to plug it directly into an all-USB-C Mac I'd need a second cable or adapter. Which would be fine if it was going to be better/faster/stronger over USB-C... except it's a device which (like many others) barely even stretches the bandwidth of USB 2. If VGA hasn't gone away despite being inferior in every way, how quickly do you think USB A will be replaced by something that provides no measurable advantage in functionality?

Yes, there are devices that take advantage of USB0C/Thunderbolt - but I can't think of many cases where I'd want more than two of them - and, if I did, and if they didn't already have daisy-chain sockets, give it a few months for TB3 hubs to start appearing and even that won't be a problem. So, yes please, I'd like the ports that I use every day to connect equipment which will still be doing its job for years and we can save the "stop whining and just buy a hub/adapter/dongle" mantra for the more extreme/specialist possibilities.

 

[Nütztjanix]

Apple removed the VGA port in... heck, sometime before the Intel switch (ISTR the first Macbook Pros had full-size DVI ports!?) and VGA yet you'll still probably need to carry a VGA adapter around if you're giving presentations. They're still around because, however much better HDMI is, VGA will cope fine with an 800x600 data projector and people don't throw away perfectly good hardware just to get the latest port. Having a VGA port in a MBP would actually be pretty convenient for many people, but OTOH making the laptop 1/2" thick to accommodate it, plus all the DAC gubbins to get that nice "warm" fuzzy analogue effect, would be pretty inconvenient - so you have to draw the line somewhere.

USB 3 isn't anywhere like as outdated as VGA was when Apple dropped it. In fact, the USB3 used by the vast majority of USB-C peripherals is the exact same USB 3 that you'd get out of a USB A/B port (which can take USB 3.1gen2 as well). HDMI is still being actively developed for new resolutions, HDR etc. and you don't get "better" HDMI out of a USB-C port -you just need a (more expensive & active rather than passive) adapter to get back (hopefully) what you had before.

Heck, I'm currently awaiting delivery of a brand new bit of kit. It will have a USB B port and almost certainly come with a USB A/B cable. Which is what I need to plug it in to my 8-port USB 3 hub (please point me at the 8-port USB-C hubs) but if I also wanted to plug it directly into an all-USB-C Mac I'd need a second cable or adapter. Which would be fine if it was going to be better/faster/stronger over USB-C... except it's a device which (like many others) barely even stretches the bandwidth of USB 2. If VGA hasn't gone away despite being inferior in every way, how quickly do you think USB A will be replaced by something that provides no measurable advantage in functionality?

Yes, there are devices that take advantage of USB0C/Thunderbolt - but I can't think of many cases where I'd want more than two of them - and, if I did, and if they didn't already have daisy-chain sockets, give it a few months for TB3 hubs to start appearing and even that won't be a problem. So, yes please, I'd like the ports that I use every day to connect equipment which will still be doing its job for years and we can save the "stop whining and just buy a hub/adapter/dongle" mantra for the more extreme/specialist possibilities.

It’s fascinating to see to what ends some people will go to avoid the future.

 

[Tozovac]

For the last time. You can adapt a TB3 port to a USB type-a port, with very minor inconvenience. You cannot adapt a USB-A or HDMI port or SD card slot to a TB3 port, regardless of how much inconvenience you're willing to go through.

Or are you suggesting that "inconvenience" people like myself should live with, is to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub, with our laptop? Because you don't want to use a USB type-a adapter? Is that really your suggestion here?

What’s astounding to me and others in this thread is your mindset, reflected in your choice of words. For you, you’d have to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub. For users like me, it’s merely you don’t want to use a USB type-a adapter.

It’s good to see that you agree with the inconvenience of having to tote around a hub with your supposed all-in-one mobile laptop. What I and many have been trying to convey is that we too don't want to have to carry around any adapter(s) and/or expect they’ll be in place at multiple work/personal locations where we connect to USB-A type devices that will still be in use for years to come, at least for the next 2-3 MacBook iterations.

We buy MacBooks at times instead of say a MacMini or iMac because we want the convenience and function of a keyboard, monitor, and power source (once charged) in one. We don’t want to have to carry them separately. We don’t want to have to struggle for a solution when one of them might get accidentally left behind in a particular work or personal life instance. “Using a USB type-A adapter” is not a one-time conveniently-flush-to-the-side-of-and-travels-with-the-MacBook add-on. If it were, that might then solve everyone’s desires. Try to finally comprehend that and look at things other than your particular usage type. Please, for your sake. A laptop for many of us is, once charged up, an all-in-one-mobile-solution where too often has it been a complete drag to run into not having connectivity for a piece of hardware that’ll still be there for years to come using USB-A cable at some location (work or away from home, or even at home).

Secondly, as far as “well then why aren’t you also championing HDMI” ports blah blah. You’re just picking a fight. At some point a maker has to draw the line, and even users agree “OK it’s time.” Like serial ports, optical drives, etc. The fact of the matter is usb-a is still a ubiquitous port while HDMI really is not. Apple sells iPhones & iPads with only a usb-a cable in the box. Apple does not sell monitors with only an HDMI cable in the box. When Apple sold the MacBook Air sans optical drive, where the Air was built for svelteness, it still offered MacBook options with optical drives.

Maybe that highlights the real issue here -- Apple tries to appeal the the masses...kids, teens, adults...techies and non-techies...pros and casual users...while offering too limited hardware options that too often boxes both “pro” and “casual” users into different corners. Apple’s driven the MacBook Air & Pros to be too alike due to another achilles heel (in my opinion) in that they think every device must be the thinnest, most fashionable device ever. If the Air were left at being the thinnest, most svelte laptop in the line-up, with only USB-C ports, say, and the Pros were a bit more generous in their port offerings (and even with a touchbar alongside function keys which many find preferable still) to offer outstanding instant-hook-up function & flexibility to not need hamstring the user to also carry numerous adapters, then neither of us would be wasting our time like this.

Please save yourself the energy and stop trying to convince us of something that will hold no water for any of us.

As far as magsafe ports, I have yet to see a MagSafe add-on for USB-C that Apple or even the average customer review recommends. I haven’t looked for 6 months now but when I did there was no good option. If Apple were to provide magsafe-type system that’s compatible with a USB-C port and does not require keeping track of a little adapter for the port, I’d be all in favor.

As far as the MagSafe cable fraying, yes Apple cables are awful. I strengthened the magsafe cord’s ends for my MBA with a strengthening ferrule and covered the entire length of the cable in a $2 flexible, braided sheath from Ebay or Amazon and it’s made the cable last well for 6 years.

Hopefully while Apple still leaves the Airs & Pros so virtually similar, they will offer you at least 3 USB-C TB4 type ports. And us at least one USB-A port so the functional mobile laptop can stay a functional mobile laptop and not require buying & carrying around special adapters on a given daily mobile adventure.

 

[gnasher729]

You know what's a PITA? Wanting to connect a high speed external device, or a display, and realising that you've used your meagre two USB-C ports, and unlike USB-C, a USB-A port can't adapt to serve either data or video, or both.

Going all-in, and maximising USB-C ports means things are slightly, and I do mean slightly less convenient for you, but it means a whole **** load of things are actually possible for a whole **** load of other people.

I just checked, and for about £32 I can order a UBS-C hub with four USB 3.2 ports. Now if we look at the low end iMac (two USB-C ports) vs. the "high-end" (two USB-C plus two USB-3 ports), for about £200 more with some other extras, the two port iMac is by far the better value. That would be four times full USB-3 speed. Currently Anker doesn't sell anything yet that would be suitable for the iMac, because you don't need a power supply in your USB-C hub, but I think they could easily build a hub with ten USB-3 ports (not all capable of running at full USB-3 speed, but many devices don't need that).

 

[Tozovac]

It’s fascinating to see to what ends some people will go to avoid the future.

It’s equally fascinating how “me-first, me-only” the world can be.

 

[derekamoss]

I thank you for the invaluable feedback on my English and, in the future, I shall endeavour to employ a diminished vocabulary while incorporating more terms such as “lol” in order to make myself sound “more smart”.

I use casual Grammer in casual settings such as this board. My lol's are completely acceptable, so continue to "endeavor to employ a diminished vocabulary while incorporating more terms like lol in order to make YOURSELF sound "smarter", if you wish to do so.

 

[tubular]

The freedom to post about trade secrets is NOT why Karl Marx wrote the Constitution.

In Latin.

 

[Nütztjanix]

It’s equally fascinating how “me-first, me-only” the world can be.

I know, isn’t it?

USB-A and even more so HDMI is „me“ (single use).
Thunderbolt is „us“ or „everyone“ (adaptive, flexible multiuse).

 

[Stephen.R]

What’s astounding to me and others in this thread is your mindset, reflected in your choice of words. For you, you’d have to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub. For users like me, it’s merely you don’t want to use a USB type-a adapter.

You've placed emphasis on the wrong words mate.

Let me fix it for you:

have to carry around an AC powered USB4 hub....

Do you see the difference? I'm saying you could use any of these sorts of solutions:



Those give some combination of USB-A female, USB-A male, HDMI female, HDMI male, Ethernet, SD and MicroSD.

Now do you notice anything about them? None of them, not one, requires AC power. Three of them can accept USB-PD via a downstream USB-C port, so you can plug a USB-C power source into the hub, and it will charge the laptop, but they don't require it. They're all able to run on bus power.


This is the smallest USB4 hub I could find that's actually available to buy well, let's say will be available to buy, they manufacturer is out of stock:

Looks not that much bigger than the 7-in-1 Anker hub above right? That's not bad on its own.. Oh wait. But it needs AC power. Well AC power adapters can be pretty small right?
I couldn't find a picture of it on their site, so I had to screen grab it from their official unboxing. For comparison, I'll show two frames: the guy holding the hub, and the guy holding the AC adapter.



So not only does your "solution" mean that the "all day battery life" of a new MBP is pointless, because we'd need AC power to plug this hub into, we'd also need a sherpa to carry the ridiculously oversized AC adapter itself.

as far as “well then why aren’t you also championing HDMI” ports blah blah. You’re just picking a fight.

You've completely misunderstood my point. I'm not asking why you aren't "championing" some other single-use port. I'm trying to make you see how everyone has their own specific use-cases. Multiple TB3/TB4/USB4 ports can support any of those use-cases, via adapters, alt-mode cables, hubs and docks.

A HDMI or SD card slot can literally support no other use-cases than a HDMI display/tv or an SD card. As I've said many times, a USB type-A port is slightly more flexible than those two, because there are adapters for lower-speed interfaces over regular USB3.x (e.g. ethernet, card readers, regular USB hubs, etc), but it still doesn't provide the flexibility of even a plain-jane USB3.x USB-C port, and it's nowhere near the flexibility of a TB3/USB4/TB4 port.

So you wanted USB type-a right? You don't have a use for SD slots, nor for HDMI. Well because those two ports, which you have no use for, are apparently being added back - you now have one less port that can adapt to become a USB type-A port.

That's the point I was trying to explain. It's physically impossible to add every single-use port that a person might want/need, and every USB-C TB3 port removed to facilitate adding another single-use port, is another lost option to use the connections you actually need.

I look forward to seeing how you will next misconstrue this point.

Apple’s driven the MacBook Air & Pros to be too alike. If the Air were left at being the thinnest, most svelte laptop in the line-up, with only USB-C ports, say, and the Pros were a bit more generous in their port offerings

Sure because that makes sense. Provide the fastest most flexible possible I/O available, on the entry-level computer. The pro-level computer? No **** it, "pro's use SD cards dontchaknow?". Also, how do you expect a two-port MacBook Air to be a suitable replacement for a 4-port MBP, if I'm telling you a 3-port MBP wouldn't be an adequate replacement?

The described schematics and the inferred I/O already make it pretty laughable as a "pro" computer meant to replace their current 16" MBP. If the CPU and GPU offering are still just M1s and the only distinguishing feature from the existing M1 laptops, is one extra USB-C or TB3 port and HDMI, it's going to be a spectacular failure.

It’s equally fascinating how “me-first, me-only” the world can be.

Agreed. Imagine being so self-absorbed, you demand that a laptop not be equipped with as many flexible, adaptable ports that can connect to anything as possible, but instead, they reduce those ports, and put in the specific ports you personally want to use.

Truly fascinating.


PS: that part about a sherpa is sarcasm, for those who are not able to discern that on their own.


Edit: holy crap, MR really can't deal with fixed-height variable-width images can it.