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

[Tozovac]

I know, isn’t it?

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

It is!

And hinting that single use devices don’t provide more flexibility to some users (see an earlier post about the definition of “flexible” if you are too inflexible to think that flexibility solely means adaptability of the user) is once again fascinating.

 

[Stephen.R]

I know, isn’t it?

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

Careful now. "Flexible" means "convenient, for me personally" to some people.

 

[Stephen.R]

more flexibility to some users

The key word there is some.

 

[Nütztjanix]

It is!

And hinting that single use devices don’t provide more flexibility to some users (see an earlier post about the definition of “flexible” if you are too inflexible to think that flexibility solely means adaptability of the user) is once again fascinating.

So we now define words according to what we want them to mean instead of what the agreed upon definition says?

 

[Stephen.R]

what the agreed upon definition says?

Careful icarus. You meant, dictionary definition. It's no good saying "agreed upon" definition, with someone who doesn't agree with the dictionary definition 🙄

Edit: and when you read this, "Careful icarus" should be read like Geoff Peterson:

 

[Stephen.R]

flexibility solely means adaptability of the user

For reference, one last time, no one is saying "USB-C is more flexible" because we think you the user, need to "adapt" to use it.

We're saying it's more flexible, because the port itself can adapt. Using adapters, as it happens.

 

[Arctic Moose]

The fact of the matter is usb-a is still a ubiquitous port while HDMI really is not.

Funny how others here also arguing against USB-C only have the opposite opinion. I wonder why that is?

you'll still probably need to carry a VGA adapter around if you're giving presentations

I do.

It lives in a little pouch at the bottom of my backpack together with a carefully curated collection of hardware, including adapters for DVI, HDMI, mini HDMI, DP, mini DP and Lightning.

The pouch fits in the palm of my hand and guarantees I can connect any PC, Mac or iOS device I may have with me to practically any kind of display, while also charging, connecting to Ethernet, connecting to any storage device I may encounter and in most cases also supporting any type of audio output I may need.

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.

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. lol.

 

[Tozovac]

For reference, one last time, no one is saying "USB-C is more flexible" because we think you the user, need to "adapt" to use it.

We're saying it's more flexible, because the port itself can adapt. Using adapters, as it happens.

No matter the inconvenience, eh?

Perhaps you should consider going to a 27” iMac next time, with 2 TB4/USB4 ports and 2 USB3 ports. Shouldn’t be too hard to adapt to separately carrying a keyboard and mouse, and constantly finding a place to plug in power, right? If should be equally OK for all of us to adapt and have to carry around something right?

 

[Tozovac]

So we now define words according to what we want them to mean instead of what the agreed upon definition says?

Ha ha! Who agreed to what unversally unarguable definition?

Once again like before, a link:

How to Be Flexible at Work (With Tips and Examples) | Indeed.com

This article explains how to become more flexible in your life and career.

www.indeed.com

Flexible can mean “provides less hassle to the user by providing instantly-available solutions without requiring the user to do extra actions.” Those are terms that should be understandable to most with a flexible temperament and flexible ability to see things beyond only their situation. I’m flexible enough to realize your and others’ definition of flexible is different than mine & others. You should try to be too.

 

[Stephen.R]

Funny how others here also arguing against USB-C only have the opposite opinion. I wonder why that is?

Well I'm glad someone sees what I was trying to highlight.

No matter the inconvenience, eh?

Functionality trumps convenience, yes.

Perhaps you should consider going to a 27” iMac next time, with 2 TB4/USB4 ports and 2 USB3 ports.

What? You're proving my point for me. Every 15/16" MBP since 2016 has better I/O than that. The 2018/2020 Intel Minis have better I/O than that.

Shouldn’t be too hard to adapt to separately carrying a keyboard and mouse, and constantly finding a place to plug in power, right?

What the **** are you talking about? What keyboard needs to plug in to power?

If should be equally OK for all of us to adapt and have to carry around something right?

Yes, something that's practical to be carried.

Maybe you're missing some context, and think every device I use is just "native" USB-C or TB3. That isn't the case.

I use two, 4K displays. Because I want the picture to actually look good, I use DisplayPort to connect them. My 2018 MBP15 does not have DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort ports.. Do you know what I used, when the MBP was my daily machine? A TB3 to dual DP adapter. The monitors themselves are by no means portable, for obvious reasons, but the adapter itself is about the size of Apple's "multimedia" adapters. It's this (the DisplayPort version): https://www.owcdigital.com/products/thunderbolt-3-dual-display-adapters

I have a bunch of older storage devices too - a FW800 dual-drive RAID0 array; A USB3/eSATA capable 5-bay drive array. Those two are actually connected to a TB1 Dock/hub, which in turn is connected via a TB2 to TB3 adapter, and daisy chained on the second port of a TB3 4-bay disk array.

There's also a TB3-connected M2 SSD, and a USB 3.1Gen2 connected M2 SSD.

My daily machine now is a 2018 Mini (and the dual DP adapter has since been "replaced" by an eGPU) - but the reason I have the two machines is because I've been burnt by hardware failures in the past - so I insist on having two machines I can reasonably work on, at a given time. I don't use the MBP a lot these days, my wife uses it a fair amount - but if the Mini has an issue and needs hardware service, the MBP will literally plug right in to the same devices the mini does.



TB3 (or it's successors, USB4 / TB4) provide the most flexibility possible, short of literal PCIe slots. That isn't an opinion it's just a fact. You can disagree about the definition of the word "flexible", and you'll be wrong. We've all read the dictionary definition.

Now please stop insisting this is about "convenience" for me or "the specific thing I want" for me. It's about the absolute maximum flexibility for everyone.

 

[Stephen.R]

the agreed upon definition says

Who agreed to what unversally unarguable definition

Told ya. Oxford English/American English dictionaries aren't acceptable. We should instead, defer to an "indeed.com" article talking about people being flexible in the workplace, and then come up with our own stretched analogies from that.

provides less hassle to the user by providing instantly-available solutions without requiring the user to do extra actions.

Say it with me now. Convenient. That is the word you want. Convenient.


I hoped I wouldn't need to, but here's the definition, from Oxford. Sound familiar? I'd highlight the relevant bit, but then the whole quote would just be bold.

convenient | kənˈviːnɪənt | adjective

• fitting in well with a person's needs, activities, and plans: I phoned your office to confirm that this date is convenient.
• involving little trouble or effort: the new car park will make shopping much more convenient.
• (convenient for) situated so as to allow easy access to: the site would have to be convenient for London.
• helpfully placed or occurring: guests were relaxing beneath a convenient palm tree.

 

[tubular]

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

They call it "the future" because it isn't the now.

But still, their argument boils down to "I should have *my* ports but you shouldn't have *yours*, because at some unnamed time in the helocar-festooned future USB-A and HDMI will finally go away, and that eventuality somehow matters more than the fact that they're ubiquitous now and you use them quite successfully and conveniently now."

 

[Stephen.R]

But still, their argument boils down to "I should have *my* ports but you shouldn't have *yours*, because at some unnamed time in the helocar-festooned future USB-A and HDMI will finally go away, and that eventuality somehow matters more than the fact that they're ubiquitous now and you use them quite successfully and conveniently now."

Nope. I don't imagine HDMI will go away in any way on TVs and projectors, in the time I'm likely to be using a Mac I purchase this decade.


But I also don't imagine I'm ever likely to connect a Mac I'll purchase this decade, to a HDMI device.

HDMI devices can't support anything but a HDMI device.

TB3 ports can trivially support HDMI devices, or DP devices, or USB devices, or Ethernet devices.


it's really that ****ing simple.


It's really hard to believe people still don't understand this concept. It's almost as if they're arguing against a made-up position with made up reasons, because it's easier than arguing against my actual position and actual reasons.

 

[Tozovac]

Functionality trumps convenience, yes.

No. Function provides convenience. They are not at all separate like you suggest. We buy MacBook hardware to make our lives more convenient, whether it’s for work, for corresponding, for authoring, for creating music/art, etc.

Now please stop insisting this is about "convenience" for me or "the specific thing I want" for me. It's about the absolute maximum flexibility for everyone.

Depends upon one’s definition of flexibility. Wouldn’t others’ definitions matter then as equally as yours?

 

[Tozovac]

They call it "the future" because it isn't the now.

But still, their argument boils down to "I should have *my* ports but you shouldn't have *yours*, because at some unnamed time in the helocar-festooned future USB-A and HDMI will finally go away, and that eventuality somehow matters more than the fact that they're ubiquitous now and you use them quite successfully and conveniently now."

Yup. Like I mentioned, perhaps a lot of this could be helped if Apple as a company wasn’t so limiting in the hardware...if Air and Pro lines weren’t so similar. The Air was once “the future”..... No optical drive, limited ports. The Pro had a nice then-current array of ports to provide the most convenient utility to the user. I’ll try using new words instead of flexibility. Now the Air/Pro are a bit too similar for their own good. Apple busts their butt to provide the most diverse emojii’s to cover every base imaginable but assumes the generally one-size-fits-all hardware packages are enough for everyone. It’s too bad.

 

[Stephen.R]

We buy MacBook hardware to make our lives more convenient, whether it’s for work, for corresponding, for authoring, for creating music/art, etc.

You might buy a computer to make your work "more convenient".

I'm not sure how you imagine a computer is only a "convenience" for software development.. perhaps you imagine I'll just go back to making punch cards if the "convenience" weren't available?

Wouldn’t others’ definitions matter then as equally as yours?

If we were both making up definitions for a word that was otherwise undefined? Sure.

But I didn't make up a definition for a new word.

I just quoted you the dictionary definition. And you linked to a recruiting website.

 

[Stephen.R]

perhaps a lot of this could be helped if Apple as a company wasn’t so limiting in the hardware...if Air and Pro lines weren’t so similar.

I think a better solution, would be to mirror the iPhone model.

Keep selling older models when new ones are released.

If they did this retroactively the problem would be solved immediately. The 2015 MBP15 had everything you people keep asking for.

USB Type-A? Check.
HDMI? Check.
SD slot? Check.
MagSafe? Check


I'm only half joking really.

 

[Tozovac]

You might buy a computer to make your work "more convenient".

I'm not sure how you imagine a computer is only a "convenience" for software development.. perhaps you imagine I'll just go back to making punch cards if the "convenience" weren't available?

Exactly! Thank you! The computer makes programming more convenient than punch cards. Exactly!

I just quoted you the dictionary definition. And you linked to a recruiting website.

Because a dictionary is a sole unarguable single-source resource to consider? OK, can’t argue if you think that. The rest of us in the real world might beg to differ about rigidly limiting oneself to such limitations.

 

[Stephen.R]

Because a dictionary is a sole unarguable single-source resource to consider?

For the definition of words?

Yes.

The rest of us in the real world might beg to differ about rigidly limiting oneself to such limitations.

You've made it abundantly clear you don't limit yourself to the actual meanings of words.

I wouldn't be so quick to claim "the rest of us in the real world" but lets face facts. I have no idea what you mean by "rest" "us" "real" "world" or even "the", because a dictionary definition is meaningless so, globbledy glork my schmoogle doodle, I'll be over here squirdling with the numpty dorboes.

 

[Stephen.R]

Because a dictionary is a sole unarguable single-source resource to consider?

I have no idea what you mean by "rest" "us" "real" "world" or even "the"

Holy **** I just realised.

Bill... sorry, I mean, Mr President! is it really you!? I knew Al was a Mac user but I didn't know you are!

 

[Tozovac]

For the definition of words?

Yes.

So in practical terms, words used by others that are not defined in your dictionary are meaningless? Should not be used? The dictionary never evolves? Urban Dictionary, which can be quite helpful at times to decipher some oft-used words or phrases today, should not be used?

 

[Tozovac]

I think a better solution, would be to mirror the iPhone model.

Keep selling older models when new ones are released.

If they did this retroactively the problem would be solved immediately. The 2015 MBP15 had everything you people keep asking for.

USB Type-A? Check.
HDMI? Check.
SD slot? Check.
MagSafe? Check


I'm only half joking really.

If those were easily upgradable for memory/processor/storage, I bet that would be a little helpful for some in certain instances, yes.

 

[Stephen.R]

that are not defined in your dictionary are meaningless

(a) it isn't my dictionary.

(b) they are, by nature of not being defined in a dictionary, "words not in the dictionary".

"flexible" is a word in the dictionary.

Urban Dictionary, which can be quite helpful at times to decipher some oft-used words or phrases today, should not be used?

If you want to introduce the UD definitions for "flexible" into this conversation, you go right ahead.

 

[Tozovac]

(a) it isn't my dictionary.

(b) they are, by nature of not being defined in a dictionary, "words not in the dictionary".

"flexible" is a word in the dictionary.

Let me correct it since we’re in the English mandating department now. in “your chosen dictionary.” Better?

If you want to introduce the UD definitions for "flexible" into this conversation, you go right ahead.

I did introduce a “commonly used definition outside of a standard dictionary” and you chose to not accept it.

 

[rsouldad]

Schematics stolen from Apple supplier Quanta Computer outline Apple's plans for the next-generation MacBook Pro models that are expected in 2021, and clearly confirm plans for additional ports and a return to MagSafe.

MacRumors saw the schematics after they were leaked online, and some of them feature the logic board of the next-generation MacBook Pro. 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.

Rumors from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg have previously said that all of these ports will be coming to the 2021 MacBook Pro models, but the schematics both confirm the addition of the new ports and give us insight into their positioning.

The codename for the Mac is "J316," which suggests that the logic board that we've seen is for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. There's also a "J314" model that likely correlates to the 14-inch MacBook Pro that Apple is also rumored to be working on. Both machines are expected to feature the new ports, MagSafe charging option, and upgraded Apple silicon chips.

This information, which was also shared by 9to5Mac, comes from a ransomware group called REvil, which claims to have accessed the internal computers of Apple supplier Quanta Computer.

Along with the logic board layout, the documentation includes deeply technical listings of MacBook components and layouts that may ultimately provide additional information on these machines as it's parsed. Leaked images of the new MacBook Pro floating around on Twitter also confirm that the device will not feature a Touch Bar, which is in line with rumors that we've heard. The casing design may also feature more rounded corners.

REvil has threatened to release additional documents stolen from Quanta Computer if Apple does not pay a ransom fee by May 1. REvil plans to release new files every day until Apple pays the fee, and Apple has not commented on the situation.

Quanta Computer said that it has indeed been subject to "cyber attacks on a small number of Quanta servers" but that there's "no material impact on the company's business operation.

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

I'm disappointed in MacRumors for using stolen information to report information on Apple's future products. I've found MacRumors to be a reliable source for news, rumors and buying guides for many years. Using information obtained through theft only encourages those that feel our laws are not applicable when they have a specific agenda. I would encourage MacRumors to hold to a higher standard of journalism in the future.