Thoughts on one port

[oakrrl]

I keep seeing reviews dissing MB12 for having only 1 port. I felt this way at first, but have come to see the single port as a plus.

I recently bought the Apple VGA display adapter for a presentation, annoyed at its being over-priced, but I needed it for this job. Since then, because it also has a pass-through USB-C for power and USB-3 for peripherals, I've been using it as a kind of dock, and have several things plugged in to it.

I really like being able to unplug a single cable from the MB12 and head on out. MUCH better than having three different cables trailing from my MB Pro, having to disconnect/reconnect them.

Once more USB-C docks and peripherals become available (and cheaper), this will be a really nice feature rather than a compromise.

My only beef right now with MB12 is I tend to brush space bar or trackpad while typing and cursor jumps around. Trying to train myself not to do this, without much luck so far...

 

[boltjames]

I keep seeing reviews dissing MB12 for having only 1 port. I felt this way at first, but have come to see the single port as a plus.

I really like being able to unplug a single cable from the MB12 and head on out. MUCH better than having three different cables trailing from my MB Pro, having to disconnect/reconnect them.

Once more USB-C docks and peripherals become available (and cheaper), this will be a really nice feature rather than a compromise.

Great post, agree completely.

If you study how Apple and other notebook manufacturers are implementing ports on their new computers, they are reaping the benefits of lighter/thinner design and passing along the responsibility of peripheral management to third parties which I think is brilliant. 1. These accessory companies are always better than the computer companies at making these things and 2. The notebook consumers aren't forced to pay for and carry around ports they'll never need or use. Not to mention 3. The notebook companies don't have to pay a ton in licensing fees and royalties to the USB group, the HDMI group, the DVI group, the SD group, etc. keeping prices down.

After years of making every edge of every notebook a thick, messy, and heavy Swiss Army knife of sockets and ports that most of us never use, the notebook makers are doing the opposite now; making them as thin and light as possible and putting in this one USB-C 'super port' to allow users to bolt whatever they need on there. It's genius.

BJ

 

[TyWahn]

Everybody thought Apple were crazy for ditching the floppy drive in the first iMac - for those old enough to remember, But that led to great innovations such as re-writabke discs, the not-so-great Zip disks with a whopping 700 MB! Then they ditched the DVD-ROM. This made everybody move to the cloud. Now ditching all the ports, I believe will lead to even greater innovations. So give it time.

 

[xmichaelp]

Not that big of a deal to me. You just have to get used to your ports being on an external hub and only being there when you need them. Whether you like it or not this is where devices are going to be. It's not like you have multiple drives connected to your laptop while at starbucks. Most of the time you need ports you'll be sitting at a desk working and plugging in a hub won't be a big deal.

I have a older MBP with a lot of ports and the only time I use more than one at a time is when I'm at my desk with an external monito, keyboard, and speakers.

 

[duervo]

What?? Zip-Disks didn't get invented because Apple got rid of floppy drives. Iomega had those out years before the first iMac was released. Apple may have been the first manufacturer to get rid of the floppy drive (and even that's debatable,) but that doesn't mean consumers weren't already replacing their floppy drives long before that with a zip or jaz drive.

That brings back memories. Memories I thought I had long since repressed. Hours compiling a Linux kernel to get the damned Zip drive recognized properly. So much time spent fiddling with that "crap". I always got things to work, but when it did work, it was such an empty feeling of accomplishment. Time is better spent for more worthwhile pursuits, IMO.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Everybody thought Apple were crazy for ditching the floppy drive in the first iMac - for those old enough to remember, But that led to great innovations such as re-writabke discs, the not-so-great Zip disks with a whopping 700 MB!

Re-writeable disks were out years and years before the iMac you know. It is not like floppy disks were the only technology on the market by far.

 

[TyWahn]

Re-writeable disks were out years and years before the iMac you know. It is not like floppy disks were the only technology on the market by far.

They weren't for the consumers yet is what i was getting at. And according to Wiki they were invented in 1997. Hardly "years and years" My college had a writable disk in their computer lab, so I know they were invented. It was 1998., They weren't exactly cheap. I also know Iomega (i Live in Utah) were invented around 1995 but released with a whopping 100 MB and it took a little while to reach to 750 limit. I guess I should not have said led to inventions, but my point it pushed consumers to other media. Just like one port will.

 

[Cape Dave]

Great post, agree completely.

If you study how Apple and other notebook manufacturers are implementing ports on their new computers, they are reaping the benefits of lighter/thinner design and passing along the responsibility of peripheral management to third parties which I think is brilliant. 1. These accessory companies are always better than the computer companies at making these things and 2. The notebook consumers aren't forced to pay for and carry around ports they'll never need or use. Not to mention 3. The notebook companies don't have to pay a ton in licensing fees and royalties to the USB group, the HDMI group, the DVI group, the SD group, etc. keeping prices down.

After years of making every edge of every notebook a thick, messy, and heavy Swiss Army knife of sockets and ports that most of us never use, the notebook makers are doing the opposite now; making them as thin and light as possible and putting in this one USB-C 'super port' to allow users to bolt whatever they need on there. It's genius.

BJ

I agree 100%. No, 10,000%.

 

[BlakeBrattina]

I opted out of the new Macbook for the sole reason that they are not integrated with a Thunderbolt port, as I have a display that I like to work on while at the home office. If they had one, I would be more than alright with a partner USB-C port.

 

[toddzrx]

I opted out of the new Macbook for the sole reason that they are not integrated with a Thunderbolt port, as I have a display that I like to work on while at the home office. If they had one, I would be more than alright with a partner USB-C port.

I'm sure you'll see that on Gen 2.

 

[BenTrovato]

1 port and eventually no ports is where we are headed. The technology just has to catch up to the peripherals. In the meantime, I don't see how a dongle is more convenient than having ports. The dongle isn't bad by any means but it isn't "better".

 

[SteveJUAE]

Whilst it all sounds admirable that they used a USB-C port it seems odd in the world of the Apple eco system they passed the buck on to their customer base that use other Apple products the pleasure of purchasing an add-on to hardwire to your rMB.

It should of been inclusive or at least discounted on proof of owning more than one product IMO

 

[boltjames]

Whilst it all sounds admirable that they used a USB-C port it seems odd in the world of the Apple eco system they passed the buck on to their customer base that use other Apple products the pleasure of purchasing an add-on to hardwire to your rMB.

It should of been inclusive or at least discounted on proof of owning more than one product IMO

No way.

I don't want to pay for a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, I don't want a thicker notebook because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, and I don't want a heavier device because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, I do not want increased battery drain because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use.

Instead of raising the price on the RMB for all of us, they lowered it and allowed us to take that money and buy whatever port we need a-la-carte if its necessary. Like your Thunderbolt port which means nothing to me as a Windows customer, you may not need a VGA port which I need 3x a year for Powerpoint presentations. And another poster may not need an SD Card port. And on and on.

The sides of notebooks have had a Swiss Army mess of ports for decades and we should applaud Apple for lessening that burden rather than perpetuating it. Apple provides one port, powerful and small, and the aftermarket will make scores of adapters and connectors that are affordably priced and infinitely configurable. That's a great thing.

BJ

 

[SteveJUAE]

BJ,

You misunderstand and preaching to the wrong person

Like you I am a native Windows user and only use the hardware. I am quite happy with the single port etc etc and will gladly pay for my add-ons that I may require

I simply think those who have bought in to the Apple ECO and have Iphones, Ipads, monitors etc have been slightly cheated and as a minimum should of been offered a discounted dongle to hardwire their other Apple products with the rMB and certainly should not have to resort to 3rd parties for solutions.

As you note us non Apple user possibly have benefited more than Apple users in this case.

No way.

I don't want to pay for a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, I don't want a thicker notebook because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, and I don't want a heavier device because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use, I do not want increased battery drain because of a Thunderbolt connector I will never use.

Instead of raising the price on the RMB for all of us, they lowered it and allowed us to take that money and buy whatever port we need a-la-carte if its necessary. Like your Thunderbolt port which means nothing to me as a Windows customer, you may not need a VGA port which I need 3x a year for Powerpoint presentations. And another poster may not need an SD Card port. And on and on.

The sides of notebooks have had a Swiss Army mess of ports for decades and we should applaud Apple for lessening that burden rather than perpetuating it. Apple provides one port, powerful and small, and the aftermarket will make scores of adapters and connectors that are affordably priced and infinitely configurable. That's a great thing.

BJ

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

They weren't for the consumers yet is what i was getting at. And according to Wiki they were invented in 1997. Hardly "years and years" My college had a writable disk in their computer lab, so I know they were invented. It was 1998., They weren't exactly cheap. I also know Iomega (i Live in Utah) were invented around 1995 but released with a whopping 100 MB and it took a little while to reach to 750 limit. I guess I should not have said led to inventions, but my point it pushed consumers to other media. Just like one port will.

I was a regular consumer and I had both ZIP drives and Seagates whatever-they-were-called which were on the market several years before ZIP drives - And all the years before the iMac.

But in any case, I get your drift and agree.

 

[boltjames]

BJ,

You misunderstand and preaching to the wrong person

Like you I am a native Windows user and only use the hardware. I am quite happy with the single port etc etc and will gladly pay for my add-ons that I may require

I simply think those who have bought in to the Apple ECO and have Iphones, Ipads, monitors etc have been slightly cheated and as a minimum should of been offered a discounted dongle to hardwire their other Apple products with the rMB and certainly should not have to resort to 3rd parties for solutions.

As you note us non Apple user possibly have benefited more than Apple users in this case.

Apologies for the misunderstanding.

So long as we are both in the #cluboneport all is well

BJ

 

[SteveJUAE]

Apologies for the misunderstanding.

So long as we are both in the #cluboneport all is well

BJ

Confirmed Got the gold card

 

[AppleWarMachine]

less is more (if you need more ports: get an Air or Pro )

 

[RUGGLES99]

Even with my 2014 11" base MBA, I rarely needed the use of one port. Wifi does it all. So it is no different with my rmb. All I've added in terms of accessories is an additional charger and cable for upstairs, and a usb3 adaptor if I ever need to plug in a thumb drive, or my portable dvd player. My wifi is fast, and all of our computers, a 2014 13" mba, and Samsung tablets are on it as are two Brother printers, and two desktop macs, a mini and an imac.

 

[Erdbeertorte]

Oh, the good old times... I owned a SyQuest EZ Drive with 135 MB back then and used it with DOS. The Discs were like a HDD in a plastic case and should compete the ZIP-Drive with more space and way faster. They also had similar drives longer before that with more space. But those were for professional users and too expensive.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Oh, the good old times... I owned a SyQuest EZ Drive with 135 MB back than and used it with DOS. The Discs were like a HDD in a plastic case and should compete the ZIP-Drive with more space and way faster. They also had similar drives longer before that with more space. But those were for professional users and too expensive.

Do you mean :

Iomega released the Bernoulli Box II in 1987, replacing the original Bernoulli Box with its 8-inch disks with a smaller version using 5.25-inch form factor disks. Initially offering the same capacity of 20 MB as the original, this was increased over time, and eventually offered 230 MB by the time is was replaced by the Zip disk.

 

[JD2015]

Love the fact it only has one port as do not want lots of wires having to be connected from my device to others. I scan using my iPhone and don't ever use a printer anymore, I have an apple tv therefore mirror/stream to that. New printers/scanners all have wifi built into it these days. If I need to use a projector I would either connect it via an apple TV or use an adapter (only time I would use one). Technology is such that bluetooth, wifi and air drop are all great ways to transfer info and files. My setup therefore is suited to it.

If however, you need to connect to a larger screen or don't have wifi enabled printers/scanners and so forth then the retina macbook is not a good device for you. It really again depends on the users need which is why there are many different devices to suit people's needs.

 

[mtneer]

I think its a chicken and egg problem. I need at least 2 USB drives + SD card reader on a regular basis. As technology stands today, having a tangle of dongles on my desk to connect all these to a rMB is not a good solution. However, if these I/O's were moved to be wireless at some point in the future, the rMB way would be a great solution. Until then, I am sticking to the Pro.

 

[TyPod]

All of my needed files are stored in the cloud, so having additional ports is useless to me. If I ever need them, I will use my iMac.

 

[boltjames]

If however, you need to connect to a larger screen or don't have wifi enabled printers/scanners and so forth then the retina macbook is not a good device for you. It really again depends on the users need which is why there are many different devices to suit people's needs.

Disagree there, I have the need for wired devices on occasion and the $75 Apple adapter is just perfect for that role. It's a mini-docking station and sits on my desk with all of its attached wires or goes in the backpack if I have a big meeting to present at.

It's a great device for those who need USB or HDMI or VGA on occasion and it's great that Apple didn't charge everyone for the adapter from the git-go and kept the RMB so thin for the 90% of the time you don't need peripherals.

BJ