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USB-C in 12-Inch MacBook Adds Limitations but Opens Up Possibilities
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I bet Apple has a wireless charging solution in a couple of years. The power brick is 29W, which doesn't seem like too much power to send wirelessly.
My uninformed theory why only one port : could it be that apple can't make 2 port usb-c because of charging capabilities, if the macbook have 2 ports on left and right side would it "confuse" the mac for where the power source come from? Hence could cause a bug in charging the mac. And apple also provide dongle for usb-c to include usb-c, hdmi and standard usb, but why only 1 usb-c port also.
For me, i'll wait the rev-b macbook next year with two ports which apple magically added saying they hear the customer needs.
For me, i'll wait the rev-b macbook next year with two ports which apple magically added saying they hear the customer needs.
And I'd also add that Apple's very reasonable response is that if you have the need for all those connectors . . . THEN BUY ANY OF THE OTHER COMPUTERS WE MAKE!
Seriously this is an additional form factor. The other factors are available and very nice options. The Macbook Pro is still probably the computer that I would recommend for most people unless they are (A) student taking computer daily to multiple classes, (B) road warriors who travel multiple times per week or (C) can afford this as a backup travel computer while something more powerful and connected holds down the fort at home or work.
Oh stop it. You're making too much sense. Like when Steve Jobs blasted Adobe Flash on mobile for junk pile it was. Or when he called Blu-ray a bag of hurt. Technophiles have very delicate feelings, you have to be sensitive! You just quietly take the 17" Macbook Pro out back and make it disappear.
Good theory, but honestly... In the direction Apple is going, only one port is needed.
The everyday/target user for the MacBook (and it's not anyone who goes onto a forum like this) does not need more than one port.
Yea, for sure, just like what happened with Thunderbolt and Firewire... oh wait..
Read up on this please,before you comment, this is the way all laptops will go, and
As usual, was on the cutting edge.You and the 40 up voters, will have to get used to ATOM Processors across the board, as
Is fed up being limited by INTELs ability to satisfy Needs, it's in the cards, like it or move on, you peeps who need the most power you'll never use
Flame away, but the writing is on the wall!
Sure, the 12 year old Powerbook is also portable but most people wouldn't drag that thing along today. The new Macbook is almost 400g lighter than the 13" Air and a lot thinner. For a device that's ment to carry along all day, that's a lot! And of course it has a Retina display. I think that's the selling points. It may not be important to everybody but it will be to a lot of people.
To make an advancement in the direction of the future they had to cut out the things that soon will be forgotten. The Air is still in the lineup since it still has a place like you are saying but in 2 years the new Macbook will be faster, have longer battery life, requiring less charging needs and cloud storage will be even more used in favor of USB-drivs. All while the price is dropping. It's just like the first Air. It's a bold move in the direction we are heading, not necessarily a prefect product just yet. Still it serves a lot of people very well already.
I'm on a 13" MBPr but I mostly use this for web browsing and the main reason I got it instead of the Air is the Retina display. I'm considering switching to the new Macbook since I want something that's even lighter and easier to bring with me on the go and I not a big fan of my iPad.
It is. It's kool-aid drinking at it finest. Go ahead, MacRumors. Tell us how Apple removing several commonly used connections from their laptops and replacing them with a single port hardly anyone uses is a Good Thing for us.
Tell me how we should appreciate the need to now spend additional money on an adapter (and remember to pack it when we travel) when we used to be able to just plug right in our favorite accessories even (SHOCK) more than one at the same time, without dongles!
The Real World
1. Expensive, slow and less reliable and less portable than directly attached storage.
2. No possibility for development, slow sync
3. Incredibly bad latency.
4. The Fapening
Lmao, let's thank apple for #4
As far as 1-3, you have to trust what the future has in hold. At the time the DVD/CD drives were dropped, streaming HD movies was in the skeptical territory.... Look now, you can stream full HD movies with no lag and clearer than ever.
Every time I read a "Sky is falling" Apple review about a product announcement I want to just play the Ballmer iPhone video over and over again. "But, but, but, they can't take away my floppy drive, serial port, optical drive, firewire, iPod connector, USB...."
Oh, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywi0h_Y5_U
Oh, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywi0h_Y5_U
Hm.. I seem to remember that Apple did just that with the iMac G3. You'll have to tell me what the result of that was.
No doubt USB C is an excellent connector. But it's also one of a few occasion where Apple throw up the sponge with its earlier offspring: the Thunderbolt.
Yes I am aware Thunderbolt is another "open" standard by Intel which means every computer OEMs could have access to, as long as they stay with Intel. But Apple has been the first to implement it to its Macs. Few years later and it didn't pick up so well, at least not as well as it's supposed to.
Now Apple is running away again with another standard, the USB-C. And you know what this means? It will be presented in other Mac lineups. And may very well be the only port Apple would include onto its next gens. Maybe something like iMac and MacPro would have 4 USB-C ports and nothing else.
Its usefulness may also lure Apple to use it for their iPad and iPhone in replace of current Lightning. It's open standard, small, neat-looking, and reversible just like Jony would've wanted. Which also means the Lightning could be the most short-lived Apple connector of all time. Sad
In any case, where would the Thunderbolt go? Considering Apple still sells Thunderbolt Display, which the main demographic is Macbook consumers, now the shiniest Macbook does not support Thunderbolt, not even with the $79 adapter. Wow gets away again with it.
Yes I am aware Thunderbolt is another "open" standard by Intel which means every computer OEMs could have access to, as long as they stay with Intel. But Apple has been the first to implement it to its Macs. Few years later and it didn't pick up so well, at least not as well as it's supposed to.
Now Apple is running away again with another standard, the USB-C. And you know what this means? It will be presented in other Mac lineups. And may very well be the only port Apple would include onto its next gens. Maybe something like iMac and MacPro would have 4 USB-C ports and nothing else.
Its usefulness may also lure Apple to use it for their iPad and iPhone in replace of current Lightning. It's open standard, small, neat-looking, and reversible just like Jony would've wanted. Which also means the Lightning could be the most short-lived Apple connector of all time. Sad
In any case, where would the Thunderbolt go? Considering Apple still sells Thunderbolt Display, which the main demographic is Macbook consumers, now the shiniest Macbook does not support Thunderbolt, not even with the $79 adapter. Wow
gets away again with it.
As usual people are up in arms because they can't spend their money on this toy for all the many reasons we've just seen.
As has been pointed out, this is a NEW laptop. It doesn't replace anything Apple has made so far. It fills a niche that Apple decided was worth filling. As with any product, it has an audience. People can spend their time on here complaining about anything that isn't in line with what THEY want or worse, what THEY think WE all want or worse still, what THEY think the FUTURE is. Apple spends enough time and money on research to know whether there is a target audience for this.
Now this is a forum so we all feel the need to be heard.So far there has been no real argument as to why this would in any way shape or form be a product that limits people in what they do. It is up to us to decide which laptop is best suited for our needs. Lucky for us, Apple has added a new product to its current lineup. It's new. It's foreign, it's different to anything else we had. Apple is happily selling it to whoever decides that it fits their mobile needs.
This thing is right up the alley of those who are on the run all day and have to do things you can't do on an iPad without being seriously frustrated. Those who connect to a corporate network via Citrix Client at the airport to approve purchase orders and grab the latest sales presentation or figures. Or those who run websites and have to manage them anytime from anywhere. Those who run blogs, build websites and create new ideas of pretty much anything. Heck, it even runs Xcode and it may not exactly fly when you compile your latest creation but you'd surely have your central repository on a cloud based machine that does all the hard work for you while you code away somewhere in a park under a shady tree or heaven forbid, in your local Starbucks.
Yes, the iPad has some great apps but it's an iPad and not a Laptop. This thing is totally going to fly with many, many professionals out there. Not everybody is a Video Editor and certainly not everybody needs anything hanging out of their laptops to do their job or to feel important.
I have many USB sticks and drives. But apparently the cloud is the way to go and so this laptop is based on cloud usage. It's for those who can and will put everything into the cloud or onto up to 512GB of local, fast storage and roam around the country or the world. This thing is all about being wirelessly connected to everything that is available out there in the cloud. Don't like the idea? Why not buy something else?
If you want to use OS X with all its apps and functionality and you want something even smaller than an Air that even has a retina display, then get your money out of your pocket and give it to Apple for they have just created the perfect machine for you.
If you think it's too expensive then you buy an Air. If you think you need plenty of ports, then you buy a MBP. No problem at all. There is a plethora of Apple laptops for you to pick the one that suits your ever so specific needs.
If you don't like Apple products, heck, buy a Chrome book or a surface pro. There is so much choice out there these days.
Watch the Apple presentation again. They make it very clear who they want to sell this to. I'm sorry that it's not you and I see that you may be upset because of that but the good news is that you can save your money and spend it on something else that may be more suitable for your needs.
Oh, and yes, there was SOME sarcasm in this post, too.
As has been pointed out, this is a NEW laptop. It doesn't replace anything Apple has made so far. It fills a niche that Apple decided was worth filling. As with any product, it has an audience. People can spend their time on here complaining about anything that isn't in line with what THEY want or worse, what THEY think WE all want or worse still, what THEY think the FUTURE is. Apple spends enough time and money on research to know whether there is a target audience for this.
Now this is a forum so we all feel the need to be heard.So far there has been no real argument as to why this would in any way shape or form be a product that limits people in what they do. It is up to us to decide which laptop is best suited for our needs. Lucky for us, Apple has added a new product to its current lineup. It's new. It's foreign, it's different to anything else we had. Apple is happily selling it to whoever decides that it fits their mobile needs.
This thing is right up the alley of those who are on the run all day and have to do things you can't do on an iPad without being seriously frustrated. Those who connect to a corporate network via Citrix Client at the airport to approve purchase orders and grab the latest sales presentation or figures. Or those who run websites and have to manage them anytime from anywhere. Those who run blogs, build websites and create new ideas of pretty much anything. Heck, it even runs Xcode and it may not exactly fly when you compile your latest creation but you'd surely have your central repository on a cloud based machine that does all the hard work for you while you code away somewhere in a park under a shady tree or heaven forbid, in your local Starbucks.
Yes, the iPad has some great apps but it's an iPad and not a Laptop. This thing is totally going to fly with many, many professionals out there. Not everybody is a Video Editor and certainly not everybody needs anything hanging out of their laptops to do their job or to feel important.
I have many USB sticks and drives. But apparently the cloud is the way to go and so this laptop is based on cloud usage. It's for those who can and will put everything into the cloud or onto up to 512GB of local, fast storage and roam around the country or the world. This thing is all about being wirelessly connected to everything that is available out there in the cloud. Don't like the idea? Why not buy something else?
If you want to use OS X with all its apps and functionality and you want something even smaller than an Air that even has a retina display, then get your money out of your pocket and give it to Apple for they have just created the perfect machine for you.
If you think it's too expensive then you buy an Air. If you think you need plenty of ports, then you buy a MBP. No problem at all. There is a plethora of Apple laptops for you to pick the one that suits your ever so specific needs.
If you don't like Apple products, heck, buy a Chrome book or a surface pro. There is so much choice out there these days.
Watch the Apple presentation again. They make it very clear who they want to sell this to. I'm sorry that it's not you and I see that you may be upset because of that but the good news is that you can save your money and spend it on something else that may be more suitable for your needs.
Oh, and yes, there was SOME sarcasm in this post, too.
I don't think it was. I had gone all digital media well before DVD drives were completely dropped, but optical media has always sucked. It's always been prone to damage extremely easily and they are too large and low capacity.
I've got a tiny 128GB USB drive here that is very fast, portable, convenient, relatively cheap and survived going through the wash in my pants. There is no quicker or more convenient way to exchange relatively large amounts of data with someone. These things are not going anywhere in the near future.
No doubt USB C is an excellent connector. But it's also one of a few occasion where Apple throw up the sponge with its earlier golden boy: the Thunderbolt.
Yes I am aware Thunderbolt is another "open" standard by Intel which means every computer OEMs could have access to, as long as they stay with Intel. But Apple has been the first to implement it to its Macs. Few years later and it didn't pick up so well, at least not as well as it's supposed to.
Now Apple is running away again with another standard, the USB-C. And you know what this means? It will be presented in other Mac lineups. And may very well be the only port Apple would include onto its products. Maybe something like iMac and MacPro would have 4 USB-C ports and nothing else.
Its usefulness may also lure Apple to use it for their iPad and iPhone. It's small, neat-looking, and reversible just like Jony would've wanted. Which also means the Lightning is the most short-lived Apple connector of all time. Sad
In any case, where would the Thunderbolt go? Considering Apple still sells Thunderbolt Display, which the main demographic is Macbook consumers, now the shiniest Macbook does not support Thunderbolt, not even with the $79 adapter. Wow
They don't want you to have Thunderbolt Cinema Display. The fact that they haven't updated it to retina speaks volumes. No, they want you to buy the standalone 5k imac.
I like the dock and one connector to it idea - I've wanted that for over a decade. However, I still want some ports on the machine. In particular a SDXC memory card slot and at least one USB port. I like having a removable local backup solution that is on Time Machine to constantly be making backups. Better is two: one a USB port and one in the SDXC port. I also need a USB for connecting my camera and iOS device.
This is just amazingly funny to me because this is the exact same approach that Google has taken with Chromebooks and that has been a source of absolute ridicule by Apple fans. Pretty typical though - something is only amazing once their overlords in Cupertino decide it is.
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Don't forget Firewire before that.
Thunderbolt was meant to replace Firewire. Makes no sense to put thunderbolt on a laptop with a slower processor. Thunderbolt was made for professional videographers ect.
It's not people who do work and its not students. The target audience is a niche of people who want an iPad with a keyboard and OS X.
Yeah well 5K iMac is an excellent machine, except for one big weakness, it cannot be used as external display of any kind. Not with Thunderbolt, HDMI, nothing even if we have a seemingly correct adapters.
Which means this new Macbook with USB-C is one weird offering, filled with one word Apple used to hate; inconsistency.
So your argument is that because Steve Ballmer made a terrible and biased prediction regarding iPhone 8 years ago, that no one else on earth can express their views about Apple technology with any credibility?
Really?
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No, it is designed for pretty much exactly what USB-C is designed to do. Support for high speed, low latency storage, networking and video data etc.