USB ports too close

[NickZac]

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Obviously you guys have never built custom rigs before. The USB spacing on desktop motherboards is even worse.

If apple had to choose sacrificing a bit of battery life over USB spacing, I think we can all agree on which to choose.

How other computers are built is completely irrelevant. If Apple used that logic we would be using systems with design features from winners like Dell, HP, and Samsung. No other laptop has the design features of the MBP and it is in a unique class of its own. For the most part, updates correspond to user needs, which is a large reason it is the laptop with the highest return customer rate and the laptop with the best user review ratings of all laptops. Look at other maker's trackpads for examples...it is an utter and total failure.

The spacing of the USB ports is an issue as people find it problematic, myself included. And if your work requires you use 2 USB devices simultaneously, you may not choose battery life.

If it problematic enough to not buy a MBP at all? Of course not, but it is still frustrating. Two USB ports in themselves is somewhat frustrating, even though fitting another in their would be difficult. It seems Apple is attempting to skip over this issue with ThunderBolt given its potential capability in powering many devices at once.

 

[-aggie-]

the USB ports have to be this close because they are attached to the logic board. you can't make the logic board deeper because the battery is there. it's hardly a flaw. it's just a compromise.

Wow! I have a vision of the T-Mobile girl giving you a WTF look.

 

[little johnny]

I agree they are close, but it's not like it was a secret.......

But it's not like it was made explicit! When you buy a laptop do you pause to measure how far apart the ports are or really think about whether your stuff will fit into both ports? Maybe if you're "special", but there should be a giant warning on the box and ads that tells everyone that the damned ports are too close together.

$2000 notebook with only ONE usable port under many circumstances. What a joke! (I own a brand new 15" MBP and I couldn't believe this when I discovered it for myself.)

 

[little johnny]

The 15" and 17" are pretty large machines, depth-wise (from front to back). Why on Earth have they crammed all the ports together on one side? I just don't get it.

 

[jlc1978]

the USB ports have to be this close because they are attached to the logic board. you can't make the logic board deeper because the battery is there. it's hardly a flaw. it's just a compromise.

A poor compromise, IMHO. They could have put the USB plugs on either side of the Mini-Displayport plug, allowing 2 larger USB plugs to be used unless you are attaching an external monitor. I would guess more people use 2 usb devices than an external monitor so it would have been a better design decision.
than again, some designer probably won an award for it...

 

[7thMac]

This is an example of good design ultimately turning out to be bad design.

 

[RockstarSR]

USB ports are the worst things in MacBook Pro. Though i read in reviews that the USB ports are very close, prior to buying MBP....i never thought that they will be THIS close!!

I'm yet to find 2 USB devices that can be used simultaneously...not even two small pen drives

Now i consider that my MBP has only one USB Port and purchased a Targus USB hub from ebay to solve this problem.

I seriously can't imagine that Apple which gives high priority to quality and customer experience din't bother to change the alignment of USB ports even after many years

They should place [USB][CARD SLOT][USB] as against [USB][USB][CARD SLOT]

 

[altecXP]

How other computers are built is completely irrelevant. If Apple used that logic we would be using systems with design features from winners like Dell, HP, and Samsung. No other laptop has the design features of the MBP and it is in a unique class of its own.

You mean no one else over charges you by $500-1000 and leaves you with 2 USB ports(that are only 2.0) you often can't use at the same time?

 

[nunes013]

If Apple sold those the white usb cord extenders that come with the keyboards i'd buy about 4-5 if the price is right; we can't even use the full size ones because of that obnoxious little nub at the top.

i tried to take out the nub. spent about an hour trying with no luck. i wish they sold them separately or just took out the nub so i could buy a few on ebay. i dont know why it matters to them that somebody uses it for something that not their keyboard. it would yield them a few more dollars on a dollar cable.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

i wish they sold them separately or just took out the nub so i could buy a few on ebay.

Hear that Apple?

 

[Lennyvalentin]

i dont know why it matters to them that somebody uses it for something that not their keyboard.

It probably matters because it's a very small-gauge wire, and if you could attach just anything to that connector maybe you'd plug in a high-wattage gadget like an external harddrive or a charging cable for some battery-powered device. This could - theoretically at least - cause malfunction or even overheating of the cable.

By notching the connector, Apple knows you'll only use it for their keyboard (which has built-in current limiting that's tuned according to the cable used.)

 

[Lennyvalentin]

USB ports are the worst things in MacBook Pro. Though i read in reviews that the USB ports are very close, prior to buying MBP....i never thought that they will be THIS close!!

Calm down, before you have an aneurysm or something. The USB port spacing conforms to USB specs, there's nothing wrong with how they're placed on the casing. That you can't fit devices that themselves don't follow USB specs is not Apple's fault. Some USB widgets are very large (3G/4G modems, I'm looking at you!), there's no feasible way Apple could accommodate such peripherals side-by-side, yet if they don't, someone like you will meritlessly complain about it!


Like others have suggested, either attach a USB hub, or an extender cable, to fit physically large and obstructive USB gadgets.

[/QUOTE]They should place [USB][CARD SLOT][USB] as against [USB][USB][CARD SLOT][/QUOTE]
Alas, connectors in computers don't simply work as if by magic. They have to be wired up internally through the circuit board to their respective controller chips. If you take a look at a picture of a MBP logic board you'll see it's rather crowded. Routing high-speed signal traces so they intermingle with other high-speed signal traces - like if the USB ports sit on either side of the SD slot for example - is not always trivial (due to the risk of crosstalk and whatnot), and also requires more board space than just routing the same traces alongside each other.

There are practical reasons also as to why things look the way they do in a computer.

 

[noodlehead]

Ridiculous design

This is a terrible design, and Apple has had years and many model upgrades to think about it.. There is no excuse for it. My 2008 Mac Pro has the same problem, in that case one jack right on top of the other--and scads of space all around them. With my 2011 Macbook Pro I can't use a mouse and USB flash drive at the same time! I think part of it s their obsession with prettiness over functionality.

Calm down, before you have an aneurysm or something. The USB port spacing conforms to USB specs, there's nothing wrong with how they're placed on the casing. That you can't fit devices that themselves don't follow USB specs is not Apple's fault. Some USB widgets are very large (3G/4G modems, I'm looking at you!), there's no feasible way Apple could accommodate such peripherals side-by-side, yet if they don't, someone like you will meritlessly complain about it!


Like others have suggested, either attach a USB hub, or an extender cable, to fit physically large and obstructive USB gadgets.

They should place [USB][CARD SLOT][USB] as against [USB][USB][CARD SLOT][/QUOTE]
Alas, connectors in computers don't simply work as if by magic. They have to be wired up internally through the circuit board to their respective controller chips. If you take a look at a picture of a MBP logic board you'll see it's rather crowded. Routing high-speed signal traces so they intermingle with other high-speed signal traces - like if the USB ports sit on either side of the SD slot for example - is not always trivial (due to the risk of crosstalk and whatnot), and also requires more board space than just routing the same traces alongside each other.

There are practical reasons also as to why things look the way they do in a computer. [/QUOTE]

 

[stcato]

I have the same problem. can't get two USB plugs to fit in side by side. I hear the reason that it was all to do with the Unibody, but then I ask why bother to put two ports in anyway seeing as only one at a time is usable

 

[Zeov]

People should start making products with normal sized USB. many computers have USB ports this close together.. it's not Apples fault.

 

[Lc*]

I just use one or two usb extension cables if i need to I have one that's just 4 inches long.. works a treat

 

[tmagman]

just throw a 6" extender in your bag with your MBP like this- it works great when i'm using beefy flash drives. Sure I can complain all I want that they're not perfect, but hey, whatever. Its a USB port.

 

[Yumunum]

For this reason, I'm glad to have an Air with the USB ports on different sides. But it's insane that they did that to the Pros

 

[noodlehead]

no excuses

Thanks to everyone for responses, even those who disagree...

That is the spacing the board allows? Wires is all it takes to move a jack, as demonstrated by the person who recommends a 6" extension. If that means the body is a millimeter or so bigger, what is the problem? One workable USB port, with all the peripherals we use nowadays, is unacceptable.
Other computers have the same problem? This is a Mac, and it costs twice what PCs with similar specs cost. "Others do it" is not an excuse for poor design.

Don't get me wrong: I love Macs. I would just like the balance of prettiness and functionality tilted a bit more toward the latter (Read the Steve Jobs bio for evidence of visual design obsession). The iMac is another example: They keep making it thinner--even though that makes it harder to work on-- because someone thinks it's more appealing visually. It is on a desk and doesn't need to be thinner by a quarter inch.

The MBP is a computer that has been refined through many models, and should be free of obvious flaws. When I plug in a Sandisk thumb drive (very common and not particularly big), I should be able to use my USB mouse to manipulate the info on it without having to use a hub or extension cord.

 

[thundersteele]

Don't buy hardware that is not compatible with your MBP (i.e. too wide USB connectors!)

If you already know what external devices you want to connect, then don't buy a laptop where they don't fit.

I can't play my blue ray movies on the MBP, I can't use my USB 3.0 HDD at full speed, my VGA monitor doesn't fit and neither does my parallel port mouse. Should I also come and blame apple for a failed design?

 

[GuitarG20]

The 15" and 17" are pretty large machines, depth-wise (from front to back). Why on Earth have they crammed all the ports together on one side? I just don't get it.

Because there is no other space for them. take a look at the tear-down pics on iFixIt or take the bottom off yours; that's the only place they can be attached to the mo-board.

Photo Credit

See, there's not really anywhere else to put them.

 

[TheJing]

Never been an issue for me.

 

[old-wiz]

I don't use USB that often, so it's never been an issue. Space on the logicboard is really tight anyway.

 

[phyrexia]

I plug three USB devices into my MBP pretty often without difficulty (I must be lucky).

I do own one of these, though, http://www.amazon.com/6in-USB-Extension-Adapter-Cable/dp/B000E5CYW8, from back in the day.

 

[Mr.Outside]