6 ms·

After not having a VGA connector, making MacBooks clumsy for presentations, not having an ethernet connector, making it annoying for anything networking related

by phicoh 10y ago

After not having a VGA connector, making MacBooks clumsy for presentations, not having an ethernet connector, making it annoying for anything networking related, killing headphone, SD card and USB-A will turn those laptops into nothing more than iPads with keyboards.

matt_wulfeck 10y ago
While I agree with the sentiment, presentations via google hangouts/screen sharing has been absolutely wonderful. It's cross platform and in our experience usually "just works" and doesn't require any wires!
- riskneural 10y ago
  If you have no confidentiality concerns at all in any way in your work, sure... My clients would not be happy with me blasting there stuff over the interwebs.
- sandworm101 10y ago
  If you have a decent internet connect. If the screen you want to display on is connected to the network. If nobody in the room is playing around with the wifi just for kicks. If you want to present data that you do not mind sharing with google. If your client doesn't care one iota about security. If all the equipment involved was purchased in the last few years. If you are on an even-numbered street. Wait until you want to display a breakdown of a merger bid to a board of directors who each had to lock their cellphones in a box before entering the room. Sometimes Google hangouts isn't an option. Sometimes that physical wire is needed.
  - matt_wulfeck 10y ago
    Totally agree. It's been wonderful to have but I know it's not a fix-all. We're very close to a world where we only need to plug in the USB type-C connector and we'll get power, internet, and display all in one cable. To me that's the end-game. Up until this moment I actually believed Android/ChromeOS was ahead of the curve with USB type-C. I think we'll reach that moment as soon as we have Type-C laptops from Apple and Google.
  - pavel_lishin 10y ago
    Not a criticism... but when the directors locked their cellphones in a box, did anyone check that they didn't have a secondary phone or other recording device on their person?
    - sandworm101 10y ago
      It's a ritual, not an absolute safety. The worry isn't that the board members may record something but that someone may have hacked one of the phones. Accounts of hacked mp3 players or cameras are extraordinarily rare. Also, no ringing phones during an important meeting. Only if you are into national security stuff are people physically searched.
      - pavel_lishin 10y ago
        Ah, I thought it was trying to prevent malicious behavior on the part of the board members. Worrying about hacks makes a lot more sense.
symfoniq 10y ago
This. After owning four generations of MacBook Pros, I just bought a ThinkPad. Not having to carry around half a dozen dongles will probably offset the weight disadvantage, and definitely reduce my aggravation.
melling 10y ago
Why do we need to be stuck in the 1980's forever? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector We wouldn't even have USB-A without Apple. PC manufacturers stuck with PS/2 keyboard connectors for another decade after Apple switched. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port According to most, the rate of technology is accelerating. Unfortunately, we want to stick with the same ports forever. Let's all move to USB-C, for example, and everyone else can buy an adapter. https://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Adapter-Reversible-Supported-CB-A1/dp/B00W98IJ0O https://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Adapter-Reversible-Supported-CB...
- phicoh 10y ago
  Well, after the VGA we got DVI, there is HDMI, display port, mini display port, and I probably forgot some. All the time, VGA (and headphones jacks) just work. It is not the most brilliant solution, but it works. I don't know the details, but some combinations, I think going from HDMI on a MacBook to DVI actually don't work. I guess due to HDCP getting in the way. About adaptors, nice if you use the laptop only on your desktop. In the field I managed to break a thunderbolt to ethernet dongle and it also took out a thunderbolt port on the MacBook. It used to be that only a cheap RJ45 patch cable would get old. You toss it in the bin and get a new one. I guess that's progress.
  - SysArchitect 10y ago
    HDMI to DVI works without issues on the MacBook Pro. Just make sure your display accepts digital input. Some older displays/projectors had DVI without actually supporting the digital in pins and only had the analog (VGA equivalent) pins.
    - Kadin 10y ago
      There are a variety of Catch-22 situations with HDMI on some Macbooks. For instance, the maximum resolution on my current Macbook is lower if I use HDMI than if I use Thunderbolt.
- 10y ago
niftich 10y ago
iPads with a mouse pointer; since iOS is still deliberately missing mouse support.
outworlder 10y ago
Oh no please. The fact that Macbooks do NOT have the old bulky VGA connection is a win in my book. The DisplayPort/Thunderbolt connection is much more versatile. I can hook up the macbook to whatever connection that I need, be it VGA, DisplayPort (full sized or mini), DVI or HDMI. The old, antiquated VGA connector is only good for older projectors. Plus, when the notebook gets older, it is among the first things to corrode. Is it such a bother to add an adaptor? Or a cable. Those can be found for cheap today. I can understand that the Ethernet port can be more useful, but I have plugged an Anker adapter to the monitor in my office. I just leave it there. Or take it with me, if travelling.
- phicoh 10y ago
  You may call it 'older projectors', but it is the defacto standard. Any conference will make sure that at least VGA is available. It doesn't help of you show up with display port and the conference offers DVI. I never had a female VGA connector fail. I wonder what you have to do to make that happen. Apple's thunderbolt-ethernet dongles are from a mechanical point of view an extremely poor design. If you expect problems with a VGA connector, expect those dongles and the port on your MacBook to fail way earlier. Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly fine if Apple offers modern connectors. It is just that some connectors, like VGA, RJ45, USB-A and 3.5mm jack are so universal that not offering them is just making lots of people suffer for no good reason. And as for those connectors being bulky, just use the opportunity to add a larger battery. It's a MacBook Pro, it can use all the juice it gets.
  - ubernostrum 10y ago
    Any conference will make sure that at least VGA is available I can't remember the last time I was presenting at a conference and they didn't have a Mini DisplayPort cable available. Macs are popular enough for presenting that it's a non-issue everywhere I've been.
illumin8 10y ago
Thunderbolt to VGA is only a $29 adapter ($19 if you want to use a non-Apple branded one) that I'm happy to carry to avoid having a thick, ugly notebook computer. The DB15 adapter is insanely thick for a modern computing device. It should have died years ago, but unfortunately it's still required for most aging conference room video equipment.

by phicoh 10y ago

matt_wulfeck 10y ago

While I agree with the sentiment, presentations via google hangouts/screen sharing has been absolutely wonderful. It's cross platform and in our experience usually "just works" and doesn't require any wires!

riskneural 10y ago
If you have no confidentiality concerns at all in any way in your work, sure... My clients would not be happy with me blasting there stuff over the interwebs.
sandworm101 10y ago
If you have a decent internet connect. If the screen you want to display on is connected to the network. If nobody in the room is playing around with the wifi just for kicks. If you want to present data that you do not mind sharing with google. If your client doesn't care one iota about security. If all the equipment involved was purchased in the last few years. If you are on an even-numbered street. Wait until you want to display a breakdown of a merger bid to a board of directors who each had to lock their cellphones in a box before entering the room. Sometimes Google hangouts isn't an option. Sometimes that physical wire is needed.
- matt_wulfeck 10y ago
  Totally agree. It's been wonderful to have but I know it's not a fix-all. We're very close to a world where we only need to plug in the USB type-C connector and we'll get power, internet, and display all in one cable. To me that's the end-game. Up until this moment I actually believed Android/ChromeOS was ahead of the curve with USB type-C. I think we'll reach that moment as soon as we have Type-C laptops from Apple and Google.
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  Not a criticism... but when the directors locked their cellphones in a box, did anyone check that they didn't have a secondary phone or other recording device on their person?
  - sandworm101 10y ago
    It's a ritual, not an absolute safety. The worry isn't that the board members may record something but that someone may have hacked one of the phones. Accounts of hacked mp3 players or cameras are extraordinarily rare. Also, no ringing phones during an important meeting. Only if you are into national security stuff are people physically searched.
    - pavel_lishin 10y ago
      Ah, I thought it was trying to prevent malicious behavior on the part of the board members. Worrying about hacks makes a lot more sense.

symfoniq 10y ago

This. After owning four generations of MacBook Pros, I just bought a ThinkPad. Not having to carry around half a dozen dongles will probably offset the weight disadvantage, and definitely reduce my aggravation.

melling 10y ago

Why do we need to be stuck in the 1980's forever? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector We wouldn't even have USB-A without Apple. PC manufacturers stuck with PS/2 keyboard connectors for another decade after Apple switched. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port According to most, the rate of technology is accelerating. Unfortunately, we want to stick with the same ports forever. Let's all move to USB-C, for example, and everyone else can buy an adapter. https://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Adapter-Reversible-Supported-CB-A1/dp/B00W98IJ0O https://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Adapter-Reversible-Supported-CB...

phicoh 10y ago
Well, after the VGA we got DVI, there is HDMI, display port, mini display port, and I probably forgot some. All the time, VGA (and headphones jacks) just work. It is not the most brilliant solution, but it works. I don't know the details, but some combinations, I think going from HDMI on a MacBook to DVI actually don't work. I guess due to HDCP getting in the way. About adaptors, nice if you use the laptop only on your desktop. In the field I managed to break a thunderbolt to ethernet dongle and it also took out a thunderbolt port on the MacBook. It used to be that only a cheap RJ45 patch cable would get old. You toss it in the bin and get a new one. I guess that's progress.
- SysArchitect 10y ago
  HDMI to DVI works without issues on the MacBook Pro. Just make sure your display accepts digital input. Some older displays/projectors had DVI without actually supporting the digital in pins and only had the analog (VGA equivalent) pins.
  - Kadin 10y ago
    There are a variety of Catch-22 situations with HDMI on some Macbooks. For instance, the maximum resolution on my current Macbook is lower if I use HDMI than if I use Thunderbolt.
10y ago

niftich 10y ago

iPads with a mouse pointer; since iOS is still deliberately missing mouse support.

outworlder 10y ago

Oh no please. The fact that Macbooks do NOT have the old bulky VGA connection is a win in my book. The DisplayPort/Thunderbolt connection is much more versatile. I can hook up the macbook to whatever connection that I need, be it VGA, DisplayPort (full sized or mini), DVI or HDMI. The old, antiquated VGA connector is only good for older projectors. Plus, when the notebook gets older, it is among the first things to corrode. Is it such a bother to add an adaptor? Or a cable. Those can be found for cheap today. I can understand that the Ethernet port can be more useful, but I have plugged an Anker adapter to the monitor in my office. I just leave it there. Or take it with me, if travelling.

phicoh 10y ago
You may call it 'older projectors', but it is the defacto standard. Any conference will make sure that at least VGA is available. It doesn't help of you show up with display port and the conference offers DVI. I never had a female VGA connector fail. I wonder what you have to do to make that happen. Apple's thunderbolt-ethernet dongles are from a mechanical point of view an extremely poor design. If you expect problems with a VGA connector, expect those dongles and the port on your MacBook to fail way earlier. Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly fine if Apple offers modern connectors. It is just that some connectors, like VGA, RJ45, USB-A and 3.5mm jack are so universal that not offering them is just making lots of people suffer for no good reason. And as for those connectors being bulky, just use the opportunity to add a larger battery. It's a MacBook Pro, it can use all the juice it gets.
- ubernostrum 10y ago
  Any conference will make sure that at least VGA is available I can't remember the last time I was presenting at a conference and they didn't have a Mini DisplayPort cable available. Macs are popular enough for presenting that it's a non-issue everywhere I've been.

illumin8 10y ago

Thunderbolt to VGA is only a $29 adapter ($19 if you want to use a non-Apple branded one) that I'm happy to carry to avoid having a thick, ugly notebook computer. The DB15 adapter is insanely thick for a modern computing device. It should have died years ago, but unfortunately it's still required for most aging conference room video equipment.