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Looks to me like Apple is thinking long term and is willing to tolerate short term criticism over it's decision to remove ports. They've set their future on wir

Looks to me like Apple is thinking long term and is willing to tolerate short term criticism over it's decision to remove ports. They've set their future on wireless and USB type C. Apple is the one company that's willing to sacrifice now in order to gain in the future. The port decision aren't being done in a vacuum. They have a reason. And give their size, they have the muscle to lead all the industry to what they think is the future. I don't know their endgame but given the fact that more and more work is being done in the cloud. Macs will start looking more like Chromebooks as time passes. Ports are less and less important once you have all your data in the cloud and can access it at will. What else can you expect from a company who's idol famously said, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish?" They are certainly looking foolish now but their hunger is leading them to future profit and a long life. I wouldn't bet against them.

Ph0X 10y ago
See, I would agree with you, and I definitely agree with their decision on the new MBP to put four Thunderbolt 3, but I don't understand why they didn't use a USB-C connector on the iPhone 7, which just came out. They removed the headphone jack and called it "courage", but real courage would've been to switch to USB-C. That is the future of connectors, and if you believe in it, why wouldn't you preach it across all your devices.
- megablast 10y ago
  You do know why, if you think about it for a bit. Look at the backlash Apple got for removing the 30 pin port on the iPhone. There are so many docks and devices out there which supports the lightning port, way more users than macbook users.
  - baconner 10y ago
    Sure, but if they were following that logic there'd still be a headphone jack, no?
    - comex 10y ago
      The outcry would be worse if they changed both at the same time. And delaying the death of Lightning, if its death is indeed Apple's plan, will make it older at the time of the announcement, make it feel less like a bait and switch.
- dynjo 10y ago
  Easy...iPhone 8 won't have a charging port, no point changing it for one generation.
  - geuis 10y ago
    That... actually makes sense.
    - tim333 10y ago
      Sort of except charging ports are kind of handy for charging the things.
      - dynjo 10y ago
        Given the Apple Watch has wireless charging and this https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/31/foxconn-iphone-8-wireless-charging/ https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/31/foxconn-iphone-8-wireless-cha... And Apple's obsession with removing holes, I would put money on it.
  - joeguilmette 10y ago
    I would be pretty damn surprised if they got rid of wired charging completely... unless they get near-field charging really good, where my phone doesn't need to be in contact with the charger. Otherwise that makes external batteries way less useful. I think going to USB-C is much more likely. That said, a lot of new devices and headphones are using Lightning, so... who knows. Maybe Lightning has more life ahead of it.
    - vollmond 10y ago
      Yeah, and I need to be able to use my phone (like, hold-up-to-my-ear using) while it's charging.
      - chris_wot 10y ago
        Hell, I need to charge my phone whilst driving because I use the GPS and Google's traffic options. And Internet Radio and often podcasts.
- mattnewton 10y ago
  Well, the cynical side of me says that they least have all these lightning-port apple-only headphones by beats to sell..
- emp_zealoth 10y ago
  USB-C being the industry standard means they no longer can gouge fools for their riddiculously shitty cables without strain reliefs
- tammer 10y ago
  This is a consistent complaint about the new systems but it ignores the history of Apple's device connectors. Macs are distinguished from iOS devices by a level of complexity; Mac users should be OK if they encounter a cable or device that isn't digitally compatible, its been that way since the beginning of consumer PC's. iOS isn't and never has been about those types of considerations.
- rickyc091 10y ago
  If they had used a usb-c plug on the iPhone 7 there would be a lot of blow back when iPhone's port fried since people were using third party cables that weren't regulated. It doesn't matter if Apple tells them not to use it. Media will put the blame on Apple even though it's the manufacturer's responsibility. This is why they require lightning cables to be certified. There are many more iPhone users than MacBook Pro users out there. My guess is there will still be some people bringing in fried ports to the Apple store, but it'll be a lot less than if they had released usb-c on the iPhone. http://phandroid.com/2016/10/14/recommended-usb-c-chargers-for-pixel-phone/ http://phandroid.com/2016/10/14/recommended-usb-c-chargers-f... By the wrong cable, fry your phone.
duaneb 10y ago
This makes sense. I hope they reinvest in the pro community this year, however; any advantage that macs give disappear as devices are split. If I don't need to develop for iOS or the mac itself, I can get along fine with a thinkpad/bsd for Dev and an iPad for music and notifications. I don't want to reinvest all my USB cables and chuck away my touch typing just to get a small power bump. I can't even upgrade my memory!
mdamore 10y ago
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I am glad Apple is leading the charge in getting rid of the headphone jack. My main problem with the MacBook event was philosophical inconsistency. Apple removed every single port from previous pros EXCEPT the headphone jack, less than 2 months after arguing for the death of the same headphone jack. Are they implicitly saying that the headphone jack was more important than MagSage, or leaving one traditional USB/HDMI port? Now the flagship iPhone can't be plugged into the flagship MacBook, and neither can the lightning headphones I get in the box with my phone. I'd much rather they'd have just gotten rid of it entirely in favor of being consistent on their vision.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- stephenr 10y ago
  > Now the flagship iPhone can't be plugged into the flagship MacBook You know that USB-C to Lightning cables exist, right?
userbinator 10y ago
I don't know their endgame but given the fact that more and more work is being done in the cloud. Macs will start looking more like Chromebooks as time passes. Ports are less and less important once you have all your data in the cloud and can access it at will. Meanwhile, those of us who still care about having control over where our data is and being able to work without a network connection are loudly saying: "DO NOT WANT!"
- mancerayder 10y ago
  I think the "Cloud" argument for the ports is wildly off. Unless they're telling me they've thought through that people with cameras are uploading 16-32GB cards full of raw photos up to the cloud too [ or would in this theoretical scenario ]? And what about a photographer in the field? People want to see the photos they just took, or are taking if they have some complex strobe lighting setup, in a laptop-sized screen instead of a squinty back-camera one. Sometimes people even edit and submit photos on the fly from a laptop. It's more "the dongle" argument than the cloud one.
appleiigs 10y ago
No way, Apple didn't expect this. If they did, they would have cut the prices of dongles at the announcement or provide a dongle for free with each MBP. You say given their size they can lead to the future. I say, given their size, they could have had a MacBook, MacBook Pro and a MacBook "Concept" product line. A forward thinking line for the early adopters who are OK with moving to USB-C only with touchbar (ie no tactile Esc key) and paying a premium. Car companies show off their concept cars each year to gauge the response. Apple execs had no clue this was going to happen. I had my wife convinced to switch to Mac and was waiting for a refresh, money in hand. Now we are looking for alternatives. Huge mistake for Apple to give me a reason to look elsewhere after using Macs for 20+ years.
- acchow 10y ago
  > I say, given their size, they could have had a MacBook, MacBook Pro and a MacBook "Concept" product line They did... the concept was released last year..
- gleenn 10y ago
  Look I think it's ridiculous but maybe they did and reducing prices was just something they expected to have to do if backlash was over some threshold. It's not like they were blind-sided either, they're not complete idiots.
- drieddust 10y ago
  How keeping the old connectors and easing user transition is bad for Apple? "Carrying around assorted collection of dongles and loving it." - Mantra of blind Apple lovers. Seriously, I don't get why people feel they need to defend every wrong decision Apple takes.
- CardenB 10y ago
  Why can't your wife decide what laptop she wants?
maxerickson 10y ago
Let's all agree to call it USB type iPhone 7, out of respect for their planning and vision for the future.

Ph0X 10y ago

See, I would agree with you, and I definitely agree with their decision on the new MBP to put four Thunderbolt 3, but I don't understand why they didn't use a USB-C connector on the iPhone 7, which just came out. They removed the headphone jack and called it "courage", but real courage would've been to switch to USB-C. That is the future of connectors, and if you believe in it, why wouldn't you preach it across all your devices.

megablast 10y ago
You do know why, if you think about it for a bit. Look at the backlash Apple got for removing the 30 pin port on the iPhone. There are so many docks and devices out there which supports the lightning port, way more users than macbook users.
- baconner 10y ago
  Sure, but if they were following that logic there'd still be a headphone jack, no?
  - comex 10y ago
    The outcry would be worse if they changed both at the same time. And delaying the death of Lightning, if its death is indeed Apple's plan, will make it older at the time of the announcement, make it feel less like a bait and switch.
dynjo 10y ago
Easy...iPhone 8 won't have a charging port, no point changing it for one generation.
- geuis 10y ago
  That... actually makes sense.
  - tim333 10y ago
    Sort of except charging ports are kind of handy for charging the things.
    - dynjo 10y ago
      Given the Apple Watch has wireless charging and this https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/31/foxconn-iphone-8-wireless-charging/ https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/31/foxconn-iphone-8-wireless-cha... And Apple's obsession with removing holes, I would put money on it.
- joeguilmette 10y ago
  I would be pretty damn surprised if they got rid of wired charging completely... unless they get near-field charging really good, where my phone doesn't need to be in contact with the charger. Otherwise that makes external batteries way less useful. I think going to USB-C is much more likely. That said, a lot of new devices and headphones are using Lightning, so... who knows. Maybe Lightning has more life ahead of it.
  - vollmond 10y ago
    Yeah, and I need to be able to use my phone (like, hold-up-to-my-ear using) while it's charging.
    - chris_wot 10y ago
      Hell, I need to charge my phone whilst driving because I use the GPS and Google's traffic options. And Internet Radio and often podcasts.
mattnewton 10y ago
Well, the cynical side of me says that they least have all these lightning-port apple-only headphones by beats to sell..
emp_zealoth 10y ago
USB-C being the industry standard means they no longer can gouge fools for their riddiculously shitty cables without strain reliefs
tammer 10y ago
This is a consistent complaint about the new systems but it ignores the history of Apple's device connectors. Macs are distinguished from iOS devices by a level of complexity; Mac users should be OK if they encounter a cable or device that isn't digitally compatible, its been that way since the beginning of consumer PC's. iOS isn't and never has been about those types of considerations.
rickyc091 10y ago
If they had used a usb-c plug on the iPhone 7 there would be a lot of blow back when iPhone's port fried since people were using third party cables that weren't regulated. It doesn't matter if Apple tells them not to use it. Media will put the blame on Apple even though it's the manufacturer's responsibility. This is why they require lightning cables to be certified. There are many more iPhone users than MacBook Pro users out there. My guess is there will still be some people bringing in fried ports to the Apple store, but it'll be a lot less than if they had released usb-c on the iPhone. http://phandroid.com/2016/10/14/recommended-usb-c-chargers-for-pixel-phone/ http://phandroid.com/2016/10/14/recommended-usb-c-chargers-f... By the wrong cable, fry your phone.

duaneb 10y ago

This makes sense. I hope they reinvest in the pro community this year, however; any advantage that macs give disappear as devices are split. If I don't need to develop for iOS or the mac itself, I can get along fine with a thinkpad/bsd for Dev and an iPad for music and notifications. I don't want to reinvest all my USB cables and chuck away my touch typing just to get a small power bump. I can't even upgrade my memory!

mdamore 10y ago

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I am glad Apple is leading the charge in getting rid of the headphone jack. My main problem with the MacBook event was philosophical inconsistency. Apple removed every single port from previous pros EXCEPT the headphone jack, less than 2 months after arguing for the death of the same headphone jack. Are they implicitly saying that the headphone jack was more important than MagSage, or leaving one traditional USB/HDMI port? Now the flagship iPhone can't be plugged into the flagship MacBook, and neither can the lightning headphones I get in the box with my phone. I'd much rather they'd have just gotten rid of it entirely in favor of being consistent on their vision.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
stephenr 10y ago
> Now the flagship iPhone can't be plugged into the flagship MacBook You know that USB-C to Lightning cables exist, right?

userbinator 10y ago

I don't know their endgame but given the fact that more and more work is being done in the cloud. Macs will start looking more like Chromebooks as time passes. Ports are less and less important once you have all your data in the cloud and can access it at will. Meanwhile, those of us who still care about having control over where our data is and being able to work without a network connection are loudly saying: "DO NOT WANT!"

mancerayder 10y ago
I think the "Cloud" argument for the ports is wildly off. Unless they're telling me they've thought through that people with cameras are uploading 16-32GB cards full of raw photos up to the cloud too [ or would in this theoretical scenario ]? And what about a photographer in the field? People want to see the photos they just took, or are taking if they have some complex strobe lighting setup, in a laptop-sized screen instead of a squinty back-camera one. Sometimes people even edit and submit photos on the fly from a laptop. It's more "the dongle" argument than the cloud one.

appleiigs 10y ago

No way, Apple didn't expect this. If they did, they would have cut the prices of dongles at the announcement or provide a dongle for free with each MBP. You say given their size they can lead to the future. I say, given their size, they could have had a MacBook, MacBook Pro and a MacBook "Concept" product line. A forward thinking line for the early adopters who are OK with moving to USB-C only with touchbar (ie no tactile Esc key) and paying a premium. Car companies show off their concept cars each year to gauge the response. Apple execs had no clue this was going to happen. I had my wife convinced to switch to Mac and was waiting for a refresh, money in hand. Now we are looking for alternatives. Huge mistake for Apple to give me a reason to look elsewhere after using Macs for 20+ years.

acchow 10y ago
> I say, given their size, they could have had a MacBook, MacBook Pro and a MacBook "Concept" product line They did... the concept was released last year..
gleenn 10y ago
Look I think it's ridiculous but maybe they did and reducing prices was just something they expected to have to do if backlash was over some threshold. It's not like they were blind-sided either, they're not complete idiots.
drieddust 10y ago
How keeping the old connectors and easing user transition is bad for Apple? "Carrying around assorted collection of dongles and loving it." - Mantra of blind Apple lovers. Seriously, I don't get why people feel they need to defend every wrong decision Apple takes.
CardenB 10y ago
Why can't your wife decide what laptop she wants?

maxerickson 10y ago

Let's all agree to call it USB type iPhone 7, out of respect for their planning and vision for the future.