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This is a joke. The latest MacBook Pro redesign is an affront to pro users. At our hardware/software startup the new MacBooks are unusable due to the limitati

by jonjenk 10y ago

This is a joke. The latest MacBook Pro redesign is an affront to pro users. At our hardware/software startup the new MacBooks are unusable due to the limitations of the USB-C ports. Our engineers refuse to engage in the dongle shenanigans necessary to get these computers to work with the displays and the other peripherals necessary to do their jobs. We just purchased several of the old MacBook Pros to make sure we have enough for new hires and interns arriving this summer. Apple cares about Pros? Heh.

zimzam 10y ago
Your engineers are unwilling to use a dongle to connect to a monitor? Something that is so trivial to set up once and never deal with again sounds more like an attitude problem than a technical one.
- strict9 10y ago
  "set up once and never deal with again ..." maybe you bought a laptop that stays in the exact same position and location for the foreseeable future. for those who use it in more than one place, it's more than a minor annoyance.
  - scentedmeat 10y ago
    The monitor doesn't go anywhere. Just leave the dongle.
    - robert_foss 10y ago
      Yes, get a dongle for every possible monitor you'll ever connect to.
      - salesguy222 10y ago
        hey this sounds like a great way to increase revenue AND profit! thanks!! i'm taking this nugget of an idea to Daddy Warren!!
      - dpark 10y ago
        Why not? You bought a cable for every monitor you'd ever connect to. The hdmi cable your monitor came with definitely didn't plug into your MBP from 2015.
        jolux 10y ago
        They did used to have HDMI actually.
        dpark 10y ago
        Damn it. I misread the spec sheet and thought they were lacking hdmi just like the Air.
        csydas 10y ago
        While true it's beside the point that was made earlier on. The Parent complains about "dongles", but really it's not much different than having to plug a portable computer into all of the accessories that are there already, there's just something extra tacked on. It's not like other vendors and set ups are immune to this; my previous work place had a Dell contract and their desktops came with some stupid video card where there was only one out-put and the only way to get dual monitors was a Y splitter from Dell. In custom setups, if your card isn't Dual [connection], you use an adapter for DVI or HDMI, and so on. Apple does have a lot to answer for, and their idea of "dongle for everything" does get tiresome and Apple should be above that. But it's not like it's unique to Apple or even new in the computing world. This has been standard for a long time.
        syntheticnature 10y ago
        I used to work at a place with a Dell contract, and I had a laptop ...with a docking station. I always pooh-poohed proprietary docking stations before I had one -- all the cables went to it, dock the computer, done. Best of all, it wasn't having plug something in where you need to set the computer down, then navigate something with one hand -- the dock felt nice and intuitive to set the laptop down upon with two hands, as if it was meant to be part of setting your computer down. Even worked flawlessly with my Linux install. Sadly the E-series dock was not as intuitive -- I found it easier to manually plug in my headphones as the dock was a different sound device.
- helthanatos 10y ago
  Exactly what I was thinking... My very limited (one person) "technician" can set up 30... I don't know what the problem is.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
Bud 10y ago
This is complete nonsense and probably just made up. The previous MB Pro design required adapters for the VAST majority of all monitors. There's nothing new here.
- gurkendoktor 10y ago
  In my limited experience, HDMI is the new VGA in terms of availability. Projectors, TVs, screens all support it (even if it can't drive 10-bit modes or the max refresh rate). If you bring a HDMI-capable Mac to a client and something doesn't work, it's their fault. If you bring a USB-C Mac and forget the dongle, it feels like a faux pas on your end. Though to be fair, it was an aberration that the last (fantastic!) rMBP had a useful video port. Historically, portable Macs always needed crappy adapters.
- joezydeco 10y ago
  If jonjenk is doing hardware development, I can sympathize. I'll attest that literally nothing in my current bench environment is USB-C compatible. Dev boards, JTAG debuggers, emulators, UART bridges, signal scopes, SoCs...all USB 2.0. Maybe he's talking about stuff other than charging cables and monitors?
  - blackguardx 10y ago
    I would be shocked if most USB accessories didn't work with an adaptor. The old macbook only had two USB A ports anyway. I do hardware development and use a USB hub with my 2015 Macbook Pro. I'm guessing USB-C to to USB-A hubs exist and work well.
    - dpark 10y ago
      Don't be rational with your easy fix.
      - ssalazar 10y ago
        Yes, ditching physical compatibility with nearly every other connector currently in use, in exchange for a millimeter or two of thinness, is the rational option.
nilkn 10y ago
All our new developers are getting 2016 MacBook Pros with Touch Bar and there have been no issues of any kind that I know of so far.
mark_l_watson 10y ago
I have a new MacBook with the matched external LG monitor Apple sells. I love the combination. The monitor has one USB-c port to connect/charge the laptop and 3 other USB-c ports, one of which I always keep the $10 dongle to convert to the old USB plug size. I never think of charging my MacBook because two or theee times a day I plug into the external monitor to work and don't even think of charging anymore.

by jonjenk 10y ago

zimzam 10y ago

Your engineers are unwilling to use a dongle to connect to a monitor? Something that is so trivial to set up once and never deal with again sounds more like an attitude problem than a technical one.

strict9 10y ago
"set up once and never deal with again ..." maybe you bought a laptop that stays in the exact same position and location for the foreseeable future. for those who use it in more than one place, it's more than a minor annoyance.
- scentedmeat 10y ago
  The monitor doesn't go anywhere. Just leave the dongle.
  - robert_foss 10y ago
    Yes, get a dongle for every possible monitor you'll ever connect to.
    - salesguy222 10y ago
      hey this sounds like a great way to increase revenue AND profit! thanks!! i'm taking this nugget of an idea to Daddy Warren!!
    - dpark 10y ago
      Why not? You bought a cable for every monitor you'd ever connect to. The hdmi cable your monitor came with definitely didn't plug into your MBP from 2015.
      - jolux 10y ago
        They did used to have HDMI actually.
        dpark 10y ago
        Damn it. I misread the spec sheet and thought they were lacking hdmi just like the Air.
        csydas 10y ago
        While true it's beside the point that was made earlier on. The Parent complains about "dongles", but really it's not much different than having to plug a portable computer into all of the accessories that are there already, there's just something extra tacked on. It's not like other vendors and set ups are immune to this; my previous work place had a Dell contract and their desktops came with some stupid video card where there was only one out-put and the only way to get dual monitors was a Y splitter from Dell. In custom setups, if your card isn't Dual [connection], you use an adapter for DVI or HDMI, and so on. Apple does have a lot to answer for, and their idea of "dongle for everything" does get tiresome and Apple should be above that. But it's not like it's unique to Apple or even new in the computing world. This has been standard for a long time.
        syntheticnature 10y ago
        I used to work at a place with a Dell contract, and I had a laptop ...with a docking station. I always pooh-poohed proprietary docking stations before I had one -- all the cables went to it, dock the computer, done. Best of all, it wasn't having plug something in where you need to set the computer down, then navigate something with one hand -- the dock felt nice and intuitive to set the laptop down upon with two hands, as if it was meant to be part of setting your computer down. Even worked flawlessly with my Linux install. Sadly the E-series dock was not as intuitive -- I found it easier to manually plug in my headphones as the dock was a different sound device.
helthanatos 10y ago
Exactly what I was thinking... My very limited (one person) "technician" can set up 30... I don't know what the problem is.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Bud 10y ago

This is complete nonsense and probably just made up. The previous MB Pro design required adapters for the VAST majority of all monitors. There's nothing new here.

gurkendoktor 10y ago
In my limited experience, HDMI is the new VGA in terms of availability. Projectors, TVs, screens all support it (even if it can't drive 10-bit modes or the max refresh rate). If you bring a HDMI-capable Mac to a client and something doesn't work, it's their fault. If you bring a USB-C Mac and forget the dongle, it feels like a faux pas on your end. Though to be fair, it was an aberration that the last (fantastic!) rMBP had a useful video port. Historically, portable Macs always needed crappy adapters.
joezydeco 10y ago
If jonjenk is doing hardware development, I can sympathize. I'll attest that literally nothing in my current bench environment is USB-C compatible. Dev boards, JTAG debuggers, emulators, UART bridges, signal scopes, SoCs...all USB 2.0. Maybe he's talking about stuff other than charging cables and monitors?
- blackguardx 10y ago
  I would be shocked if most USB accessories didn't work with an adaptor. The old macbook only had two USB A ports anyway. I do hardware development and use a USB hub with my 2015 Macbook Pro. I'm guessing USB-C to to USB-A hubs exist and work well.
  - dpark 10y ago
    Don't be rational with your easy fix.
    - ssalazar 10y ago
      Yes, ditching physical compatibility with nearly every other connector currently in use, in exchange for a millimeter or two of thinness, is the rational option.

nilkn 10y ago

All our new developers are getting 2016 MacBook Pros with Touch Bar and there have been no issues of any kind that I know of so far.

mark_l_watson 10y ago

I have a new MacBook with the matched external LG monitor Apple sells. I love the combination. The monitor has one USB-c port to connect/charge the laptop and 3 other USB-c ports, one of which I always keep the $10 dongle to convert to the old USB plug size. I never think of charging my MacBook because two or theee times a day I plug into the external monitor to work and don't even think of charging anymore.