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I've got no idea why the new macbook is the way it is. Apple really missed a sweet opportunity to move the mac and iphone over to usb-c at the same time. They c

I've got no idea why the new macbook is the way it is. Apple really missed a sweet opportunity to move the mac and iphone over to usb-c at the same time. They could have easily added two usb-c ports while keeping a usb-a port and the SD card reader. At the same time, they could have moved the iphone to usb-c and converge a lot of their designs into something clean and easy. I'm typing this on an xps-13 while charging both my phone and laptop over usb-c with the same charger and cable. Instead, apple now has multiple incompatible cables and devices. Not only has the rest of the industry caught up to them, apple has regressed in the meantime.

abtinf 8y ago
My work recently bought me a new laptop. I could have picked anything. I went with the now-3-years-old mbp, with sane ports. The fact they still sell them new probably means there are a lot of people who think like me. If I’d purchased a new model, I would’ve also needed to purchase a fistful of dongles. It makes no sense. And I would have had to use the awful keyboard. I don’t like the feel of it, but I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is the keys randomly failing due to minor dirt, as so many reports indicate. I travel for work and it would be a catastrophe if the space key stopped working. I also really wish they would add a lightning port to the mbp, so I could take just one set of headphones with me.
- danielbln 8y ago
  As written below, we've done the same for some devs here. The 2015 model just as too many useful features that are now missing for no apparent reason. The new MBP has tinny sound, no magsafe, no hdmi, crappy keyboard, failing usb-c ports, the whole dongle fiasco.. it's just not a good value proposition for the price, compared to the predecessor.
  - Zak 8y ago
    I think replacing the proprietary magsafe plug with standard USB-C is a good idea, but not if the implementation is failure-prone. Tangentially related, I wonder why they haven't replaced the proprietary plug on their phones and tablets with USB-C.
    - no1youknowz 8y ago
      I have to agree with jwr on this one. Replacing the magsafe was not a good idea. I've had my MBPr for 5 years now. I can't even count the number of times I didn't need to think about it being connected. As a dedicated notebook user for 14 years now. The previous MBPr was the sweet spot. I'm holding onto my current macbook and refuse to upgrade. I hope some sanity returns to Apple and soon.
      - dismal2 8y ago
        I think the chances of MagSafe coming back are slim. I’m debating getting the last updated 15 with the old style keyboard and MagSafe to hold me over for a while...
    - itchyouch 8y ago
      The lightning connector licensing revenue they get from 3rd parties for being "Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod" etc
    - jwr 8y ago
      Why do you think it's a good idea? My Magsafe has been yanked out at least hundreds of times. I think it is a fantastic solution and I really do not understand what is "better" about the USB-C connector?
      - tolien 8y ago
        There's no real reason that Apple couldn't have had USB-C and some sort of magnetic detachment, like MagSafe - a bunch of third parties sell cables that do exactly that [1]. 1: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/12/15960594/magc-vinpok-bolt-s-magsafe-magnetic-charging-usb-c-macbook-pro https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/12/15960594/m...
        happertiger 8y ago
        This is the real point. It was removed and in no way did it need to be. I miss it. The new mbp is no bueno.
- 7ewis 8y ago
  I've had the MacBook Pro (Touch Bar) for almost a year now at work, and honestly haven't been too bothered about the ports. I leave a HyperDrive[0] on my desk to connect my screens and power and very really need to plug anything else in. I use a wireless trackpad and keyboard, wireless headphones. What else do you need to plug in? I have unlimited cloud storage, all my code is in GitHub, photos in Google Photos. iPhone backs up to iCloud and Google Photos. If I do need to connect something, I have USB ports on my HyperDrive, but I just never use them. I charge my devices with a wall charger so they can charge if I'm in meetings etc. and get more power from there anyway. [0] - https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperdrive-duo-hub-for-usb-c-macbook-pro-13-and-15-2016-2017 https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperdrive-duo-hub-for-us...
  - akhilcacharya 8y ago
    I, for one, think it's absurd to need a $100 accessory just to make it usable.
    - arkades 8y ago
      He clearly uses it as a docking station. 100$ for an elegant dock is high, but not ridiculous.
      - scarface74 8y ago
        $100 for a docking station is not bad. I use this one from Dell. http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-docking-station-usb-30-d3100/apd/452-bbpg/pc-accessories http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-docking-station-usb-30-d...
    - wilsonnb 8y ago
      Nobody has ever bought a MacBook to save money
      - LyndsySimon 8y ago
        I did, in 2012. I bought a $1,400 MBP because I was replacing $1,000 non-Apple laptops every 12-18 months due to mechanical issues - keyboards, hinges, power ports, etc. That laptop lasted until late 2016 when my daughter spilled a quart of milk onto it. If not for that I’d probably still have it. Today’s MBPs? There’s no rationalizing the cost for me.
- akhilcacharya 8y ago
  During an internship I had a coworker that got the 2016 MBPr while I got the 2015 MBPr. He literally had to haul his docking station to every meeting where he had to present because none of the meeting rooms had thunderbolt/usb-c adapters.
  - AstroBadger 8y ago
    Couldn't he have saved some hauling by investing in an adapter himself?
jwr 8y ago
There are multiple points of view. As for me, I'm fine with Lightning: mechanically it's the best connector I've ever seen. But moving "everything" to USB-C means that exactly ZERO of my USB devices are pluggable into the new laptops. Also, please don't start with the "but somebody needs to move the world forward" narrative. Move the world all you want, but don't hold me hostage. And "moving the world forward" does not require dropping existing USB connectors. I'm also amused by the "oh, in a year or so every device will have switched to USB-C" narrative. Guess what, it's quite likely that my JTAG programmers, logic analyzers, USB microscopes, USB ports on oscilloscopes, 3dconnexion spacemouse, label printer, sheet-fed scanner, barcode scanners, and at least 20 kinds of development boards will NOT switch to USB-C anytime soon, and most of them quite likely never will (ever tried routing a USB-C connector on a 2-layer board?). Oh, and I wrote that list just by looking around me, I probably have even more devices.
- cmrx64 8y ago
  It's extremely easy to wire up a USB-C connector to any legacy USB controller, at least by my reading of the relevant specs. https://imgur.com/a/tL5lDZ5 https://imgur.com/a/tL5lDZ5 is what you need logically (I think).
  - jwr 8y ago
    As I wrote: "ever tried routing a USB-C connector on a 2-layer board?" There is nothing "extremely easy" about USB-C. And even if it were easy, that doesn't solve the problem of connecting all my devices in various circumstances. I don't want to live in a dongle-cable world. They should have kept two USB ports for compatibility.
- tolien 8y ago
  > As for me, I'm fine with Lightning I'd have expected Lightning to remain but the other end of the cable should've either switched to USB-C or some sort of adapter been included in the box. As things stand you could walk into an Apple Store, spend the better part of four thousand pounds on a MBP and an iPhone X, and get home to find out that you can't plug one into the other without Apple wanting to take another £35 for a USB-C to Lightning cable (obviously other cables are available but that's beside the point). That's absolute madness and destroys the idea that Apple hardware exists within any sort of ecosystem.
Spooky23 8y ago
IMO, Ive has no counterweight in the company and drives design based on random whims. Why premium laptops are sold for years with defective keyboards is a mystery likely rooted in hubris.
fermienrico 8y ago
Your comment is completely random and detached from the topic - i.e., failing butterfly keyboards.
- yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
  A thread about any Apple hardware becomes a thread about all Apple hardware.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
xtrimsky1234 8y ago
Well at least it's nice for Macbook & Android users. I don't really like the Apple ecosystem but for my current work it's much easier to have a macbook. Now I can charge my Google Pixel and my Macbook with the same cable.

abtinf 8y ago

My work recently bought me a new laptop. I could have picked anything. I went with the now-3-years-old mbp, with sane ports. The fact they still sell them new probably means there are a lot of people who think like me. If I’d purchased a new model, I would’ve also needed to purchase a fistful of dongles. It makes no sense. And I would have had to use the awful keyboard. I don’t like the feel of it, but I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is the keys randomly failing due to minor dirt, as so many reports indicate. I travel for work and it would be a catastrophe if the space key stopped working. I also really wish they would add a lightning port to the mbp, so I could take just one set of headphones with me.

danielbln 8y ago
As written below, we've done the same for some devs here. The 2015 model just as too many useful features that are now missing for no apparent reason. The new MBP has tinny sound, no magsafe, no hdmi, crappy keyboard, failing usb-c ports, the whole dongle fiasco.. it's just not a good value proposition for the price, compared to the predecessor.
- Zak 8y ago
  I think replacing the proprietary magsafe plug with standard USB-C is a good idea, but not if the implementation is failure-prone. Tangentially related, I wonder why they haven't replaced the proprietary plug on their phones and tablets with USB-C.
  - no1youknowz 8y ago
    I have to agree with jwr on this one. Replacing the magsafe was not a good idea. I've had my MBPr for 5 years now. I can't even count the number of times I didn't need to think about it being connected. As a dedicated notebook user for 14 years now. The previous MBPr was the sweet spot. I'm holding onto my current macbook and refuse to upgrade. I hope some sanity returns to Apple and soon.
    - dismal2 8y ago
      I think the chances of MagSafe coming back are slim. I’m debating getting the last updated 15 with the old style keyboard and MagSafe to hold me over for a while...
  - itchyouch 8y ago
    The lightning connector licensing revenue they get from 3rd parties for being "Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod" etc
  - jwr 8y ago
    Why do you think it's a good idea? My Magsafe has been yanked out at least hundreds of times. I think it is a fantastic solution and I really do not understand what is "better" about the USB-C connector?
    - tolien 8y ago
      There's no real reason that Apple couldn't have had USB-C and some sort of magnetic detachment, like MagSafe - a bunch of third parties sell cables that do exactly that [1]. 1: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/12/15960594/magc-vinpok-bolt-s-magsafe-magnetic-charging-usb-c-macbook-pro https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/7/12/15960594/m...
      - happertiger 8y ago
        This is the real point. It was removed and in no way did it need to be. I miss it. The new mbp is no bueno.
7ewis 8y ago
I've had the MacBook Pro (Touch Bar) for almost a year now at work, and honestly haven't been too bothered about the ports. I leave a HyperDrive[0] on my desk to connect my screens and power and very really need to plug anything else in. I use a wireless trackpad and keyboard, wireless headphones. What else do you need to plug in? I have unlimited cloud storage, all my code is in GitHub, photos in Google Photos. iPhone backs up to iCloud and Google Photos. If I do need to connect something, I have USB ports on my HyperDrive, but I just never use them. I charge my devices with a wall charger so they can charge if I'm in meetings etc. and get more power from there anyway. [0] - https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperdrive-duo-hub-for-usb-c-macbook-pro-13-and-15-2016-2017 https://www.hypershop.com/products/hyperdrive-duo-hub-for-us...
- akhilcacharya 8y ago
  I, for one, think it's absurd to need a $100 accessory just to make it usable.
  - arkades 8y ago
    He clearly uses it as a docking station. 100$ for an elegant dock is high, but not ridiculous.
    - scarface74 8y ago
      $100 for a docking station is not bad. I use this one from Dell. http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-docking-station-usb-30-d3100/apd/452-bbpg/pc-accessories http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-docking-station-usb-30-d...
  - wilsonnb 8y ago
    Nobody has ever bought a MacBook to save money
    - LyndsySimon 8y ago
      I did, in 2012. I bought a $1,400 MBP because I was replacing $1,000 non-Apple laptops every 12-18 months due to mechanical issues - keyboards, hinges, power ports, etc. That laptop lasted until late 2016 when my daughter spilled a quart of milk onto it. If not for that I’d probably still have it. Today’s MBPs? There’s no rationalizing the cost for me.
akhilcacharya 8y ago
During an internship I had a coworker that got the 2016 MBPr while I got the 2015 MBPr. He literally had to haul his docking station to every meeting where he had to present because none of the meeting rooms had thunderbolt/usb-c adapters.
- AstroBadger 8y ago
  Couldn't he have saved some hauling by investing in an adapter himself?

jwr 8y ago

There are multiple points of view. As for me, I'm fine with Lightning: mechanically it's the best connector I've ever seen. But moving "everything" to USB-C means that exactly ZERO of my USB devices are pluggable into the new laptops. Also, please don't start with the "but somebody needs to move the world forward" narrative. Move the world all you want, but don't hold me hostage. And "moving the world forward" does not require dropping existing USB connectors. I'm also amused by the "oh, in a year or so every device will have switched to USB-C" narrative. Guess what, it's quite likely that my JTAG programmers, logic analyzers, USB microscopes, USB ports on oscilloscopes, 3dconnexion spacemouse, label printer, sheet-fed scanner, barcode scanners, and at least 20 kinds of development boards will NOT switch to USB-C anytime soon, and most of them quite likely never will (ever tried routing a USB-C connector on a 2-layer board?). Oh, and I wrote that list just by looking around me, I probably have even more devices.

cmrx64 8y ago
It's extremely easy to wire up a USB-C connector to any legacy USB controller, at least by my reading of the relevant specs. https://imgur.com/a/tL5lDZ5 https://imgur.com/a/tL5lDZ5 is what you need logically (I think).
- jwr 8y ago
  As I wrote: "ever tried routing a USB-C connector on a 2-layer board?" There is nothing "extremely easy" about USB-C. And even if it were easy, that doesn't solve the problem of connecting all my devices in various circumstances. I don't want to live in a dongle-cable world. They should have kept two USB ports for compatibility.
tolien 8y ago
> As for me, I'm fine with Lightning I'd have expected Lightning to remain but the other end of the cable should've either switched to USB-C or some sort of adapter been included in the box. As things stand you could walk into an Apple Store, spend the better part of four thousand pounds on a MBP and an iPhone X, and get home to find out that you can't plug one into the other without Apple wanting to take another £35 for a USB-C to Lightning cable (obviously other cables are available but that's beside the point). That's absolute madness and destroys the idea that Apple hardware exists within any sort of ecosystem.

Spooky23 8y ago

IMO, Ive has no counterweight in the company and drives design based on random whims. Why premium laptops are sold for years with defective keyboards is a mystery likely rooted in hubris.

fermienrico 8y ago

Your comment is completely random and detached from the topic - i.e., failing butterfly keyboards.

yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
A thread about any Apple hardware becomes a thread about all Apple hardware.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

xtrimsky1234 8y ago

Well at least it's nice for Macbook & Android users. I don't really like the Apple ecosystem but for my current work it's much easier to have a macbook. Now I can charge my Google Pixel and my Macbook with the same cable.