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The only shocking things here are the lack of ports. Only 2 usb A and 2 usb c ports. Its basically required to use a usb hub on this device since once you plug

The only shocking things here are the lack of ports. Only 2 usb A and 2 usb c ports. Its basically required to use a usb hub on this device since once you plug in a proper mouse and keyboard you only have the usb c ports left

servercobra 7y ago
I don't think they're expecting you to plug in a "proper" keyboard and mouse since it comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Plus it appears you get another 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports on the front as well.
- benburleson 7y ago
  Which is insane.. do people really use the wireless capability of their keyboard or mouse? Especially when you can't use your freaking mouse when it's charging? Serious insanity. Edit to add: of course I know people use those keyboards... I meant are people actually moving with them in ways that makes the wireless capability useful? Do most users not stay in a pretty close proximity the whole time?
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    > do people really use the wireless capability of their keyboard or mouse? Yes. Why wouldn't you? Why do you think the downsides are? > Especially when you can't use your freaking mouse when it's charging? I charge it for about ten minutes every month while I'm out. It doesn't interfere with anything.
    - benburleson 7y ago
      The downside is requiring charging or batteries. I just have a hard time justifying the hassle when I have no need to make those devices wireless. And my battery always (when I had one) died mid-day, so it forced a work break, which isn't always bad anyway
      - chrisseaton 7y ago
        These devices use so little charge that they basically need no charging. You can literally do it once a month for a couple of minutes. The justification is not having any messy cables on my desk, where space is a premium and mess distracts me.
        baroffoos 7y ago
        The problem is you forget every time so once a month you are in the middle of doing something and you have to stop, turn your mouse upside down and then wait.
        crazygringo 7y ago
        You get a "low battery" warning that pops up when it's got a day or two of charge left so it's fine. Don't need to stop anything, just plug it in at your next lunch break or when you leave for the day. It's just not really an issue as far as I can tell.
        hombre_fatal 7y ago
        The only way you can run into that is if you have a three-day meth burner (so, no breaks where you can charge the mouse), ignore the three days of low battery warnings, and then use it right up until failure yet be outraged that you don't have 5min to spare (meth will do that).
    - dredmorbius 7y ago
      The downside is that when your peripherals' batteries go flat, or the Bluetooth stack goes tits-up, you've got no keyboard or mouse. This happens with some regularity on the iMac I'm typing this on presently. The system has a wired (non-issue) keyboard, but the wireless Bluetooth "Magic Mouse". Every so often the mouse (or more likely, Mac) decides it wants to wedge Bluetooth and forget the mouse pairing / configuration. Powering down the mouse doesn't fix this, nor does restarting the computer itself. If it wasn't for the old legacy wired mouse+keyboard combo from the prior iMac this largely replaces, the system would be dead in the water when this happened. (Subsequent OS updates seem to have made mouseless operation slightly more viable, at least for recovery purposes. It's possible to log in and fire up System Preferences, which is most of the recovery process.) Too: removing additional steps in the keyboard/mouse stack results in crisper response: https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ Fewer moving parts => more reliable operation. I hate wireless mice and keyboards.
  - thrwn_frthr_awy 7y ago
    Do people use Apple Bluetooth keyboards and mice? Yes.
  - CDSlice 7y ago
    Yes? I love my wireless keyboard and mouse, although they run off of AA batteries so I don't need to recharge them.
    - benburleson 7y ago
      In this case, is the freedom of wireless worth the hassle+cost of batteries?
      - CDSlice 7y ago
        To me, yes. Having two less cables running around is nice and less hassle. To me that is easily worth spending a few dollars twice a year for batteries.
      - snailmailman 7y ago
        My mouse needs new batteries maybe twice a year. The keyboard I’m using lasts considerably longer (maybe once every two years? I don’t keep track, but I’ve done it maybe once or twice, if ever) The convenience of being able to use it anywhere is minor but I don’t mind the hassle.
      - ac29 7y ago
        They work just fine with rechargeables, 4xAAA good quality NiMH cells with a charger costs only $35, and advertise 2000+ recharge cycles. The batteries in my mouse are probably a decade old and still last months between charges.
      - kirstenbirgit 7y ago
        Who hurt you, Ben?
        dang 7y ago
        Please don't post unsubstantive comments to HN. And please, no personal swipes. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
      - 7y ago
  - TYPE_FASTER 7y ago
    Yes. Two double AAs each in my wireless Logitech mouse and Microsoft keyboard last years. So much better than wired.
  - servercobra 7y ago
    Yes, most certainly. It charges enough for the whole day in like 2 minutes with Lightning fast charge. It's really not a problem.
- baroffoos 7y ago
  When price and space are not an issue with this device you would think they would just throw every thing on it so it suits everyone since there is no need to compromise here.
mcbutterbunz 7y ago
There are an additional 2 USB-C ports on top, if I'm reading it correctly. However, I agree, only 2 USB-A ports feels too few.
jsgo 7y ago
Looks like the aim is that you’d use Bluetooth for those. I know that isn’t what everyone wants and there is that option for corded, but the mindset seems to be for wireless. I’m not sure how many ports are needed, though I’m sure more couldn’t hurt. This seems less about expansion externally than doing so internally. My MBP with 4 USB-C ports has one that is power + hub (HengeDock Stone) with one of the USB-A ports on it chaining to a USB-A (powered) hub. One other port is used for eGPU and the other two are untouched. Works for me, but I can completely see where this Mac Pro could end up needing a hub attachment for a lot of people.
- thrower123 7y ago
  That would be fine if Bluetooth worked... I swear, the old IR wireless keyboards and mice were more reliable.
  - mbroncano 7y ago
    I’ve been using exclusively BT keyboards and mice for 10+ years ... what’s exactly wrong with them?
    - thrower123 7y ago
      I've only had one bluetooth device, a Fitbit, that actually worked with any kind of reliability. From time to time I still have to bang it on the side of my phone to get it to pair back up.
      - mbroncano 7y ago
        I’m a massive fan of Fitbit devices, they work great. But the same can be said of my Plantronics BT headphones, which I’ve used daily for almost three years, same for magic keyboards, mice and touchpad of different generations. Truth to be told, any cheap device that wouldn’t work reliably (I can think of a few BT headphones in the past) I just tossed or returned when possible.
    - baroffoos 7y ago
josho 7y ago
The monitor that you’ll use with this machine is likely to have a built in USB hub (see Apple’s new display or the LG display they were previously selling).
- blattimwind 7y ago
  Still it seems like quite little. Motherboards used to have 8 to 10 backside USB ports, most now only come with 6 (usually 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0), which at least for me means I have to use an external hub already.
- tonyedgecombe 7y ago
  They still sell the LG display, in fact a new version was released about a month ago.
fzzzy 7y ago
I thought that was really odd, but it appears to have two usb c (Thunderbolt 3) on top under "Additional connections", and the graphics cards each seem to have 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports on them. So 8 USB C unless I misunderstand.
bitwize 7y ago
Or plug the mouse into the USB hub on the keyboard. (You did say "proper keyboard" by which, for a Mac, I assume you meant "Matias Tactile Pro")
- drivingmenuts 7y ago
  I thought OP meant a das Keyboard.
  - bitwize 7y ago
    That's a nice one too, but the Matias is intended for use with Macs and has a more Mac-like placement of the alt and super keys.
windexh8er 7y ago
Think about this. This is a "Pro" level machine and Apples like "Because aesthetics...". Think about video workflow using external drive arrays. Many who are working with these sort of peripherals will want them plugged in all the time. So you need a docking station for your Pro level non-laptop workstation. Apple has gone way beyond thinking about their end user experience and send to only care about non-functional looks.
pkamb 7y ago
It has a USB-A port inside the computer for plugging in a software protection dongle for Pro-level audio/video applications.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

servercobra 7y ago

I don't think they're expecting you to plug in a "proper" keyboard and mouse since it comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Plus it appears you get another 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports on the front as well.

benburleson 7y ago
Which is insane.. do people really use the wireless capability of their keyboard or mouse? Especially when you can't use your freaking mouse when it's charging? Serious insanity. Edit to add: of course I know people use those keyboards... I meant are people actually moving with them in ways that makes the wireless capability useful? Do most users not stay in a pretty close proximity the whole time?
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  > do people really use the wireless capability of their keyboard or mouse? Yes. Why wouldn't you? Why do you think the downsides are? > Especially when you can't use your freaking mouse when it's charging? I charge it for about ten minutes every month while I'm out. It doesn't interfere with anything.
  - benburleson 7y ago
    The downside is requiring charging or batteries. I just have a hard time justifying the hassle when I have no need to make those devices wireless. And my battery always (when I had one) died mid-day, so it forced a work break, which isn't always bad anyway
    - chrisseaton 7y ago
      These devices use so little charge that they basically need no charging. You can literally do it once a month for a couple of minutes. The justification is not having any messy cables on my desk, where space is a premium and mess distracts me.
      - baroffoos 7y ago
        The problem is you forget every time so once a month you are in the middle of doing something and you have to stop, turn your mouse upside down and then wait.
        crazygringo 7y ago
        You get a "low battery" warning that pops up when it's got a day or two of charge left so it's fine. Don't need to stop anything, just plug it in at your next lunch break or when you leave for the day. It's just not really an issue as far as I can tell.
        hombre_fatal 7y ago
        The only way you can run into that is if you have a three-day meth burner (so, no breaks where you can charge the mouse), ignore the three days of low battery warnings, and then use it right up until failure yet be outraged that you don't have 5min to spare (meth will do that).
  - dredmorbius 7y ago
    The downside is that when your peripherals' batteries go flat, or the Bluetooth stack goes tits-up, you've got no keyboard or mouse. This happens with some regularity on the iMac I'm typing this on presently. The system has a wired (non-issue) keyboard, but the wireless Bluetooth "Magic Mouse". Every so often the mouse (or more likely, Mac) decides it wants to wedge Bluetooth and forget the mouse pairing / configuration. Powering down the mouse doesn't fix this, nor does restarting the computer itself. If it wasn't for the old legacy wired mouse+keyboard combo from the prior iMac this largely replaces, the system would be dead in the water when this happened. (Subsequent OS updates seem to have made mouseless operation slightly more viable, at least for recovery purposes. It's possible to log in and fire up System Preferences, which is most of the recovery process.) Too: removing additional steps in the keyboard/mouse stack results in crisper response: https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ Fewer moving parts => more reliable operation. I hate wireless mice and keyboards.
- thrwn_frthr_awy 7y ago
  Do people use Apple Bluetooth keyboards and mice? Yes.
- CDSlice 7y ago
  Yes? I love my wireless keyboard and mouse, although they run off of AA batteries so I don't need to recharge them.
  - benburleson 7y ago
    In this case, is the freedom of wireless worth the hassle+cost of batteries?
    - CDSlice 7y ago
      To me, yes. Having two less cables running around is nice and less hassle. To me that is easily worth spending a few dollars twice a year for batteries.
    - snailmailman 7y ago
      My mouse needs new batteries maybe twice a year. The keyboard I’m using lasts considerably longer (maybe once every two years? I don’t keep track, but I’ve done it maybe once or twice, if ever) The convenience of being able to use it anywhere is minor but I don’t mind the hassle.
    - ac29 7y ago
      They work just fine with rechargeables, 4xAAA good quality NiMH cells with a charger costs only $35, and advertise 2000+ recharge cycles. The batteries in my mouse are probably a decade old and still last months between charges.
    - kirstenbirgit 7y ago
      Who hurt you, Ben?
      - dang 7y ago
        Please don't post unsubstantive comments to HN. And please, no personal swipes. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - 7y ago
- TYPE_FASTER 7y ago
  Yes. Two double AAs each in my wireless Logitech mouse and Microsoft keyboard last years. So much better than wired.
- servercobra 7y ago
  Yes, most certainly. It charges enough for the whole day in like 2 minutes with Lightning fast charge. It's really not a problem.
baroffoos 7y ago
When price and space are not an issue with this device you would think they would just throw every thing on it so it suits everyone since there is no need to compromise here.

mcbutterbunz 7y ago

There are an additional 2 USB-C ports on top, if I'm reading it correctly. However, I agree, only 2 USB-A ports feels too few.

jsgo 7y ago

Looks like the aim is that you’d use Bluetooth for those. I know that isn’t what everyone wants and there is that option for corded, but the mindset seems to be for wireless. I’m not sure how many ports are needed, though I’m sure more couldn’t hurt. This seems less about expansion externally than doing so internally. My MBP with 4 USB-C ports has one that is power + hub (HengeDock Stone) with one of the USB-A ports on it chaining to a USB-A (powered) hub. One other port is used for eGPU and the other two are untouched. Works for me, but I can completely see where this Mac Pro could end up needing a hub attachment for a lot of people.

thrower123 7y ago
That would be fine if Bluetooth worked... I swear, the old IR wireless keyboards and mice were more reliable.
- mbroncano 7y ago
  I’ve been using exclusively BT keyboards and mice for 10+ years ... what’s exactly wrong with them?
  - thrower123 7y ago
    I've only had one bluetooth device, a Fitbit, that actually worked with any kind of reliability. From time to time I still have to bang it on the side of my phone to get it to pair back up.
    - mbroncano 7y ago
      I’m a massive fan of Fitbit devices, they work great. But the same can be said of my Plantronics BT headphones, which I’ve used daily for almost three years, same for magic keyboards, mice and touchpad of different generations. Truth to be told, any cheap device that wouldn’t work reliably (I can think of a few BT headphones in the past) I just tossed or returned when possible.
  - baroffoos 7y ago

josho 7y ago

The monitor that you’ll use with this machine is likely to have a built in USB hub (see Apple’s new display or the LG display they were previously selling).

blattimwind 7y ago
Still it seems like quite little. Motherboards used to have 8 to 10 backside USB ports, most now only come with 6 (usually 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0), which at least for me means I have to use an external hub already.
tonyedgecombe 7y ago
They still sell the LG display, in fact a new version was released about a month ago.

fzzzy 7y ago

I thought that was really odd, but it appears to have two usb c (Thunderbolt 3) on top under "Additional connections", and the graphics cards each seem to have 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports on them. So 8 USB C unless I misunderstand.

bitwize 7y ago

Or plug the mouse into the USB hub on the keyboard. (You did say "proper keyboard" by which, for a Mac, I assume you meant "Matias Tactile Pro")

drivingmenuts 7y ago
I thought OP meant a das Keyboard.
- bitwize 7y ago
  That's a nice one too, but the Matias is intended for use with Macs and has a more Mac-like placement of the alt and super keys.

windexh8er 7y ago

Think about this. This is a "Pro" level machine and Apples like "Because aesthetics...". Think about video workflow using external drive arrays. Many who are working with these sort of peripherals will want them plugged in all the time. So you need a docking station for your Pro level non-laptop workstation. Apple has gone way beyond thinking about their end user experience and send to only care about non-functional looks.

pkamb 7y ago

It has a USB-A port inside the computer for plugging in a software protection dongle for Pro-level audio/video applications.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]