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What cost does an sdcard slot impose? What is the benefit of removing it? It is the size of a thumbnail, and most people won't even notice it if they aren't lo

What cost does an sdcard slot impose? What is the benefit of removing it? It is the size of a thumbnail, and most people won't even notice it if they aren't looking for it. I want to know who was cheering for it to be removed. And the few times I have needed it, it was so nice to have. Even if I only use it once in the lifetime of the product, it will be worth it. I haven't had to change a tire in years, but I think it is prudent to carry around a spare tire. Simply having access to a feature is itself a feature.

PostThisTooFast 5y ago
Tell that to the morons cheerleading for headphone jacks to be removed. And headphone jacks were FAR more universally useful than a full-sized SD slot. Speaking of which, you gotta love how Apple calls out the headphone jack on its COMPUTERS, after having removed it from its best-selling music player: the iPhone.
justinator 5y ago
An SD card reader is great, until you need a micro SD card reader and then, oh well. And advances will march on; ports on whatever I use will become outdated. Using an OG M1 Macbook Pro, it's not been a big problem. The dongle I have works great and has more useful ports than the Macbook it replaces.
- strogonoff 5y ago
  I have a portable reader (SD/microSD) which I almost never need on the go, and a reader built into my dock (SD/microSD/CF). Another dust-and-small-object-collecting nook is actually a downside for me. Built-in SD reader in my old MBP stopped recognizing cards (unless you push it in pressing at just the right angle, there’re a few posts on Apple discussions about this issue) after a couple of years anyway. I’m wondering how much bigger the battery could be without all those extra ports—a top-spec M1 Max laptop would probably rival the current king, the 13" M1 MBP.
can16358p 5y ago
SD card isn't the problem, having a dedicated port for everything is. I really loved the USB-C-only approach: Get whatever you need and plug. My camera has CF card, my drone has microSD card. So let's add them to the mix too. Also I never need the MagSafe port or never used HDMI port in my life. On the contrary, someone might need HDMI or SD slot everyday. My point is that they can't make everyone happy, and paying (not just by price but also the looks/simplicity) for ports that will never be used isn't the best thing to do. USB-C solved this exact problem and what they did on this version is a major step back IMO, including removing the Touch Bar which had great potential for improvement.
- schwartzworld 5y ago
  > Also I never need the MagSafe port...in my life. You only need to need it once. I know more than one person who broke their laptop by kicking the cord pre-magsafe.
  - can16358p 5y ago
    I'd completely agree with you if MagSafe was the only solution, but my USB-C cord has been kicked accidentally multiple times in the last few years. Every time, it just snapped out perfectly either from the brick or my MacBook. Nothing got harmed, so USB-C already solves the only problem MagSafe is solving, so why have it?
    - schwartzworld 5y ago
      You got lucky. It's not solving the problem. You just tripped at the right angle. It's a little like saying that you didn't get hurt when you had a car accident without a seat belt, therefore you have no need for seatbelts.
      - can16358p 5y ago
        What if they improved it then? They could easily solve this at the cable level where part of the cable near both ends is magnetically snapping, while still providing USB and PD functionality. Having a dedicated port when they replaced it with a convenient port like USB-C which could also bring the safety of MagSafe, but instead bringing back a different port while the device can perfectly charge over USB-C ports too is a bit weird IMO.

PostThisTooFast 5y ago

Tell that to the morons cheerleading for headphone jacks to be removed. And headphone jacks were FAR more universally useful than a full-sized SD slot. Speaking of which, you gotta love how Apple calls out the headphone jack on its COMPUTERS, after having removed it from its best-selling music player: the iPhone.

justinator 5y ago

An SD card reader is great, until you need a micro SD card reader and then, oh well. And advances will march on; ports on whatever I use will become outdated. Using an OG M1 Macbook Pro, it's not been a big problem. The dongle I have works great and has more useful ports than the Macbook it replaces.

strogonoff 5y ago
I have a portable reader (SD/microSD) which I almost never need on the go, and a reader built into my dock (SD/microSD/CF). Another dust-and-small-object-collecting nook is actually a downside for me. Built-in SD reader in my old MBP stopped recognizing cards (unless you push it in pressing at just the right angle, there’re a few posts on Apple discussions about this issue) after a couple of years anyway. I’m wondering how much bigger the battery could be without all those extra ports—a top-spec M1 Max laptop would probably rival the current king, the 13" M1 MBP.

can16358p 5y ago

SD card isn't the problem, having a dedicated port for everything is. I really loved the USB-C-only approach: Get whatever you need and plug. My camera has CF card, my drone has microSD card. So let's add them to the mix too. Also I never need the MagSafe port or never used HDMI port in my life. On the contrary, someone might need HDMI or SD slot everyday. My point is that they can't make everyone happy, and paying (not just by price but also the looks/simplicity) for ports that will never be used isn't the best thing to do. USB-C solved this exact problem and what they did on this version is a major step back IMO, including removing the Touch Bar which had great potential for improvement.

schwartzworld 5y ago
> Also I never need the MagSafe port...in my life. You only need to need it once. I know more than one person who broke their laptop by kicking the cord pre-magsafe.
- can16358p 5y ago
  I'd completely agree with you if MagSafe was the only solution, but my USB-C cord has been kicked accidentally multiple times in the last few years. Every time, it just snapped out perfectly either from the brick or my MacBook. Nothing got harmed, so USB-C already solves the only problem MagSafe is solving, so why have it?
  - schwartzworld 5y ago
    You got lucky. It's not solving the problem. You just tripped at the right angle. It's a little like saying that you didn't get hurt when you had a car accident without a seat belt, therefore you have no need for seatbelts.
    - can16358p 5y ago
      What if they improved it then? They could easily solve this at the cable level where part of the cable near both ends is magnetically snapping, while still providing USB and PD functionality. Having a dedicated port when they replaced it with a convenient port like USB-C which could also bring the safety of MagSafe, but instead bringing back a different port while the device can perfectly charge over USB-C ports too is a bit weird IMO.