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They are worth it. Nearly every complaint was addressed in the new MacBooks Pros and I feel like its a return to form for the company. The only downsides I can

They are worth it. Nearly every complaint was addressed in the new MacBooks Pros and I feel like its a return to form for the company. The only downsides I can really see is that Wifi on the laptop should have been 6E and the SD Card should have been SD Express but it seems like it was that way due to the length it took being engineered (which isn't an excuse).

lvl102 5y ago
My only gripe is the lack of USB-A to make it truly dongle free.
- dontlaugh 5y ago
  Exactly. USB A would be far more useful than the SD card slot for almost everyone.
  - threeseed 5y ago
    MacBook Pro is not designed for everyone. Content creators rely on SD cards everyday and cameras actively sold today use it. Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now.
    - markstos 5y ago
      Photographers use SD Cards. Most Everyone uses keyboard, mice and plenty still have USB thumb drives.
      - ghaff 5y ago
        The strongest argument for a built-in SD card slot is it can give you something like 1TB of cheap additional storage as well as serving as a backup when traveling. Probably not a super-common use case though. (Yes, photographers use SD cards although they often connect cameras directly and USB SD readers are cheap.)
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    - tentacleuno 5y ago
      > Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now. Are you talking about Macs or devices in general? My 2021 laptop has an SD card slot, x2 USB A and x2 USB C (well, Thunderbolt 4). Despite how much I like USB C (all the devices I take with me have it), USB A is still here and will be for quite a while. Oh, I forgot to mention that my laptop also has (full-sized!) HDMI and a headphone jack.
      - spiderice 5y ago
        > Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now. I interpreted this to mean the male side. Sure you can still buy laptops that accept USB-A, but I haven't seen any peripheral that still uses USB-A in a long time. I'm sure you could still buy a thumb drive with USB-A, but I wouldn't.
        hollandheese 5y ago
        >I haven't seen any peripheral that still uses USB-A in a long time. Wired Mice, Wired Keyboards, Thumb drives, external hard drives, printers, webcams, external cd/dvd/bluray drives, etc.. What peripherals do you look at? Barely any of them use USB-C unless they're explicitly USB-C docks, or Thunderbolt peripherals.
        threeseed 5y ago
        Maybe you're just seeing older models. But every new device today is overwhelmingly shipping with USB-C.
        hollandheese 5y ago
        You've obviously never purchased anything from Logitech. Nor have you looked at external hard drives (not SSDs).
        tentacleuno 4y ago
        > Nor have you looked at external hard drives All of my caddies use that weird micro-USB plug that can do USB-3, which is cool. In theory it'd be easy to convert that to USB-C... just change the plug on the end, or just make both ends USB-C. I typically find those cables to not lock into the port very well.
    - smoldesu 5y ago
      I have a hard time believing that people use SD cards more frequently than they do USB-A. Sure, photographers probably get good use out of it, but developers, students, content creators who aren't shooting with DSLR, animators, musicians, 3D artists, regular artists and video editors will probably never touch it. There are plenty of fairly common USB-A peripherals still in use anyways. A lot of audio interfaces, mice, keyboards and webcams rely on low-bandwidth but ubiquitous ports like USB-A. Apple and their pride would never put one on a modern Mac, but we're really at an impasse: neither side will adopt either standard, so it's more likely that we'll simply see wireless peripherals gain popularity instead. Not exactly bad, but kinda an asinine take for a company that just released a professional desktop computer with USB-A, but refused to add it to their laptops.
      - realityking 5y ago
        How many of those devices have fixed cables? I bought a few USB-C to Mini-USB/Micro-USB/Micro-USB3/USB-B/Lightning cables and replaced all the cables on my devices. Now if only my car had a USB-C plug…
        smoldesu 5y ago
        Mice, keyboards and webcams are typically non-negotiable. Audio interfaces are pretty regularly replaceable, but it certainly doesn't improve the compatibility quotient by leaving the ports off it.
  - zitterbewegung 5y ago
    I use my sd card slot for additional storage by buying this: https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Expansion-MacBook-TS1TJDL330/dp/B09R4G9Z79?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Expansion-MacBook-... I use it for noncritical data because the sd card is slow and it could fail. Mainly recent downloads or video files.
- threeseed 5y ago
  Just buy a USB-C to USB-A adapter and leave it permanently attached. USB-A is a legacy connector and needs to just die already.
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    Like just constantly have a dongle hanging off the side of your laptop, waiting to get bent? Possibly damaging to port?
    - chrischen 5y ago
      Then don't get the dongle. Just upgrade your accessory to use USB type C. Having a bulky USB A port just to appease the 1% of users who spend $2000 on a shiny new macbook but cheap out on a mouse they've been using from the 90s? I exaggerate, but if you really want to keep your old accessories then leave the dongle permanently attached to the accessory. You can get like a 10 pack for like $5 probably.
      - bee_rider 5y ago
        It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard). Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.
        macintux 5y ago
        How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house? I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.
        bee_rider 5y ago
        I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing. For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck. I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.
- ghaff 5y ago
  I'd need a hub in my office anyway. But when traveling it would be nice to have a USB-A so that I could mostly get by without plugging in a hub or at least a dongle.
- toraway1234 5y ago
karmakaze 5y ago
It's actually better than "return to form", for once Apple has embraced 'form follows function' with more ports (even 'legacy' HDMI), magsafe power, and a chunky body, rather than function fit into form.

lvl102 5y ago

My only gripe is the lack of USB-A to make it truly dongle free.

dontlaugh 5y ago
Exactly. USB A would be far more useful than the SD card slot for almost everyone.
- threeseed 5y ago
  MacBook Pro is not designed for everyone. Content creators rely on SD cards everyday and cameras actively sold today use it. Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now.
  - markstos 5y ago
    Photographers use SD Cards. Most Everyone uses keyboard, mice and plenty still have USB thumb drives.
    - ghaff 5y ago
      The strongest argument for a built-in SD card slot is it can give you something like 1TB of cheap additional storage as well as serving as a backup when traveling. Probably not a super-common use case though. (Yes, photographers use SD cards although they often connect cameras directly and USB SD readers are cheap.)
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
  - tentacleuno 5y ago
    > Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now. Are you talking about Macs or devices in general? My 2021 laptop has an SD card slot, x2 USB A and x2 USB C (well, Thunderbolt 4). Despite how much I like USB C (all the devices I take with me have it), USB A is still here and will be for quite a while. Oh, I forgot to mention that my laptop also has (full-sized!) HDMI and a headphone jack.
    - spiderice 5y ago
      > Devices stopped being shipped with USB-A a long time ago now. I interpreted this to mean the male side. Sure you can still buy laptops that accept USB-A, but I haven't seen any peripheral that still uses USB-A in a long time. I'm sure you could still buy a thumb drive with USB-A, but I wouldn't.
      - hollandheese 5y ago
        >I haven't seen any peripheral that still uses USB-A in a long time. Wired Mice, Wired Keyboards, Thumb drives, external hard drives, printers, webcams, external cd/dvd/bluray drives, etc.. What peripherals do you look at? Barely any of them use USB-C unless they're explicitly USB-C docks, or Thunderbolt peripherals.
        threeseed 5y ago
        Maybe you're just seeing older models. But every new device today is overwhelmingly shipping with USB-C.
        hollandheese 5y ago
        You've obviously never purchased anything from Logitech. Nor have you looked at external hard drives (not SSDs).
        tentacleuno 4y ago
        > Nor have you looked at external hard drives All of my caddies use that weird micro-USB plug that can do USB-3, which is cool. In theory it'd be easy to convert that to USB-C... just change the plug on the end, or just make both ends USB-C. I typically find those cables to not lock into the port very well.
  - smoldesu 5y ago
    I have a hard time believing that people use SD cards more frequently than they do USB-A. Sure, photographers probably get good use out of it, but developers, students, content creators who aren't shooting with DSLR, animators, musicians, 3D artists, regular artists and video editors will probably never touch it. There are plenty of fairly common USB-A peripherals still in use anyways. A lot of audio interfaces, mice, keyboards and webcams rely on low-bandwidth but ubiquitous ports like USB-A. Apple and their pride would never put one on a modern Mac, but we're really at an impasse: neither side will adopt either standard, so it's more likely that we'll simply see wireless peripherals gain popularity instead. Not exactly bad, but kinda an asinine take for a company that just released a professional desktop computer with USB-A, but refused to add it to their laptops.
    - realityking 5y ago
      How many of those devices have fixed cables? I bought a few USB-C to Mini-USB/Micro-USB/Micro-USB3/USB-B/Lightning cables and replaced all the cables on my devices. Now if only my car had a USB-C plug…
      - smoldesu 5y ago
        Mice, keyboards and webcams are typically non-negotiable. Audio interfaces are pretty regularly replaceable, but it certainly doesn't improve the compatibility quotient by leaving the ports off it.
- zitterbewegung 5y ago
  I use my sd card slot for additional storage by buying this: https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Expansion-MacBook-TS1TJDL330/dp/B09R4G9Z79?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Expansion-MacBook-... I use it for noncritical data because the sd card is slow and it could fail. Mainly recent downloads or video files.
threeseed 5y ago
Just buy a USB-C to USB-A adapter and leave it permanently attached. USB-A is a legacy connector and needs to just die already.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  Like just constantly have a dongle hanging off the side of your laptop, waiting to get bent? Possibly damaging to port?
  - chrischen 5y ago
    Then don't get the dongle. Just upgrade your accessory to use USB type C. Having a bulky USB A port just to appease the 1% of users who spend $2000 on a shiny new macbook but cheap out on a mouse they've been using from the 90s? I exaggerate, but if you really want to keep your old accessories then leave the dongle permanently attached to the accessory. You can get like a 10 pack for like $5 probably.
    - bee_rider 5y ago
      It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard). Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.
      - macintux 5y ago
        How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house? I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.
        bee_rider 5y ago
        I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing. For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck. I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.
ghaff 5y ago
I'd need a hub in my office anyway. But when traveling it would be nice to have a USB-A so that I could mostly get by without plugging in a hub or at least a dongle.
toraway1234 5y ago

karmakaze 5y ago

It's actually better than "return to form", for once Apple has embraced 'form follows function' with more ports (even 'legacy' HDMI), magsafe power, and a chunky body, rather than function fit into form.