4 ms·

As someone who travels regularly for work, I am absolutely OK with Apple trimming as much as they can from their laptops.

cookiecaper 12y ago
Next they should trim the keyboard, monitor, battery, touchpad, and everything else except the Apple logo, since that's really all that matters anyway. Then you'll be able to travel really light. I am all for portability but there comes a point where you start trimming essential functions. I'm not saying every laptop needs to have a SCSI port, but ONE connector?! I thought Apple was bad before with two USB slots and mini-DP. My Thinkpad Yoga, which I bought specifically for portability, manages to have 2 USB connectors, HDMI, built-in SD card reader, and other useful peripherals onboard, and yes, I do actually use these. I think MacBooks are cool but I always find myself unable to use them for serious work. If I was a casual computer user that just needed to update Facebook once in a while, they'd probably be fine, but every time I've tried something more serious than that with one, I've ended up on a non-Apple product because why torture myself over fashion?
- aaronem 12y ago
  I suppose it depends on how you define "essential", or perhaps "serious work". Granted, most of what I do with my MBP is modern full-stack stuff, which I gather doesn't qualify as "serious" even if it does make me a good living. But I don't see how the type and number of ports on my laptop would make much difference if I were, say, writing Linux kernel modules for hardware nobody uses, or building a window manager in Haskell, or whatever the current definition of "serious" is among those who put so much weight on the term. I need to plug in a real keyboard; all else is commentary. (And who does embedded away from home, anyway? There's too much you need besides the computer, unless you're targeting an emulator, in which case what need have you of physical ports?) But, hey, it's always easier to feel superior than it is to see the other guy's point of view.
  - EdwardDiego 12y ago
    I have a wireless mouse that works via a USB dongle, and I use a USB headset for my Skype calls with my business team. I also charge my cellphone from a USB port, especially when travelling, as it's far more convenient to have one plug adaptor and my Macbook Pro power supply than carrying a plug adaptor and a multi-box everywhere. At the moment, the two USB ports I have on my MBP are pretty much bare minimum but every now and then I find myself juggling peripherals.
    - aaronem 12y ago
      If that works for you, then great! You might consider the same cheat I use for charging, which is to keep a small but reasonably capacious USB battery [1] in my bag, and top it up via USB whenever I happen to have a port free. Since it's specified to fully charge an iPad twice, it can charge my phone several times before running flat, and a fully powered USB port can charge the battery itself in a matter of a few hours -- an overnight charge is ample. (And, hey, the only thing I ever plug in my phone for anyway is power, so it's not like I'm losing anything by not plugging into a port on my laptop.) Another trick worth considering is, instead of using a USB headset, instead to use one which connects via the headphone jack proper. Mine is a Sennheiser HD558 with an aftermarket cable incorporating an Apple-style mic/remote module, but you don't have to get that elaborate, especially since the HD558 isn't designed to travel and does not do so well; for simple VoIP purposes, anything halfway decent will do, and serve the purpose of freeing up a USB port for things that a headphone jack can't do. [1] http://www.nothingbutsavings.com/Product/270265-APB27US-Targus-Backup-Battery-for-Mobile-Devices-21-A-Output-Battery-092636265984?ai=1550&gclid=CMSY35fTnMQCFXQQ7AodQywAlA http://www.nothingbutsavings.com/Product/270265-APB27US-Targ...
      - cookiecaper 12y ago
        Why should one go to all this trouble just so he can use a Mac? There are many decent competitors out there that don't require these types of hacks (and for the record, I carry two USB batteries in my bag since there are occasions when I'm in the field for extended periods of time (24 hours+), but I certainly wouldn't be charitable to the idea of draining that backup power because Apple thought I needed to save 2mm of vertical space more than I needed the ability to transfer battery power from my laptop to my phone). That's the gist of the thing here. Apple people take using Apple products seriously and will go to lengths to make it work. Other people take their work seriously and will use the tool that best suits their needs. It's hard for me to imagine a MacBook ever best suiting the needs of a user that's more advanced than the casual Facebook browser just because so many sacrifices are made for aesthetics, and honestly even that market is a dubious target for the MacBook since the emergence of the tablet (for lighter casual users) and the ultrabook (for heavier casual users). Do we care more about having the sexiest laptop in the airport or getting more productive time in? That's the dilemma one goes through when choosing PC v. Mac.
- titanomachy 12y ago
  > trim away the keyboard, monitor, battery, touchpad, and everything else except the Apple logo. Hey, I have one of these... it's called an iPod shuffle.
  - moe 12y ago
    Hey, I have one of these... it's called an iPod shuffle. Which curiously uses the headphone jack as an USB port[1]. Perhaps there's hope for someone to hack up at least an USB2.0 port on the MacBook using this method? [1] http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/11/usb-ipod-shuffle-hack.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/11/usb-ip...
- bbatchelder 12y ago
  >If I was a casual computer user that just needed to update Facebook once in a while, they'd probably be fine Congratulations, you've identified the target market for the new MacBook.
  - cookiecaper 12y ago
    I'm not so sure. I find most such persons will put some money into a phone or tablet, but if they have a laptop, they usually buy a cheap one from Wal-Mart for under $300. As far as I can tell, the market for Apple's laptops are normal hipsters, hipster devs that can't stop talking about how you can build a blog in only two hours with Ruby on Rails, video and photo editors clinging to the meme from the 80s that editing software is somehow superior on a Mac, and college students that don't want the embarrassment of using an "old person's computer".
  - Robadob 12y ago
    Yeah, my first though was that this is basically a chromebook.

cookiecaper 12y ago

Next they should trim the keyboard, monitor, battery, touchpad, and everything else except the Apple logo, since that's really all that matters anyway. Then you'll be able to travel really light. I am all for portability but there comes a point where you start trimming essential functions. I'm not saying every laptop needs to have a SCSI port, but ONE connector?! I thought Apple was bad before with two USB slots and mini-DP. My Thinkpad Yoga, which I bought specifically for portability, manages to have 2 USB connectors, HDMI, built-in SD card reader, and other useful peripherals onboard, and yes, I do actually use these. I think MacBooks are cool but I always find myself unable to use them for serious work. If I was a casual computer user that just needed to update Facebook once in a while, they'd probably be fine, but every time I've tried something more serious than that with one, I've ended up on a non-Apple product because why torture myself over fashion?

aaronem 12y ago
I suppose it depends on how you define "essential", or perhaps "serious work". Granted, most of what I do with my MBP is modern full-stack stuff, which I gather doesn't qualify as "serious" even if it does make me a good living. But I don't see how the type and number of ports on my laptop would make much difference if I were, say, writing Linux kernel modules for hardware nobody uses, or building a window manager in Haskell, or whatever the current definition of "serious" is among those who put so much weight on the term. I need to plug in a real keyboard; all else is commentary. (And who does embedded away from home, anyway? There's too much you need besides the computer, unless you're targeting an emulator, in which case what need have you of physical ports?) But, hey, it's always easier to feel superior than it is to see the other guy's point of view.
- EdwardDiego 12y ago
  I have a wireless mouse that works via a USB dongle, and I use a USB headset for my Skype calls with my business team. I also charge my cellphone from a USB port, especially when travelling, as it's far more convenient to have one plug adaptor and my Macbook Pro power supply than carrying a plug adaptor and a multi-box everywhere. At the moment, the two USB ports I have on my MBP are pretty much bare minimum but every now and then I find myself juggling peripherals.
  - aaronem 12y ago
    If that works for you, then great! You might consider the same cheat I use for charging, which is to keep a small but reasonably capacious USB battery [1] in my bag, and top it up via USB whenever I happen to have a port free. Since it's specified to fully charge an iPad twice, it can charge my phone several times before running flat, and a fully powered USB port can charge the battery itself in a matter of a few hours -- an overnight charge is ample. (And, hey, the only thing I ever plug in my phone for anyway is power, so it's not like I'm losing anything by not plugging into a port on my laptop.) Another trick worth considering is, instead of using a USB headset, instead to use one which connects via the headphone jack proper. Mine is a Sennheiser HD558 with an aftermarket cable incorporating an Apple-style mic/remote module, but you don't have to get that elaborate, especially since the HD558 isn't designed to travel and does not do so well; for simple VoIP purposes, anything halfway decent will do, and serve the purpose of freeing up a USB port for things that a headphone jack can't do. [1] http://www.nothingbutsavings.com/Product/270265-APB27US-Targus-Backup-Battery-for-Mobile-Devices-21-A-Output-Battery-092636265984?ai=1550&gclid=CMSY35fTnMQCFXQQ7AodQywAlA http://www.nothingbutsavings.com/Product/270265-APB27US-Targ...
    - cookiecaper 12y ago
      Why should one go to all this trouble just so he can use a Mac? There are many decent competitors out there that don't require these types of hacks (and for the record, I carry two USB batteries in my bag since there are occasions when I'm in the field for extended periods of time (24 hours+), but I certainly wouldn't be charitable to the idea of draining that backup power because Apple thought I needed to save 2mm of vertical space more than I needed the ability to transfer battery power from my laptop to my phone). That's the gist of the thing here. Apple people take using Apple products seriously and will go to lengths to make it work. Other people take their work seriously and will use the tool that best suits their needs. It's hard for me to imagine a MacBook ever best suiting the needs of a user that's more advanced than the casual Facebook browser just because so many sacrifices are made for aesthetics, and honestly even that market is a dubious target for the MacBook since the emergence of the tablet (for lighter casual users) and the ultrabook (for heavier casual users). Do we care more about having the sexiest laptop in the airport or getting more productive time in? That's the dilemma one goes through when choosing PC v. Mac.
titanomachy 12y ago
> trim away the keyboard, monitor, battery, touchpad, and everything else except the Apple logo. Hey, I have one of these... it's called an iPod shuffle.
- moe 12y ago
  Hey, I have one of these... it's called an iPod shuffle. Which curiously uses the headphone jack as an USB port[1]. Perhaps there's hope for someone to hack up at least an USB2.0 port on the MacBook using this method? [1] http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/11/usb-ipod-shuffle-hack.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/11/usb-ip...
bbatchelder 12y ago
>If I was a casual computer user that just needed to update Facebook once in a while, they'd probably be fine Congratulations, you've identified the target market for the new MacBook.
- cookiecaper 12y ago
  I'm not so sure. I find most such persons will put some money into a phone or tablet, but if they have a laptop, they usually buy a cheap one from Wal-Mart for under $300. As far as I can tell, the market for Apple's laptops are normal hipsters, hipster devs that can't stop talking about how you can build a blog in only two hours with Ruby on Rails, video and photo editors clinging to the meme from the 80s that editing software is somehow superior on a Mac, and college students that don't want the embarrassment of using an "old person's computer".
- Robadob 12y ago
  Yeah, my first though was that this is basically a chromebook.