Why Linus is wrong (another macbook topic)

[Enderman]

So this is mostly about the wan show, but I have seen several other people also just hate on apple without actually understanding why the macbook pro has (what I would call) the best I/O on a device ever made.

 

1)

First of all, some people said they can't plug their UBS devices into it without an adapter.

This is not true. The ports are still USB ports, just with the new C connector.

All USB devices can be plugged in without any active adapters.

Devices with a removable cable can just have a cable replaced with a USB-C to whatever, instead of the regular USB-A to whatever.

Stuff like USB drives with a fixed connector will need an adapter, but in the future all USB devices will use the C connector anyway.

 

2)

They are more than just USB ports.

This is a combination of power delivery + USB 3.1 + displayport + hdmi +thunderbolt.

THIS is what I call progress. ONE type of connector which can do everything. Why have 10 different types of ports and 10 different types of cables when you can combine them all into one?

Having the same cable and connector for all devices will make everything easier in the future.

 

This may seem like a stretch right now, since few devices have USB-C and you have to use USB-C to DP, or USB-C to HDMI, but the only way to switch everything to USB-C is by starting off with a product like this one.

It's not hard to imagine 3 years from now where everything is connected using USB-C cables and you don't need to worry about where you left your extra HDMI or whatever.

 

Remember serial cables and printer cables and gameport cables? Well those got replaced by USB-A.

Now USB-C will also be replacing power and display cables.

 

3)

USB-C is the BEST connection to support today and in the future.

I'm sure everyone can see the billions of devices with USB-A on it, well USB-C is better, and the best way to make it widespread is by forcibly switching to it.

Only a handful of PC cases, phones, motherboards, etc. have USB-C. By putting it on what is one of the highest selling laptops in the world, millions more people will begin switching too USB-C.

Yes it is forced. In case you haven't noticed, this is the only way to get people to switch quickly, especially with majority of old people who resist change like it's life or death.

 

4)

It might have been sarcasm, but why was @LinusTech complaining about 4 ports being too many??

Hypocritical much? Complain about the macbook not having enough, then 4 is too many?

I think 4 is more than enough, considering the daisy chaining capabilities of Thunderbolt 3, which will make it so most of the time you only need 1-2 connectors for everything.

 

5)

@Slick mentioned laptop docks.

If you watch the conference, they show that you can easily connect everything that most people need through a single connector.

External displays, external storage, power, peripherals, etc....

Nobody needs a laptop dock if you can literally plug in one cable and have everything connected

 

6)

Power can be supplied from any connector or either side.

Yes, the magsafe connector is gone, but hey look, more hypocritical people.

First complain about apple using proprietary stuff, and when they switch to a global standard like USB, then complain that the proprietary connector is no longer there.

Seriously, USB-C is the future whether you like it or not, and it is already becoming popular on phones.

Having the same connectivity on a laptop again benefits the "only one type of cable" reason.

 

7)

Progress, again requires the use of a lot of force.

More people buying macbook pros = more people using USB-C = more manufacturers adding USB-C to their devices.

USB drives, monitors, external storage, peripherals, etc...

This benefits EVERYBODY, since we will all be using USB-C in a few years.

Again, USB-C is the global standard, not a proprietary macbook connector. It will be on your PC case and you might even have a motherboard with some USB-C already.

 

8)

Please watch the conference or read some articles about the Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports before ranting about the macbook pro.

USB-C is soon to replace almost every type of port on the back of your PC, and this is a great jump-start to get the industry into production.

 

 

 

 

TL;DR

1) the ports on the macbook are still USB, all you need is a new USB-C cable, no active adapters or stuff

2) they can also do hdmi, thunderbolt, displayport, and power

3) the USB-C connector is the future, and soon everything will use it

4) 4 ports is enough because most of the time you can connect everything through 1-2 with the use of daisy chaining

5) connecting an entire setup by plugging in 1 connector is what people have wanted for decades

6) yes magsafe is gone, but replaced by a non-proprietary global standard, USB-C. You will be able to use the same cable on all your devices, not just apple.

7) forcing people to use USB-C is the fastest way to push the industry into more USB-C on devices/accessories, which benefits everyone, not just apple users

8) hopefully you learnt something today about why USB-C is a great way of pulling the future towards us at an accelerated rate.

9) gnight, I'll reply to everyone tomorrow

[paprikman]

It all sounds reasonable, and I can agree with it.

I have kind'a same point of view.

[zMeul]

USB type C is not mainstream at all

hell, they didn't even finished adding features to the fucking standard

 

oh, and one more thing - the moment USB type C cables stop murdering the devices they got plugged in, that's when USB type C has a chance to go mainstream

 

Quote

Why have 10 different types of ports and 10 different types of cables when you can combine them all into one?

guess what?! Apple does not provide docks or adapters to type A ports (shipped with the product), so your excuse of no more 10 different type of cables just went to the way of the do-do

 

you want to plug your iPhone into your MacBook PRO, buy an adapter or cable

you want to plug your printer, buy an adapter or cable

want to plug a 2nd display or TV, wait for it ... you need another cable

want to plug your LAN cable? nop! you need an adapter

and the list goes on and on

 

how well did it go when they 1st introduced the type C to MacBooks? that well, eh ...

 

the fucking things cost ~3000$ would've hurt them to add a DP or at least a HDMI, or a type A? nope

but they kept the 3.5mm jack - that should tell you something

 

---

 

my pos HP Pavilion from 2013 has HDMI, USB2, USB3 and LAN ports, SD card reader and audio jack

[LucidMew]

The problem with the adapters is not that they're active or passive, it's the fact that they exist in the first place. Apple is all about having a cohesive ecosystem, and having a bunch of adapters is not really that cohesive. Now, you may argue that adapters aren't that different than cables, and if I'm bitching about a type C connector, then I should bitch about the connector from my laptop to external display, or to a wired mouse or the like. And I don't agree that that metaphor is relevant. What if you buy a shiny new mechanical keyboard, and you go to plug it in only to find that you need to spend another $25 to $50 on a 6 inch cable adapter in order for it to work with your new computer. That's why I'm upset with the single port. Go the same route that a lot of GPU manufacturers go: add the cable to the box, just like they add a $0.10 DVI to VGA adapter so my 15 year old 5:4 monitor can work with my shiny new GPU. But, Apple, being Apple, sell those things. When I can use the exact same cable, plugged into the same port on the computer, for a display, then sync my phone, and then charge the laptop, then that will be the time when adapters are no longer necessary, but right now, that's not possible without adapters.

 

It's also called a Macbook PRO for a reason, the users are supposed to be professionals doing power user stuff. Realistically, one port is always going to be used to charge it, so you really can't call it four ports. Let's say I am a photographer. I have one port for an SD reader (type c to SD card, because my tried and true type A one is obsolete), another output to a large 4k color calibrated screen, and my trusty old thunderbolt 2 external drive (which I'll need an adapter for, because fuck me). That leaves me with no ports to charge my phone/camera/external battery pack, add a (wired) keyboard or mouse or webcam. I mean, I can, but I'd have to buy (yet another) adapter to split the port into multiple. As a professional, I shouldn't have to bring oodles and oodles of adapters for my oodles and oodles of external stuff that can plug into my laptop. "Oh, I might have to use three things that use the type A port, so I'll need three type C to A, but I also might use a monitor, better bring a type C to display port and hdmi." Just a bunch of extra cables and extras that shouldn't be there, that you can't use all at the same time, but need to have, because there is a unique combination of port useage that might happen at one point, when all this would have been solved with an SD card reader, a type A port or two or three, and an HDMI and DP port, in addition to the two or so type C that's on there.

 

I can't comment on the lack of magsafe, because I've never used a mac with one, but the comments on /r/apple seemed really butthurt that it doesn't exist.

 

The only progress I see is the progress of increase the bank account of Apple and the adapter manufactures. It's great that this port exists and what it can do, but give people options and don't shoehorn it in when it doesn't fit.

 

 

sorry about the rant and any repeated points or incongruities. took a while writing this while multitasking and alt-tabbing quite a lot. 

[2FA]

I'm going to have to agree with you on this one. That doesn't mean that I like Apple as a company or the culture they promote, I just think that they have some pretty decent products.

[dizmo]

52 minutes ago, zMeul said:

USB type C is not mainstream at all

hell, they didn't even finished adding features to the fucking standard

 

oh, and one more thing - the moment USB type C cables stop murdering the devices they got plugged in, that's when USB type C has a chance to go mainstream

 

guess what?! Apple does not provide docks or adapters to type A ports (shipped with the product), so your excuse of no more 10 different type of cables just went to the way of the do-do

 

you want to plug your iPhone into your MacBook PRO, buy an adapter or cable

you want to plug your printer, buy an adapter or cable

want to plug a 2nd display or TV, wait for it ... you need another cable

want to plug your LAN cable? nop! you need an adapter

and the list goes on and on

 

how well did it go when they 1st introduced the type C to MacBooks? that well, eh ...

 

the fucking things cost ~3000$ would've hurt them to add a DP or at least a HDMI, or a type A? nope

but they kept the 3.5mm jack - that should tell you something

 

---

 

my pos HP Pavilion from 2013 has HDMI, USB2, USB3 and LAN ports, SD card and audio jack

I get most of what you're saying, but when the cables are made properly they're fine. It's when companies try and take shortcuts that they fail, or when they don't make them to spec. Has nothing to do with USB C, simply shitty manufacturers.

 

They were going for thin. It worked. I don't think it even affected sales that much, as the Macbook Air doesn't really have much plugged into it that often. So why would they care?

 

It seems to me you missed most of the points he was trying to make..

[zMeul]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I get most of what you're saying, but when the cables are made properly they're fine.

even with those made fine (even certified) it was discovered there were issues (the recent Anker cable case)

 

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

They were going for thin. It worked. I don't think it even affected sales that much, as the Macbook Air doesn't really have much plugged into it that often. So why would they care?

riight, might wanna ask the people actually using them  

 

---

 

thin?! isn't HDMI thin? mini / DP? USB type A

[dizmo]

I find it hilarious that some people will back this ideal fully, however when it comes to things like 8GB of RAM on phones they get all bent out of shape saying it's pointless. It's the exact same thing. Chicken and egg.

 

[dizmo]

Just now, zMeul said:

even with those made fine (even certified) it was discovered there were issues (the recent Anker cable case)

 

riight, might wanna ask the people actually using them  

Ohh, you mean my gf? Or the three friends that have them? All of which don't have any real reason to connect any external devices?

Right, I guess I should

[zMeul]

Just now, dizmo said:

Ohh, you mean my gf? Or the three friends that have them? All of which don't have any real reason to connect any external devices?

Right, I guess I should

I guess she / them don't use USB thumb drives? mouse? plug the phone? some SD card?

all that, nope?

[Zyndo]

1 hour ago, Enderman said:

Snip

First off, Linus straight out said on the WAN show, that he doesn't really have a huge problem with the price or the features of the mackbook pro. his big problem is the term "PRO"... there is nothing "PRO"fessional about this laptop. It simply does not have the hardware to be paired with that term**. I believe Linus called it: "consumer at best" (or something to that effect). (**duo core, 8GB of RAM, and no dedicated graphics. it is literally like 150 bucks to get that in a desktop, I get that laptops gotta pay more for the same level of hardware, but 10x that amount is pretty redonkulous)

 

Secondly, as wonderful and amazing and awesome as USB C/thunderbolt is, 2k+ for a laptop where that is literally the only selling point is really.... I just don't get it. You said it yourself, in 3 years everything on USB C is going to make this computer amazing... but considering the laptop already has mediocre power, its going to be largely obsolete in 3 years (if not for raw performance, there will be something better on the market offering these things and more).

 

Thirdly, the "Best IO ever made" is your opinion... "the mackbook pro isn't worth it" is another person's opinion. Opinions can't be "wrong". They're opinions.

 

 

 

Lastly, everything you said about how good this laptop is, had absolutely nothing to do with the laptop itself. It simply about the perks of USB C and thunderbolt. I'm not 100% sure about the offerings of laptops nowadays, as I haven't really looked at them a whole lot, but I'm sure you could get SOME other laptop for that kind of price that is significantly better and offers at least 1 of these thunderbolt ports (if you can't, some company will notice this and release it shortly). You said it yourself, you can connect everything to 1 port simultaneously (so you certainly don't need 4).

 

I don't think its worth spending thousands of dollars for a Thunderbolt connection. You apparently disagree with that assessment. Feel free to go purchase one of these laptops =)

[Bleedingyamato]

1 hour ago, zMeul said:

even with those made fine (even certified) it was discovered there were issues (the recent Anker cable case)

 

riight, might wanna ask the people actually using them  

 

---

 

thin?! isn't HDMI thin? mini / DP? USB type A

What happened with an Anker cable?  

[zMeul]

3 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

What happened with an Anker cable?  

 

[TheLaserCucumber]

My problem with this thing is that there is easy enough space for a USB Type A connector, and a SD Card reader. And then, why not at least 4 USB-C on the 13" model? 

And the keyboard, my god the keyboard. I hate it so much! It just has no keytravel and no pressure point.

[leodaniel]

1 minute ago, TheLaserCucumber said:

My problem with this thing is that there is easy enough space for a USB Type A connector, and a SD Card reader. And then, why not at least 4 USB-C on the 13" model? 

And the keyboard, my god the keyboard. I hate it so much! It just has no keytravel and no pressure point.

Do you really care about a USB Type a connector? I seriously don't, I have never used one since years ;). I am happy when I can dock it with one connector only, except that I miss the MacSafe connector.

About the Keyboard, I haven't really tried it, so I really don't know.

 

My main reason to buy a Macbook is still the reliability I had with them in my past. I need this computer to work, no matter what and for business, thats what you need.

Just take a look at IBM, they say, they save quiet some money with macs compared to PCs.

So it really comes down to what is 'PRO'fessional for you and what matters most for you.

[tlink]

i agree with a lot of the points you make, i think the problem isn't really apple but the usb concernum that is making really weird moves on the usb-c standard. like i agree that everything should fit into a single connector, but if not every connector is going to support everything than thats going to get confusing fast. they should've made like 3 or 2 tiers. so that phones can have the least flashy usb type c port while laptops and computers can have full fledged ones, and tv's and stuff like that can be somewhere in the middle. not all this optional crap.

[TheLaserCucumber]

25 minutes ago, leodaniel said:

Do you really care about a USB Type a connector? I seriously don't, I have never used one since years ;). I am happy when I can dock it with one connector only, except that I miss the MacSafe connector.

About the Keyboard, I haven't really tried it, so I really don't know.

 

My main reason to buy a Macbook is still the reliability I had with them in my past. I need this computer to work, no matter what and for business, thats what you need.

Just take a look at IBM, they say, they save quiet some money with macs compared to PCs.

So it really comes down to what is 'PRO'fessional for you and what matters most for you.

Yes I do. Cause I have a USB mouse, USB Keyboard, USB Gamepad etc.

[leodaniel]

4 minutes ago, TheLaserCucumber said:

Yes I do. Cause I have a USB mouse, USB Keyboard, USB Gamepad etc.

Which you obviously all need when you re not docked  and I don't think you should consider a GamePad if you buy a mac

And every monitor today has a USB hub  

[Sauron]

I actually completely agree, 4 ports are definitely not too many and the only problem I have with using usb-c is if they only use one like in the macbook. In fact, I think having more would have been a good idea. Of course it couldn't have hurt to have one or two legacy ports, so as to not have to always adapt everything, but that's not a huge deal. My main problem with the macbook pro line is and has always been the price, not the product's design itself. Of course they have their flaws aside from that, but every laptop does.

Just now, TheLaserCucumber said:

Yes I do. Cause I have a USB mouse, USB Keyboard, USB Gamepad etc.

I wouldn't buy a macbook for games... and frankly if you can carry a cabled mouse (not to mention a cabled keyboard) with you you can also carry a 4cm passive adapter.

[MrDynamicMan]

Well to start off with a passive adapter is still an adapter. You can't plug USB into USB mini. 

 

However: I agree with everything else. It is good that they've switched over, but I wish they'd still keep some other ports. 3 C types, an HDMI and normal USB for wireless mouse dongles . It's great that they're really taking USBC seriously, but make sure people can transition. 

[Clanscorpia]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS

[Clanscorpia]

It pisses me off people comparing the mackbook to things like the Inspiron 7559 and not the XPS series which is roughly the same specs for the same price

[VerticalDiscussions]

Well done Enderman! I totally agree with this, USB-C is the future and 4 ports is a lot, considering even the highest end motherboards usually only carry 1 or 2.

 

Also the friggin headphone jack is still there people, alongside 4 futuristic ports!

[Enderman]

8 hours ago, zMeul said:

USB type C is not mainstream at all

hell, they didn't even finished adding features to the fucking standard

 

oh, and one more thing - the moment USB type C cables stop murdering the devices they got plugged in, that's when USB type C has a chance to go mainstream

 

guess what?! Apple does not provide docks or adapters to type A ports (shipped with the product), so your excuse of no more 10 different type of cables just went to the way of the do-do

 

you want to plug your iPhone into your MacBook PRO, buy an adapter or cable

you want to plug your printer, buy an adapter or cable

want to plug a 2nd display or TV, wait for it ... you need another cable

want to plug your LAN cable? nop! you need an adapter

and the list goes on and on

 

how well did it go when they 1st introduced the type C to MacBooks? that well, eh ...

 

the fucking things cost ~3000$ would've hurt them to add a DP or at least a HDMI, or a type A? nope

but they kept the 3.5mm jack - that should tell you something

 

---

 

my pos HP Pavilion from 2013 has HDMI, USB2, USB3 and LAN ports, SD card and audio jack

The USB-C connector is finalized. The USB 3.1 protocol might not, but that is irrelevant since the ports on the macbook are Thunderbolt 3.

Even if USB creates 3.2 or 3.5 or whatever, it will still be compatible through the type C connector with thunderbolt 3.

I can agree that they should have provided docks or cables for such a bold move, like they did with the iphone.

 

The port on the macbook is only USB-C  3.0. This severely limits it's compatibility, and does require adapters for displays. There is also only 1 port, and without daisy chaining you NEED to use adapters.

The USB-C with thunderbolt 3 means you can plug in many devices into one port without adapters as long as the devices have a passthrough.

The USB-C monitor and storage device showed at the conference were passtrough. Something like a mouse would not be passthrough.

The monitor also had a full USB-C dock built in to plug in more stuff into the daisy chain.

 

All those things you said, plug into a second display, printer, etc... will require a USB-C to B cable or C to HDMI or something like that, yes.

But that will be replacing HDMI to HDMI or USB-A to B cables, so you still only have the same amount of cable clutter as you had before.

In the near future, with more USB C on devices, you can start getting rid of those cables and only using C to C cables.

It will take a couple years, but now with the MBP using only USB it will be happening much sooner than it would otherwise have, which is great for everybody.

Since you're not an apple customer, you get the option of just waiting and switching directly to USB C to C once many devices carry it. Then you can thank apple for speeding up adoption rate.

PS. most laptops and ultrabooks have not had ethernet ports for years, I don't see that as a downside anymore.

 

Again, if they put HDMI or type A or other stuff then nobody would want to try USB-C because it is out of their comfort zone, everyone would stick to the known stuff.

Headphone jack is good that they kept it

 

8 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Type C adoption is held back by much higher cost of producing the cables to support all those functions, and that almost all things with a non-removable cable happens to be type A. This forces people to buy and use an adapter even if they have one or two devices that have an output-to-USB C cable. All those are not cheap and you're saddled with an additional item to bring around.

 

Its like the whole DX12 problem but in the form of a connector standard. DX12 can do wonders but at the end of the day its the program/device limiting what can be done through the port. And at the moment its all over the shop.

A USB A to C adapter is not expensive, and a USB cable with a type C connector on the end instead of type A is also not expensive.

If you have enough devices that use it you can get rid of all your USB A cables altogether and just use C.

At the end of the day, you end up with the same amount of cables you had before, just type C.

 

Also, a device does not need "output to USB-C" it just needs any kind of output.

For example, my mouse is micro USB to USB A. I can just buy a micro USB to USB-C cable and throw away the old cable.

 

7 hours ago, LucidMew said:

The problem with the adapters is not that they're active or passive, it's the fact that they exist in the first place. Apple is all about having a cohesive ecosystem, and having a bunch of adapters is not really that cohesive. Now, you may argue that adapters aren't that different than cables, and if I'm bitching about a type C connector, then I should bitch about the connector from my laptop to external display, or to a wired mouse or the like. And I don't agree that that metaphor is relevant. What if you buy a shiny new mechanical keyboard, and you go to plug it in only to find that you need to spend another $25 to $50 on a 6 inch cable adapter in order for it to work with your new computer. That's why I'm upset with the single port. Go the same route that a lot of GPU manufacturers go: add the cable to the box, just like they add a $0.10 DVI to VGA adapter so my 15 year old 5:4 monitor can work with my shiny new GPU. But, Apple, being Apple, sell those things. When I can use the exact same cable, plugged into the same port on the computer, for a display, then sync my phone, and then charge the laptop, then that will be the time when adapters are no longer necessary, but right now, that's not possible without adapters.

 

It's also called a Macbook PRO for a reason, the users are supposed to be professionals doing power user stuff. Realistically, one port is always going to be used to charge it, so you really can't call it four ports. Let's say I am a photographer. I have one port for an SD reader (type c to SD card, because my tried and true type A one is obsolete), another output to a large 4k color calibrated screen, and my trusty old thunderbolt 2 external drive (which I'll need an adapter for, because fuck me). That leaves me with no ports to charge my phone/camera/external battery pack, add a (wired) keyboard or mouse or webcam. I mean, I can, but I'd have to buy (yet another) adapter to split the port into multiple. As a professional, I shouldn't have to bring oodles and oodles of adapters for my oodles and oodles of external stuff that can plug into my laptop. "Oh, I might have to use three things that use the type A port, so I'll need three type C to A, but I also might use a monitor, better bring a type C to display port and hdmi." Just a bunch of extra cables and extras that shouldn't be there, that you can't use all at the same time, but need to have, because there is a unique combination of port useage that might happen at one point, when all this would have been solved with an SD card reader, a type A port or two or three, and an HDMI and DP port, in addition to the two or so type C that's on there.

 

I can't comment on the lack of magsafe, because I've never used a mac with one, but the comments on /r/apple seemed really butthurt that it doesn't exist.

 

The only progress I see is the progress of increase the bank account of Apple and the adapter manufactures. It's great that this port exists and what it can do, but give people options and don't shoehorn it in when it doesn't fit.

 

 

sorry about the rant and any repeated points or incongruities. took a while writing this while multitasking and alt-tabbing quite a lot. 

Now people are actually going to be buying products that use USB-C, so when shopping for a new keyboard you would get a USB-C one that works fine.

Or get a keyboard with a removable cable (of which there are tons) and then buy a micro USB to USB-C cable, or USB-B to USB-C cable, or whatever it uses.

No need for adapters.

I can agree the lack of SD card is disappointing.

 

Your argument of "but I also might use a monitor, better bring a type C to display port and hdmi." is what I tried to clear up in this topic, but I guess it wasn't clear enough.

YES this is what is going to happen, instead of having a displayport cable, an HDMI cable, and a USB A cable, now you have a type C to DP cable, type C to HDMI, and type C to. You end up carrying around the same amount of cables, not more. In the near future, more devices will use only USB-C and you won't need all those cables, you will only need a couple C to C cables.

THIS is what progress is, whether you like it or not we need to switch to USB C to make this possible. Yes it is forcing the apple customers to buy a bunch of additional cables upfront, but with thousands of people buying those laptops you will see a huge surge of USB-C compatible devices. You cna see a few examples in the conference, like a monitor, an external drive, etc...

 

7 hours ago, Zyndo said:

First off, Linus straight out said on the WAN show, that he doesn't really have a huge problem with the price or the features of the mackbook pro. his big problem is the term "PRO"... there is nothing "PRO"fessional about this laptop. It simply does not have the hardware to be paired with that term**. I believe Linus called it: "consumer at best" (or something to that effect). (**duo core, 8GB of RAM, and no dedicated graphics. it is literally like 150 bucks to get that in a desktop, I get that laptops gotta pay more for the same level of hardware, but 10x that amount is pretty redonkulous)

 

Secondly, as wonderful and amazing and awesome as USB C/thunderbolt is, 2k+ for a laptop where that is literally the only selling point is really.... I just don't get it. You said it yourself, in 3 years everything on USB C is going to make this computer amazing... but considering the laptop already has mediocre power, its going to be largely obsolete in 3 years (if not for raw performance, there will be something better on the market offering these things and more).

 

Thirdly, the "Best IO ever made" is your opinion... "the mackbook pro isn't worth it" is another person's opinion. Opinions can't be "wrong". They're opinions.

 

 

 

Lastly, everything you said about how good this laptop is, had absolutely nothing to do with the laptop itself. It simply about the perks of USB C and thunderbolt. I'm not 100% sure about the offerings of laptops nowadays, as I haven't really looked at them a whole lot, but I'm sure you could get SOME other laptop for that kind of price that is significantly better and offers at least 1 of these thunderbolt ports (if you can't, some company will notice this and release it shortly). You said it yourself, you can connect everything to 1 port simultaneously (so you certainly don't need 4).

 

I don't think its worth spending thousands of dollars for a Thunderbolt connection. You apparently disagree with that assessment. Feel free to go purchase one of these laptops =)

I have seen people using 5+ year old macbooks and they were working great. If you maintain your product, there is no reason why it can't last you more than 3 years.

Yes it won't really be powerful enough for professionals in 3 years, but in order to get people moving to USB-C you need to pressure them by making it the only option, THEN people will start buying into it. If you're not a macbook pro customer, then you don't even need to worry about this, because they are the ones that will start manufacturers producing more USB-C on their devices.

 

Also, the reason for 4 ports instead of just 1, is because certain things like the 5k displays use up a lot of bandwidth, so you would need to use other ports if you want stuff like multiple displays, or plug in a USB drive directly into the laptop instead of daisy chaining it to the monitor.

 

2 hours ago, TheLaserCucumber said:

My problem with this thing is that there is easy enough space for a USB Type A connector, and a SD Card reader. And then, why not at least 4 USB-C on the 13" model? 

And the keyboard, my god the keyboard. I hate it so much! It just has no keytravel and no pressure point.

If the laptop had A connectors then nobody would be forced to switch and it would basically make 4 useless ports on the macbook as everyone tries to plug everything into the A connector since it is what they are familiar with.

Also, Yes 4 USB-C would have been a better option for the 13".

Personally I have not tried that new keyboard, so no comment

 

2 hours ago, tlink said:

i agree with a lot of the points you make, i think the problem isn't really apple but the usb concernum that is making really weird moves on the usb-c standard. like i agree that everything should fit into a single connector, but if not every connector is going to support everything than thats going to get confusing fast. they should've made like 3 or 2 tiers. so that phones can have the least flashy usb type c port while laptops and computers can have full fledged ones, and tv's and stuff like that can be somewhere in the middle. not all this optional crap.

Actually, you can easily tell what kind of USB ports you have.

All the connectors will support everything is they are thunderbolt 3 USB-C, or support only USB if they are USB 3.1 type-C.

 

So there is really only two options, the Thunderbolt ports on stuff like the laptops, monitors, and external storage, and then there is the regular USB 3.1 only devices like your phone, a USB drive, a peripheral, etc... The type of stuff that would would plug into a "host" to use.

 

This is pretty much what you just said, one type C connector has thunderbolt and can do everything, and one type C connector is USB only and is used on peripherals and that type of stuff with no daisy chaining. I don't understand what "optional crap" you're talking about.

[Enderman]

8 minutes ago, vinyldash303 said:

I've got a 2011 17" MacBook Pro and still find myself trying to plug HDMI into it. Need a mini display port to hdmi adapter.  

If your MBP has USB C and your displays had USB C and all your other devices had USB C, then you would only need one type of cable, that is C to C

The future is sunny, apple is literally forcing people to use USB C to increase adoption rate so that this sunny future can get here faster.

Everyone that uses a PC should be thankful for that.