What Was Apple Thinking? The New MacBook Is All About That One Port (Op Ed)

[javaskull]

The wireless for everything idea is good. However bluetooth has never impressed me and charging devices is a problem. A wireless mouse, keyboard, headphones, iPhone and/or iPad AND CHARGERS for all that crap is a pain in the ass. I'm surprised they included a headphone jack quite frankly. I'd have been more pleased if they had a recharging thing that recharged other devices when they are simply was on top of or near the computer. Dongle madness is not fun.

 

[canadianvice]

Stupid. It's just Apple trying to milk customers on accessory charges when they didn't need to. Greedy is the Apple trademark.

It's people's own fault if they get sucked in by it.
Plus, since it's a standard, before long there will be $5.00 ebay cables to do the same.

I haven't paid full price on and adapter or cable for the last several years - the most expensive I've purchased was a $12 SATA to USB, and they're all going strong still.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Plus, Apple has you covered with many (mostly proprietary) wireless technologies.

Yet it's missing the one that would make most sense in this scenario: 802.11ad. And no, that's not a typo. http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/wireless-docking.html

 

[icemunk]

Bluetooth for peripherals. It is what it is; if you don't like it, don't buy it.

 

[house70]

The problem is that people think this is a small laptop (a truly glorified netbook) rather than what it really is: The new MacBook is the iPad Pro. It is slim, lightweight, capable of basic productivity work, but still a consumption device at heart. An iPad does not need to run multiple peripherals, because that is not what it is meant to do.

The problem goes deeper than that; it's not what people think of it, it's what it's been traditionally marketed. It was always presented as the ultimate laptop, so one can confidently say that people's expectations were let down by this.
And, really that 80 bucks dongle. 'Nuff said.

 

[cst1992]

Bluetooth for peripherals. It is what it is; if you don't like it, don't buy it.

It's not a question of like/dislike - Apple is trying to lock it's customers in by reducing support for general peripherals, and forcing them to use Apple-specific products - which are hugely inflated in price. The "Apple has quality so it's expensive" argument was true once, but it just doesn't hold that much water anymore.
I'm not saying it's totally not the case - it may be. But $50 for a cable is too much.

Also, another option is that we all just shut up and mind our own business.

 

[brainboxcomputers]

WOW! Apple is pretty good at getting the highest amount of dollars for the least possible options. They should go into the drug business.

 

[Tman450]

I saw this device and my thoughts were: it looks like an iPad. It feels like an ipad with a keyboard. It's an iPad! Except they're charging an extra 800 bucks for slightly more functionality. Save yourself almost a grand and just get a keyboard for the iPad.....

 

[tiamos]

I think people are forgetting that is an 'Apple Product', it is designed to work with other apple products as part of the eco-system. Need an external display? - Apple TV, need to back data? - Time Capsule. As a Retina owner, I seldomly have anything plugged in bar the power cord. Sure, I own most of the eco-system (ipad/iphone/retina) and won't be running out to buy this anytime soon, but remember, this product is designed to work with other products from Apple, just like Apple intended it...

 

[Somasonic]

"But chances are, most of the folks purchasing a MacBook will be college students and average users who won't necessarily be equipped to work around the MacBook's pointlessness."

FTFY 😉

 

[Simon Anderson]

There will surely be USB-C hubs in abundance soon enough... ... A small number of use cases will be very frustrating or expensive for a short time... until hub-bundance 2015 (that's right, you heard it here first, hubundance).

So basically that's like saying: "you're using it wrong". Last time that didn't go so well.

I dunno, I think it's always been Apples thing... they've made brave decisions about eliminating features and focusing on making the remaining features as good as possible. They've definitely dictated how people should use stuff, and it's worked: people have bought their products and enjoy using them. As much as people say it's about marketing and "fan boys", Apple's growth is really that people enjoy using their products and people see other people enjoying them...

It's pretty incredible that ANYONE makes laptops... kind of the pinnacle of engineering in terms of fitting crap in to a tight space... (or perhaps phones more so *shrug*) I'm sure a decision "lets just add another USB-C port" is a far bigger deal than we realise.

But I'm playing devils advocate... I think this is ahead of it's time. Not being able to plug USB-A is going to piss people off. The phrase "oh thats right you've got one of the Stupid mac books dont you" will be heard throughout the land... Given enough time, everything will be NFC, WPT, or WiFi, and you'll include one USB-C port "just in case" 😛

 

[alextheblue]

The problem is that people think this is a small laptop (a truly glorified netbook) rather than what it really is: The new MacBook is the iPad Pro. It is slim, lightweight, capable of basic productivity work, but still a consumption device at heart. An iPad does not need to run multiple peripherals, because that is not what it is meant to do.

That doesn't make sense. Why would I want to spend $1300 on something that is "still a consumption device at heart"? If I spend $1300 it better not be consumption oriented with "basic productivity". I mean hell if consumption is your goal there's a myriad of cheaper options. For that kind of money I could get a really nice decked out Surface Pro or one of the newest gen Ultrabooks (with an upgraded display option) and with Office already installed. They might even have a couple of extra ports, just for the heck of it.

 

[InvalidError]

It's not a question of like/dislike - Apple is trying to lock it's customers in by reducing support for general peripherals, and forcing them to use Apple-specific products

There is nothing Apple-specific to using USB 3.1/Type-C but the lack of multiple ports on the MacBook itself and general lack of Type-C devices due to the novelty factor do make things look much worse for the time being.

All you need is someone making a USB3.1/Type-C docking accessory to bring just about all the IO you can possibly need in one extra box to the MacBook or any other host with a Type-C connector. Any peripheral manufacturer could create a powered USB 3.1/C hub that can provide all the USB1/2/3 and other ports you might need on top of USB-PD for charging/powering the MacBook, a phone, laptop, tablet or whatever else.

 

[DMZ99]

"here you and I are, writing and reading about it, respectively" I don't remember having written this article, but thanks for the credit

Seriously tho, just so you can fix it.

 

[f-14]

this makes me laugh so hard, unless of course apple has perfected wireless gigabyte ethernet.
no apple mandated thunderbolt that was supposed to " END USB FOREVAAAAAA " (guess steve jobs isn't god after all proof )

one port to lose it all: productivity at photoshop, multimedia as in quicktime dvd player (uhmmm what else is apple good for...oh yes digital rights management/aka mindcontroloftheirsheeples) ya what ever market share apple just had...now 1% apple once again getting put in the grave by PC welcome back to 1980 standards apple, see you at the disco with tandy.

 

[cst1992]

It's not a question of like/dislike - Apple is trying to lock it's customers in by reducing support for general peripherals, and forcing them to use Apple-specific products

There is nothing Apple-specific to using USB 3.1/Type-C but the lack of multiple ports on the MacBook itself and general lack of Type-C devices due to the novelty factor do make things look much worse for the time being.

All you need is someone making a USB3.1/Type-C docking accessory to bring just about all the IO you can possibly need in one extra box to the MacBook or any other host with a Type-C connector.

How much would it have cost just to add a separate power jack for, if nothing else, make the average joe realize that "oh, so there is where the power cord goes"? I'd hate to have a hub connected to use ANYTHING when connected to the AC outlet. It's ugly, especially for such a sleek laptop. All I ask is Apple stop this "I got the best and ONLY the best" attitude and respect legacy devices.

 

[genz]

The problem is that people think this is a small laptop (a truly glorified netbook) rather than what it really is: The new MacBook is the iPad Pro. It is slim, lightweight, capable of basic productivity work, but still a consumption device at heart. An iPad does not need to run multiple peripherals, because that is not what it is meant to do.

I think that's a really insightful analysis. Well said.

There's just one simple reason why that isn't true.

$1400

 

[torka]

No more Magsafe, one of the best hardware choices that Apple made in the last nine years.

 

[TEAMSWITCHER]

It's funny when Apple releases a new product and everyone is talking about it. PC makers release new products all the time and no one even cares. In three years I bet PC makers all are selling their clones of this new hot new MacBook.

 

[scolaner]

"here you and I are, writing and reading about it, respectively" I don't remember having written this article, but thanks for the credit

Seriously tho, just so you can fix it.

Haha, thanks...

 

[genz]

It's funny when Apple releases a new product and everyone is talking about it. PC makers release new products all the time and no one even cares. In three years I bet PC makers all are selling their clones of this new hot new MacBook.

This is the first time I think Apple tried to do something really new since Steve Jobs' death. The iPhone 5 was a stretched 4 and the 6 was a 5S with round corners and a few bits and bobs from the tech team. The Mac Pro was being prototyped long before Steve died, despite the tech not coming down to the right price/performance for typical Apple profit margins until afterward.

This however, is a completely new Mac from Jony and Tim, and it sucks. Oh lord it sucks. I hope this thing sinks like the Titanic with a 700 pound gorilla on the end that Leonardo Dicaprio would have sang on. I hope it dies in a fire like it was unveiled at ground zero in Hiroshima 1945 by Darth Vader and the Human Torch.

I just pray that nobody actually tries to imitate this behavior. I'm sad to admit that at least a few will and I'm betting that that may just be half of why Apple did this.

Oh and tl;dr Everyone's talking about it because it's horrible.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

It's funny when Apple releases a new product and everyone is talking about it. PC makers release new products all the time and no one even cares. In three years I bet PC makers all are selling their clones of this new hot new MacBook.

This is the first time I think Apple tried to do something really new since Steve Jobs' death. The iPhone 5 was a stretched 4 and the 6 was a 5S with round corners and a few bits and bobs from the tech team. The Mac Pro was being prototyped long before Steve died, despite the tech not coming down to the right price/performance for typical Apple profit margins until afterward.

This however, is a completely new Mac from Jony and Tim, and it sucks. Oh lord it sucks. I hope this thing sinks like the Titanic with a 700 pound gorilla on the end that Leonardo Dicaprio would have sang on. I hope it dies in a fire like it was unveiled at ground zero in Hiroshima 1945 by Darth Vader and the Human Torch.

I just pray that nobody actually tries to imitate this behavior. I'm sad to admit that at least a few will and I'm betting that that may just be half of why Apple did this.

Oh and tl;dr Everyone's talking about it because it's horrible.

From my own visual standpoint, and I know Steve Jobs really did not do everything, but it seems that ever since his death Apple has gone downhill. No longer are there any new ideas, just the same old stuff. Apple really did introduce both smart phones and tablets into this world, but nothing new has come for years from them. They have the Apple Watch coming out so we'll see how that goes. But since Steve Jobs, things have gotten worse.

 

[cst1992]

I've heard the Watch is a flop. I'm not sure on the specifics but that's what I've heard.

 

[InvalidError]

I've heard the Watch is a flop. I'm not sure on the specifics but that's what I've heard.

Sales predictions for the iWatch are something like 20 million units this year. That seems grossly optimistic to me too. With reports of pre-launch production failure/reject rates being as high as 70%, the next few months might get interesting: if 2/3 of units failed QA testing, how good will the remaining 1/3 that made it to market be?

 

[skit75]

I've heard the Watch is a flop. I'm not sure on the specifics but that's what I've heard.

Sales predictions for the iWatch are something like 20 million units this year. That seems grossly optimistic to me too. With reports of pre-launch production failure/reject rates being as high as 70%, the next few months might get interesting: if 2/3 of units failed QA testing, how good will the remaining 1/3 that made it to market be?

There is a manufacturing saying that goes, "you cannot test quality into a product". Testing should be a verification of quality... not a method of eliminating bad Apples.

See what I did there? =)