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Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

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Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#111
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you really want or need MagSafe, as I do, you can have it with USB-C only Macs too. There are many magnetic adapters you can buy, the good ones working better than the original MagSafe 2, which easily fell off when using MacBooks on your Lap, due to the connector being T shaped (instead of MagSafe 1 being L shaped, which worked great). I also hope they don‘t bring back SD card readers and big clunky HDMI ports int…

I hope they don't bring back USB-A, but the SD card slot and hdmi have been sorely missed. If you do anything with photography, being able to just plug the card directly into your laptop makes a world of difference. Same thing with walking into any meeting and already knowing you'll be able to plug into a projector if needed, without having to run out and grab a dongle.

Others never use SD and have a USB-C to A dongle permanently plugged in (me). The ideal exact connectors probably differ a lot per person, and at least USB-C+Thunderbolt can support everything.

HDMI is probably the least controversial, although there will also be people who never connect external displays.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#112

Since 2015 I cannot even choose Mac Book Pro that would just fit for work with all that idiocy with touch bars, malfunctioning keyboards, lack of SD card slot and idiotic dongles, instead of working horse that has everything you need and makes things simpler, not harder. But even MBP 2015 had gracefully died just recently having the best user care from me you can possibly imagine. This really encourages to move away…

Sort of the same here. I've used a mac for 7 years and when it dies I'll get a Windows machine and dual boot it. There's nothing keeping me on a mac and justifying the price. So long Apple

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Apple can make a Magsafe cable for USB C that would be the best of both worlds. (I know third parties have made them but Apple would probably do a better implementation) I also can't wait for the removal of the Touchbar. This prevented me from buying previous Macbooks because it was just one compromise too far for such an expensive machine. Is this Apple's "Coke Classic" moment?

Doesn't Apple generally make worse cables than the competition? It is very rare for a PC laptop power cable to break. There's a rubber grommet which protects the cable as it enters the plug from extreme and repeated bending. For supposed aesthetics, Apple don't include this, and their cables fray easily. (This is based on my experience managing hardware for a small organization, Dell/HP/Lenovo/etc business laptops co…

Apple's cables are bad. Never been a problem for me because I take care of them, but people shouldn't have to be as careful as I am.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#114
post #42

The last paragraph mentioning touchscreens is weird. Please don't add a touchscreen to a device running a desktop OS. 99% of people won't be using it anyway, but it would lead to those atrocious spacious phone-style UIs I despise so much.

Give a MacBook to a child and she will likely try to touch the screen. Because at this point a touch interface is expected by people. Even me who is used to non touch screens user interfaces, I tend to touch the screen on a non touchscreen laptop once in a while. It's frustrating that it doesn't work, because it does work on my ThinkPad and I enjoy it. Apple not having a touchscreen option on their high end laptops i…

In general, where there is a touchscreen, there is a dumbed-down UI with significantly reduced functionality.

Touchscreen devices are great for content consumption and communication. But not so much for creating anything.

General purpose computers, with precision input devices, are still required by many for getting serious work (and play) done.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#115
post #111
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope they don't bring back USB-A, but the SD card slot and hdmi have been sorely missed. If you do anything with photography, being able to just plug the card directly into your laptop makes a world of difference. Same thing with walking into any meeting and already knowing you'll be able to plug into a projector if needed, without having to run out and grab a dongle.

Others never use SD and have a USB-C to A dongle permanently plugged in (me). The ideal exact connectors probably differ a lot per person, and at least USB-C+Thunderbolt can support everything. HDMI is probably the least controversial, although there will also be people who never connect external displays.

> The ideal exact connectors probably differ a lot per person

Agreed. All I really need is more USB-C ports. Both my current MacBook Air and my upcoming MacBook Pro have only two USB-C ports and I don’t understand why they didn’t make them with four USB-C ports.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#116
post #14

My controversial hot take-- I have never needed an SD card, and have gone all-in on USB-C. I will be very disappointed if they add back in USB-A/HDMI/SD ports, or remove USB-C charging in favor of proprietary charge port. Sounds like unnecessary feature bloat. Please just do MagSage + USB-C, so I can maintain my one-cable-for-everything, making traveling lighter and simpler. Here's my counter argument to all those th…

> so I can maintain my one-cable-for-everything, making traveling lighter and simpler.

you mean one-cable-plus-12-50€-adapters right ? ffs most projectors are still VGA

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#117

On one hand, this seems like welcome news for many of us. Who doesn't miss MagSafe? A lot of the previous years was like someone at Apple read Calvino's Six Memos and took the notes on "lightness" a little bit too far. On the other hand, one wonders if we'll have to replace all the sleeves and bags that have been made with the previous dimensions in mind. Hopefully not. Even the new 16-inch MacBook Pro fits in sleeve…

I'm typing this on a MagSafe laptop. I don't like MagSafe. The cables fray and the MagSafe tips wear out, that means buying an entire new charger (or soldering on a donor cable), I'm on my 5th or 6th. The surfaces get dirty, and because they just butt up (rather than sliding) they become high resistance and heat up. If MagSafe 2021 doesn't fuse the cable to the charger brick, then I might consider it. The fickle elec…

All Apple cables fray because of design decisions around the stress relief area

I'm also typing this on a Magsafe laptop going since 2011 but I'd doubt if it would still be good if it was a plugged in connector, as my previous laptops died around that area.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#118
post #14

My controversial hot take-- I have never needed an SD card, and have gone all-in on USB-C. I will be very disappointed if they add back in USB-A/HDMI/SD ports, or remove USB-C charging in favor of proprietary charge port. Sounds like unnecessary feature bloat. Please just do MagSage + USB-C, so I can maintain my one-cable-for-everything, making traveling lighter and simpler. Here's my counter argument to all those th…

Same here. I like the touch bar but unless they find a way to make it feasible on a Bluetooth magic keyboard, I’d rather have no touch bar for consistency. If they are going to kill it they should have killed it with the first M1 MacBooks. I’m also all in on USB-c (even my shaver uses it for charging) and don’t miss MagSafe at all. Charging from either side is surprisingly handy. One charger for everything is a trave…

> I’m also all in on USB-c (even my shaver uses it for charging)

It's funny how different people's experiences can be. Maybe it's because I'm not in the Apple ecosystem and tend to use my devices until they break, but I own a single device that uses usb-c: a raspberry pi 4b. There are two other usb-c ports in my house, one on my laptop and one on my desktop, but I've never used them. I don't even own a separate usb-c cable (the pi charger is integrated).

I kind of dread making the switch for peripherals because I'm going to have to replace everything.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#119
post #14

My controversial hot take-- I have never needed an SD card, and have gone all-in on USB-C. I will be very disappointed if they add back in USB-A/HDMI/SD ports, or remove USB-C charging in favor of proprietary charge port. Sounds like unnecessary feature bloat. Please just do MagSage + USB-C, so I can maintain my one-cable-for-everything, making traveling lighter and simpler. Here's my counter argument to all those th…

Amazon has a bunch of magnetic USB-C adapters that are designed for MBP’s, that add the MagSafe functionality into existing USB-C ports. I haven’t tried one, but they look like an adequate middle ground.

I tried almost every lightning & micro usb magnetic adaptors I could find, and they all were unreliable. Im waiting for anker to make one.

Re: Apple's MacBook revival plan: Bring back old features

#120

On one hand, this seems like welcome news for many of us. Who doesn't miss MagSafe? A lot of the previous years was like someone at Apple read Calvino's Six Memos and took the notes on "lightness" a little bit too far. On the other hand, one wonders if we'll have to replace all the sleeves and bags that have been made with the previous dimensions in mind. Hopefully not. Even the new 16-inch MacBook Pro fits in sleeve…

My 16” still fits in the sleeve I’ve bought for my first Macbook Pro. The 15” 2006 model.
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