11–20 of 31 posts
I remember how much pushback there was about getting rid of the CD drive too, but the truth was they weren't being used that much anymore anyway.
Using USB-C wasn't the problem. The real problem is - they put only one port there. You cannot charge while you are connected to an HDMI projector / external HDD or a pen-drive. But the latest Google Chromebook "Pixel" has two USB-C ports on either sides of the device.
I hear this repeated a lot but I don't believe it is true. You could either:
1) Connect to a monitor or other USB-C peripheral that supports sending power down USB-C, or
2) Use an adaptor that exposes HDMI or USB3, and also provides a USB-C passthrough like:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av...
I realise that it is inconvenient, but I think its misleading to repeat the same inaccuracy over and over.
Using USB-C wasn't the problem. The real problem is - they put only one port there. You cannot charge while you are connected to an HDMI projector / external HDD or a pen-drive. But the latest Google Chromebook "Pixel" has two USB-C ports on either sides of the device.
Using USB-C wasn't the problem. The real problem is - they put only one port there. You cannot charge while you are connected to an HDMI projector / external HDD or a pen-drive. But the latest Google Chromebook "Pixel" has two USB-C ports on either sides of the device.
"You cannot charge while you are connected to..." I hear this repeated a lot but I don't believe it is true. You could either: 1) Connect to a monitor or other USB-C peripheral that supports sending power down USB-C, or 2) Use an adaptor that exposes HDMI or USB3, and also provides a USB-C passthrough like: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av... I realise that it is inconvenient, but I think…
But if I have external storage plugged in (I'm copying a large file), and I need to charge the laptop, then I need to disconnect the drive in order to charge the laptop?
There are countless examples where daisy-chaining these devices becomes very inconvenient.
I really hope Apple isn't going to make this a trend across their line, and that others don't follow suit. That said, given that they made it a "new" line, I think it may have a place. e.g. for some moderate to high percentage of people that use a laptop they rarely or never plug anything into it. And those same people are usually the ones on the go a lot, so this might really have a good fit for those people (e.g. w…
This model is a shot across the bow from Apple, but this model also isn't intended for programmers and IT professionals. It's meant for grandparents and a "lay about the house as needed" computer for (currently, rich) people. Apple differentiates things with a Pro line on purpose.
The original MacBook Air had a serious lack of ports and that didn't really trend across their line. It did not come with an Ethernet port, which instilled some major, major outrage. But since then, some of those bowshots have gained a foothold in the industry.
I have a MacBook Pro, and now it doesn't have a built-in Ethernet jack. But it's not a big deal at this point. Even as a network engineer, I only pull out my TBolt Ethernet adapter a couple times a week. The end effect is that I have less cables to deal with on a daily basis and I'm more mobile. I can plop down anywhere at work, open the laptop, get on wireless, and get chucked onto my special VLAN. This is way better than before.
As all our stuff is held in the cloud - which I dislike very much - less and less stuff we want to connect to our machine. A few years back it was so annoying when they started to get rid of optical drives, but now nobody misses it. Soon we wont give a rats ass about USB as well. Especially on laptops, because on a desktop you will still need it for a few peripherals. But on a laptop where everything is built in... M…
The only times I see most people with MacBook Airs have an issue is when they swap files on thumbdrives or need to download photos. The average (non-techie) user still isn't tech-savvy enough for Dropbox, AirDrop, etc. to swap files.
Then if they have a DSLR, they still need an SD card reader. (Surprising how often they don't even know what that is.) Even if they have an iPhone full of photos, getting them to their MacBook Air is beyond most users. Apple really should just blow out the amount of included space for iCloud photos and make sync easier.
I really hope Apple isn't going to make this a trend across their line, and that others don't follow suit. That said, given that they made it a "new" line, I think it may have a place. e.g. for some moderate to high percentage of people that use a laptop they rarely or never plug anything into it. And those same people are usually the ones on the go a lot, so this might really have a good fit for those people (e.g. w…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"You cannot charge while you are connected to..." I hear this repeated a lot but I don't believe it is true. You could either: 1) Connect to a monitor or other USB-C peripheral that supports sending power down USB-C, or 2) Use an adaptor that exposes HDMI or USB3, and also provides a USB-C passthrough like: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av... I realise that it is inconvenient, but I think…
I posted this elsewhere ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9186834 ), but I can see this scenario happening very easily: But if I have external storage plugged in (I'm copying a large file), and I need to charge the laptop, then I need to disconnect the drive in order to charge the laptop? There are countless examples where daisy-chaining these devices becomes very inconvenient.
I don't really get the vision behind 1 port, but I don't get the angst either (not buying things is pretty easy).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I posted this elsewhere ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9186834 ), but I can see this scenario happening very easily: But if I have external storage plugged in (I'm copying a large file), and I need to charge the laptop, then I need to disconnect the drive in order to charge the laptop? There are countless examples where daisy-chaining these devices becomes very inconvenient.
Plugging in before starting large file copies probably doesn't quite get you to "very inconvenient". I don't really get the vision behind 1 port, but I don't get the angst either (not buying things is pretty easy).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Plugging in before starting large file copies probably doesn't quite get you to "very inconvenient". I don't really get the vision behind 1 port, but I don't get the angst either (not buying things is pretty easy).
Needing to restart a process that takes an hour, just to plug in my device... Yes, I consider that very inconvenient.
(I continue to suggest not buying computers with 1 port as a great solution to the problem)