Apple → Did Apple just doom USB-C / 3.1?

A couple of things here:

1) Basically I don't think the new MacBook was intended for users that need the kind of connectivity that it clearly cannot easily accommodate. So if you have connection port anxiety when looking at the new MacBook then obviously its not for you much like the Apple Watch is clearly not for everyone. The good news is that there are still options that satiate your connection needs so no one is backed into a corner. I have no doubt that there are users that rarely connect anything to their Mac and they will be well served but the new MacBook.

2) USB 3.1 is being adopted by the PC industry now. It will take some time to disseminate to newer hardware (and some current hardware) but it is happening. Here is an example:

Asus Implements USB 3.1 Functionality on Motherboards and New Add-in Cards

»www.asus.com/Motherboard ··· EC_CARD/
»www.asus.com/us/Motherbo ··· EA_CARD/

quote:

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ASUS’ USB 3.1 motherboard line-up features new motherboards with two USB 3.1 ports installed on the PCB itself, and existing motherboards with a ASUS USB 3.1 PCIE add-in cards bundled in the package. Both are identified by the /USB3.1 suffix.

For those wanting to upgrade an existing system with USB 3.1 – that PCIE add-in card will also be available separately for compatible motherboards. Note: a BIOS update is sometimes required – see the press release for more details.

New ASUS USB 3.1 motherboards:
Rampage V Extreme/U3.1 (bundled with add-in Type-A card)
X99-Deluxe/U3.1 (bundled with add-in Type-A card)
X99-Pro/USB3.1
X99-A/USB3.1 (Transfer Express)
X99-A/USB3.1
X99-E WS/USB3.1
Z97-Deluxe/USB3.1
Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac)/USB3.1
Z97-A/USB3.1
Z97-E/USB3.1
Z97-K/USB3.1
Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1/USB3.1
B85M-G Plus/USB3.1
B85-Plus/USB3.1

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»rog.asus.com/403332015/a ··· lutions/

I think Apple just wanted to get the jump on USB 3.1 type-C and I think they have done that. However, that doesn't mean the rest of the industry is far behind or interested in forcing it as the only connectivity option (AKA single port).

Having said that, I find it a little odd that the new MacBook has no Thunderbolt connectivity option considering that Apple was basically the only proponent of it Thunderbolt.

Yeah, we get it, Apple has a big stake in the cloud and they're pushing the cloud agenda as hard as they can with every new iteration of iOS and hardware refreshes. They spurn local storage and they spurn physical connectivity options. I guess these new Macbooks will appeal to braindead celebs who didn't learn their lesson from The Fappening.

I guess today's 10hr+ long icloud/app store outage would kinda sucks for this heavily cloud focused MacBook?

People are screaming bloody murder.

I was responding specifically to a poster saying college students still use flash drives and don't have access to wifi.

Then try a different laptop?

If I had to haul furniture everyday or loved the convenience of gas stations, I wouldn't be looking buy a Tesla or complaining that I can't fill it up on any corner. But that doesn't mean there aren't people that benefit from having a Tesla.

You missed the point, but no worries.

Just think of how great the world will be when never have to try a USB plug one way, turn it around to try it again. Once the new connector takes off the adoption will happen fairly quickly - just like the transition to the lighning connector on iOS devices.

But I do agree it would have been nice to have multiple ports. I have a Dell Win 8.1 tablet with only one USB micro port and it is a pain when you want to use an external hard drive or something else like a mouse.

There's a reason why one of the selling points for windows own surface pro tablets is a full sized usb port. I have a few usb 2.0 thumb drives mostly do to the fact that i can use them on any computer with usb going back 2 decades damn near. If the 3.1 connector is similar to the ports on a iphone 5 to 6+ ill love it when it is wide spread. But i wont love not seeing 2.0/3.0 ports. The port design for the 5 to 6+ is a great design. I hate micro and mini usb designs they break to damn easy and are hit and miss to try and repair.

Your also working off the assumption that everyone knows about and uses cloud storage. Also, things like spotty wifi and internet outages still exist.

It's not an assumption. I see it every day - I haven't seen a student use a flash drive in about a year, and I personally haven't used one for school work in 2-3 years. You could argue the engineering classes at my university are not representative of all students, which is fair, but cloud storage and sharing via Google Docs or falling back to e-mail are pretty ubiquitous on my college campus at this point.

As did the iCloud outage this morning.....

Cloud storage would be more of a long term strategy for backing up large amounts of data and/or having an expectation of security if a). average upload speeds in this country weren't so terrible, and b). if cloud backup providers could offer any substantive assurances that your data is safe.

id say if you went to an AV class you might see a lot more external drives in use simply because media files can become enormous. Especially raw stuff before its been processed.

Google just released a Chromebook with USB-C only.

»www.google.com/chromebook/pixel/

quote:

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The Pixel is one of the first devices to debut the USB Type-C charger, to power not only the laptop, but future phones and tablets. Now you can quickly transfer power, data and a hi-res display with just one port.

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(yeah that totally doesn't look like a macbook pro at all)

Maybe USB-C will be a "thing" after all? Anyone want to bet a fedora tip that iPhone 6S will have USB-C cord by default?

It also has USB 3.0 ports--not just Type C.

Too funny!!

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· re=share

2x USB Type-C (up to 5Gbps data, 4K display out with optional HDMI or DisplayPort%u2122 adapter, 60W charging)
2x USB 3.0 Standard A
SD card reader
Headphone/mic combo

Ah. Was hidden and the promo shots only show the C

Oh man that was gold!!!

The price of that watch is no big deal to me either and I'm not talking about going in to debt to buy it.
It just makes no sense at this point. My iPhone is enough. I've cut over $200/ month using my iPhone 6 plus.
No way I'm even going to try to rationalize any need for these watches at those prices.
In memory of these pretty watches I will donate $350 to my Roth IRA tomorrow.

Someone sent me this video yesterday and I enjoyed it. Can't wait to see the Downfall video with new caption generated about the Apple Watch and Macbook. (you know someone will do it).

My 0.02$
New Macbook is perfect for those that need MORE than an iPad w/keyboard and don't need MORE for other than email/web/chat.
USB-C will replace USB. It has no orientation issue. It is fast and versatile.
Adaptors? you bet. All about adaptors.

The bad part is cost. This should have been a sub $1000 item. It is not a competitor to the Air. Expect damage issues to the edges.
Why no cellular option? Why no magsafe? I want one but not at $1300. I need a small portable for when I have to config or troubleshoot. Know what I use now? A Dell Mini. Battery is dead. I need AC all the time. But I can connect to hardware to setup (airport extreme, network switches, my car's computer,...) that an iPad or MacbookAir cannot. Atleast the Air needs adaptors like USB to serial.

"the New Macbook: so thin that the bulk will be all the adaptors you will need for everyday use!"

Thinner and lighter is getting old real fast with all devices/ Thinner and lighter means it breaks easier and is less versatile. I don't care if it is a android phone or tablet a apple phone or tablet a windows based laptop or a apple mac book pro air etc. I have already worked on a couple airs both had cracks in the casing. Reminded me of age cracks in old ceramics.

I hope USB-C becomes the complete and total normal in all mobile devices at least. No more worry about which charger.

Of course that could also be incentive for Apple to stick with lightningbolt, If USB-C goes big as it should people could buy a USB-C cord from monoprice and use pretty much any USB designed charging brick.

Hysterical!

It's ahead of it's time. The future is cloud and network services anyway.

I'm waiting for a few years where it's all wireless charging and maybe a few mm thick. People will flip out.

I think Apple might drop dedicated nVidia on the 15 inch pros and go with Iris pro only. The 750m is almost 2 years old and it's insulting to pay over 2 thousand dollars for a 2 year old nVidia chip.

yea for anything in the 2k and up I would honestly expect nothing less than 16gb of RAM and a GTX980 today since even ASUS can stick a 980 into a machine priced aat 2300 bucks.

And if its power use they worry about I imagine nobody does anything that requires the dedicated GPU when not plugged in.

Fair enough. FYI my post was moderated (big shock there) and deleted.

Said no IT professional ever. Cloud services are nice but not a replacement for most things. See:

Chromebook
Adobe Cloud
Office 365 Enterprise

Show me where there is a thunderbolt port on the newly-release MacBooks with USB-C.

HDMI 2.0 can do 4K, and DisplayPort 1.3 can do dual 4K (or an 8K) display (IE: thunderbolt is not required for those)

Aside from supporting charging in either direction, it isn't clear why USB-C was needed as the sole port. A thunderbolt/USB-C adapter, for instance, would bring USB-C to any thunderbolt-equipped device (macbook or otherwise).

I'm not disputing Apple's choice, just questioning the reasoning.

Possibly because the motherboard could not support 2 I/Os at 10Gbps. The USB 3.1 standard was possibly cheaper to implement than thunderbolt and also will support all future devices versus a proprietary connector. Good luck having manufacturers make your proprietary connector.

So in this sense I think they had to make sure what ever this "single" port was going to be it will at least be as versatile and non controlling as possible when they attempt to sell it as one port.

Anyway I see these becoming popular if they included a small internal battery pack for portability and bluetooth.

»www.amazon.com/IOGEAR-Me ··· +usb+hub