SD card slot, HDMI port could return to the MacBook Pro this year, says Apple analyst
- Reference: 1614099701
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/02/23/apple_macbook_pro_sd_hdmi_port/
- Source link:
"We predict that Apple's two new MacBook Pro models in 2H21 will have several significant design and specification changes," wrote Ming Chi-Kuo in an investor's note [1]obtained by MacRumours . "Some of the practical changes for users are equipping with the SD card reader and HDMI port."
[2]
Ming, who works for TF International Securities, seemingly has a good handle on the moves Apple is about to make, with 78.2 per cent of his "predictions" holding true, [3]according to AppleTrack.org .
Apple stripped the HDMI port and SD slot (as well as the MagSafe adaptor and USB-A ports) [4]from the MacBook Pro line in 2016 in favour of USB-C. This came at a time when Apple was primarily concerned with thinness, rather than day-to-day practicality, as demonstrated by the simultaneous decision to replace the tried-and-tested Magic Keyboard with the [5]fault-prone (and [6]miserable ) Butterfly Keyboard.
[7]
In recent months, we've heard talk from well-placed sources that Apple intends to make the new generation of Apple Silicon laptops function like those released before 2016. [8]MagSafe is expected to make a return later this year , along with standard USB-A ports. Separately, Apple is reportedly planning to ditch the TouchBar, which [9]replaced the function and escape keys with a single OLED strip . This feature failed to catch on with all users, and was regarded by some an inconvenience.
While this would certainly be welcome with some users eager for a departure from dongle purgatory, it may have a greater impact on Apple's product line. A major criticism of the M1 MacBook Pro is that it's almost identical to the M1 MacBook Air, save for the processor's cooling fan, which allows the machine to run high-intensity tasks for longer without encountering thermal throttling, as well as a single extra GPU core.
Besides that, they're effectively the same machine. By bringing back proper ports to the MacBook Pro, Apple is able to distinguish between the two devices. The Air would be a thin and light ultraportable, while the Pro would be a slightly more performant, practical machine.
[10]
Many would probably be happy to pay the premium to never use a USB-C dongle again. It's strange that a company which made a killing from the tagline "it just works" would make customers jump through so many hoops to use an external keyboard, or a second display. ®
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[1] https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/22/2021-macbook-pro-sd-hdmi-port-kuo/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YDWJC8L3aHz9xh-0JnODigAAAJM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://appletrack.org/ming-chi-kuo/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2016/10/27/apple_touch_bar_macbook_pro_beckons/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2018/06/23/apple_macbook_keyboard_replacement_free/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/07/in_memoriam_apple_butterfly/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YDWJC8L3aHz9xh-0JnODigAAAJM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/15/apple_magsafe_revival/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2016/11/03/why_apples_adaptive_touch_bar_will_flop/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YDWJC8L3aHz9xh-0JnODigAAAJM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Magsafe
You just know it'll be some kind of incompatible magsafe 2
Very welcome
It will be a very welcome change if Apple finally pulls it's collective head out long enough to realize that those ports are desperately needed.
I don't know a single techie that was fooled into believing the limited port selection was in any way superior to having dedicated ports for exceedingly common use cases like plugging in USB keys or an external monitor. This was a cash grab for overly pricey yet low quality dongles, and a significant hassle for the end users who were all but guaranteed to need one in order to connect with the outside world.
The shenanigans Apple pulled since 2016 was directly responsible for our company switching our policy from "Get an apple if you want one" to "You need to provide a business case to justify the purchase" because MBPs were so half-assed.
It's still frustrating that they soldered everything onto the board so you can't upgrade the ram or storage, but fixing the ports issue will at least solve some significant usability headaches that Apple needlessly forced upon it's customers.
Jonny's gone.
A client requires a USB crypt key plugged in for logging in and using their network. It's a support headache on the slotless macs.
An HDMI port and (sadly) a USB type A port make some sense, but who are the target users for the removable media slot? I'd expect a large percentage (if not yet a majority) of people who'd use one are on CFexpress now.
It's a valid questions, would need to gather data on which cameras are actively being used today 'in the field', and which options they have for rapid photo transfer to a computer. I suspect that the high price and good build quality, plus investment in lenses, mean that many cameras in active use are older models that don't have WiFi (which would be suitable for some cases)
Low end photos: done on phone, usually transferred by cloud.
High end photos: bigger kit means camera bag, thus room for connection cable. Card not always SD type.
That's leaving SD cards in use in mid-range cameras, pocket type so not necessarily carrying bag with room for cables etc. A popular market segment. Used by vloggers, so spare SD cards useful (but then a bag for required spare batteries?). Still, the newer ones charge over USB, so connecting to computer by USB to transfer photos seems sensible.
TL;dr there are enough older cameras (of the type where the cable is proprietary and has been lost, don't have WiFi etc so using an SD card is easiest) still in use for an SD slot in a Mac to be useful for some users. At the same time, the low end of photography doesn't use SD cards at all, and more recent models of cameras have WiFi or standard cable ports such as USB C.
I'll believe it when I see it
...or more pessimistically, I'll see it when I believe it!
Re: I'll believe it when I see it
Good enough for me. I've just this minute decided to hold off on an upgrade for 12 months or so. Current one has been running 5 years, I'm sure I can get another one out of it. Magsafe, HDMI and USB-A FTW!
Unfortunately this sounds, err, too good to be true.
HDMI & SD card slot would be welcomed, and sounds plausible, especially since my 2019 MBP is the same thickness (seemingly at least) as my 2012 MBP. To go back to magsafe may be a bit far. I enjoy being able to charge everything with USB-C. To have a magsafe charger could be nice if maybe they can design a reliable version of those magnetic USB-C plugs you can get that apparently fail after a few weeks. I'd sacrifice one of the USB-C ports for a magsafe though to have the choice.
USB-A may be nice to have a single port for whatever, but really it's time things moved to USB-C. USB-C to A adapters cost next to nothing. For those legacy devices, you can buy one for each device and leave it permanently attached.
The touchbar I was a painful death on. Thankfully I at least got a real ESC key and the new 'old' keyboard. You never know, give it another 5 years and we'll be back to removable batteries!
Magsafe
and Magsafe, please.
I still have 3 magsafe-chargers from my earlier MBP.
(or similar, I'm currently using some chinese thing to turn my usb-3 into magnetic-easy-detach charging ports)