Quote:
Originally Posted by
solipsism 
The last iMac and Mac Mini added USB ports, the Mac Mini got dual video out and FW800.
True, but the iMac dropped one FireWire port in exchange and the Mini FW800 port was only in exchange for the FW400 (it is still a useful addition, but not really "adding ports"). No idea how many people will run a Mini with two monitors (and how many of those will buy a 900 USD Cinema Display for a 600 USD computer), but I am sure quite a few will connect it to a TV set, so HDMI would have replaced two cables plus the required adapters. Personally, I would have found that more useful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
solipsism 
The assumption that they made it thinner instead of adding these things is either poor wording or poor logic. I don't see much use for EC on a desktop machine and Apple hasn't supported eSATA in any machine, not even the Mac Pro. A 2nd HDD would be nice for you and me for RAIDing or even Time Machine, but Apple isn't marketing it toward that crowd.
Well, if you spend something like 3.4k for a top end iMac (with AppleCare, max. RAM and GPU upgrade), it would be nice to be able to add some USB 3.0 or FW3200 ports next year; an ExpressCard slot would allow that. Without it you are stuck with the existing connectivity forever. The iMac is a pretty powerful machine, it would be absolutely sufficient to e.g. cut pro video formats (a Mac Pro is not at all required for that) if there was an option for faster disk I/O. A MacBook Pro for 2k can do it, PCs costing significantly less than 1k can do it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
solipsism 
It seems that you think that everything that took place in the MBA's design stemmed from the removal of the optical drive. I think Apple set out to make an ultra-light portable with a good keyboard and display for the business person. I don't think removing the optical drive means that they then have to use a 1.8" single platter HDD and then taper the sides to have no ports. they could taper the sides in the MB and MBP, but they don't. They don't like ports on the back or the front and their is no room on the left and right side with the current design, which seems pretty obvious as to why FW400 had to go. I think when Apple moves the rest of the notebooks to same non-user replaceable battery that lasts extra long that we'll get some more ports. Another USB and FW800, even on the MB (just a speculative hunch).
Apple can't go DVD drive forever, eventually they're going to have to remove it altogether or jump on board with Blu-ray, which currently, by all searching I can do, does not exist in 9.5mm drives and is still cost prohibitive for 12.5mm drives.
I do not think that "everything that took place in the MBA's design stemmed from the removal of the optical drive" ... I used the MBA as an example for Apple having no intentions to add ports or functionality, even if they save space (e.g. by removing the optical drive). (The MBA may be a bad example, as it is targeting a very special group of users, but everybody I know having one loves the design, but has no intentions to buy one again. It is simply too limited for most people.) There was no real need to make the MacBook thinner though. Battery life is not great, quite a few people have invested in Firewire devices or even depend on them, etc. Apple said "a PC is not cheap, if it does not do what you want"... well.
I understand that they do not want to have ports on the front/back, but I have not heard one single person preferring the new port layout on the MacBook Pro either. Having the optical drive in the front and ports on both sides was a lot more useful; most travel mice do not even have a long enough cable to work with the current layout (if one is right-handed). But given the myriad of adapters you need for each single Mac today, an USB extension cord more or less is certainly negligible.
I hope you are right about the return of the FW port on the MB, having at least one usable machine smaller than 15" would certainly be nice. I do not need an optical drive at all, and I see no sign of Apple supporting BD (even if there would be any 9.5 mm models). BDs are useless for storage and I need no 1080p movies on a 13-17" screen either. I am all for removing the optical drive,
if they add connectivity. I just do not see it happening. They may enlarge the battery and reshape the machine to look slimmer, but that may be it.