MacBook Pro with SD card slot, no Touch Bar coming in 2021

AppleInsider

Apple is planning to remove the Touch Bar in its forthcoming MacBook Pro redesign, but may add an SD card. The 2021 models will not, however, gain 5G.

Among the reports of a new MacBook Air, further rumors say that the MacBook Pro is to get a substantial refresh featuring the addition, and removal, of key features.

According to Bloomberg, the next MacBook Pro will reintroduce the SD card slot. Last seen in 2016's MacBook Pro models, this slot will allow photographers to take SD cards straight from their cameras and load onto the Mac.

Backing up recent reports from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg also says that the Touch Bar is going to be dropped.

With the Touch Bar going, and an SD card returning, there is one more feature that will be new -- but is unlikely to be included in the 2021 models. Reportedly, future iterations of the new MacBook Pro design will include cellular connectivity.

It's not known from the report whether this means 5G. However, supply chain sources had previously expected Apple to launch a 5G-capable MacBook Pro in 2020.

mr. h

Is there really that much demand for cellular-connected laptops? Just use your iPhone as a hotspot.

doggone

It is weird to bring back an SD card slot just for a subset of users (i.e. photographers).  Most USB-C hubs have SD lots incorporated in them (mine does) so the functionality is already there.  
I am ambivalent about the touch bar.  It does have some uses is generally more capable than the older physical version.  Whether that is worth the additional cost is hard to say.  
As for 5G it would be a nice to have but I would balk at the $10 per month fee the carrier would be charging.  It is hard to justify that type of access unless it was something you used on a regular basis.  So in that sense it would make it useful for road warrior units like the Air.  

My biggest issue would be if we lost USB-C charging. I personally like the simplicity of the USB-C ports on both sides of the MBP.  The key advantage for me is that you can charge of either side and the cost of charger / cord replacement is a lot less than the older Apple chargers.  I have a Mag-safe charger USB-C cable that works well so if you are worried of tripping over a cord that is the solution.

mr. h

doggone said:

I personally like … USB-C …  The key advantage for me is that … the cost of charger / cord replacement is a lot less than the older Apple chargers. 

You can buy third-party USB-C to Apple MagSafe 1 or MagSafe 2 MacBook charger cables for less than $10. I have one of each type, and two USB-C chargers, and they work great!

I would expect that if Apple does bring back MagSafe as a separate port, they will still offer charging over USB-C. They could also bring out their own "MagSafe" USB charging cables rather than add a dedicated port.

longpath

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone is assuming that a return of MagSafe means a return of either of the old MagSafe connectors when we know for a fact that neither of them are used in MagSafe on iPhones. Indeed, given the sequence in time, I submit that it’s vastly more likely that this leak is more likely to mean some iteration of the current MagSafe tech, which is consistent with a recent Apple patent that showed MagSafe charging pads in the palm rests for charging an iPhone.

aderutter

SD card slot would be a backwards move that I can’t see Apple taking.

mike eggleston

This whole iteration of a report just seems like going backwards. I know that most people aren't fans of the Touch Bar, but I think it does serve a purpose and is far more useful than what people think. And for those people who lament the "loss" of their beloved function keys, are really a small number of people. Hell, I do development for a living, connecting to multiple machines via SSH and I don't use the function keys ever. The only time that I ever use it is when I am refreshing a SQL query in DBeaver. I know I am one person in a crowd of millions of people, but I just don't see Apple moving backwards. If they were going to do that, they would have done it when they revealed the M1.

rcfa

TouchBar forever!

As long as there’s a physical ESC key...

Pro Cameras have WiFi built in, and even if not, transferring pictures is done rarely, easily done with a tumbdrive-style adapter. Why waste space on a dedicated slot?

MacQuadra840av

longpath said:

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone is assuming that a return of MagSafe means a return of either of the old MagSafe connectors when we know for a fact that neither of them are used in MagSafe on iPhones. Indeed, given the sequence in time, I submit that it’s vastly more likely that this leak is more likely to mean some iteration of the current MagSafe tech, which is consistent with a recent Apple patent that showed MagSafe charging pads in the palm rests for charging an iPhone.

Because the reports have stated, "The MagSafe connector in the new MacBook Pro models will have a similar shape to that of MagSafe connectors in Macs of old."  MagSafe in the iPhone is NOT a MagSafe connector.  It is inductive charging.  The report also says the MagSafe port in the new MacBook Pro would be able to charge faster, something the MagSafe in the iPhone CANNOT do.  Just because Apple files a patent, does not mean they actually introduce it.  Charging a phone on your palm rest is ridiculous because how are you supposed to use the MacBook when your phone is sitting on the palm rest?

InspiredCode

An integrated micro-SD slot would be very popular. Those cards are getting big enough they could even serve as a time machine backup.

MacQuadra840av

rcfa said:

TouchBar forever!

As long as there’s a physical ESC key...

Pro Cameras have WiFi built in, and even if not, transferring pictures is done rarely, easily done with a tumbdrive-style adapter. Why waste space on a dedicated slot?

The touchbar has always been a joke.  Good riddance.  How do you know transferring pictures is done rarely?  I am sure photographers do it daily.  The SD slot in prior MacBooks did not take up any space that affected the use of the MacBook.  My 2015 MacBook Pro has MagSafe, Thunderbolt, USB, Audio Out, HDMI, and an SD slot.  None of those ports waste space.  I also don't need dongles.

MacQuadra840av

aderutter said:

SD card slot would be a backwards move that I can’t see Apple taking.

Just like Apple going backwards and re-introducing the scissor mechanism keyboard to replace the failed butterfly keyboard?  The Touchbar is a failure.  Removing the Touchbar also helps reduce the cost of the product.

k2kw

rcfa said:

TouchBar forever!

As long as there’s a physical ESC key...

Pro Cameras have WiFi built in, and even if not, transferring pictures is done rarely, easily done with a tumbdrive-style adapter. Why waste space on a dedicated slot?

Touchscreen MACS will be coming in a few years to do ant of that TouchBar functionality.

SD card slot returning with MagSafe yeah.  So glad Tim Cook is dumping those POS Jony Ive designs.

ralphbu

I'm all for them adding the SD card again, lack of that slot has kept me from buying a new MacBook Pro since 2015. But historically, Apple has shown far too much faith in dongles in the last decade, dongles which I never seem to have with me when I need them. Maybe the MacBook Pro should be the one with lots of ports, even Ethernet, and leave the MacBook Air for the super-slim crowd?

DuhSesame

k2kw said:

rcfa said:

TouchBar forever!

As long as there’s a physical ESC key...

Pro Cameras have WiFi built in, and even if not, transferring pictures is done rarely, easily done with a tumbdrive-style adapter. Why waste space on a dedicated slot?

Touchscreen MACS will be coming in a few years to do ant of that TouchBar functionality.

SD card slot returning with MagSafe yeah.  So glad Tim Cook is dumping those POS Jony Ive designs.

Yeah...no.  Touchscreen is ridiculous unless we’re talking about folding screen.

DuhSesame

Touch Bar:

People who like it can live without it, people who don’t will think they’re right.  Hurts no one, everyone wins 👌.

Seriously though, that thing it’s just an add-on at best, it only consists about 5% of an overall design at best.

I’m sorry but imput devices aren’t really that important for a laptop.  No matter how important you think it is, it’s low tech and majority of them works just fine.  Hell some only use external ones too.

jpellino

SD slot would be good, there are still a lot of "real" cameras out there that have no other way to move pics.  I will admit that USB-C does avail a more swiss-army style of dongle.  Wish Apple would make a fully-populated one.  

As for 5G, if you can tether your already-paid-for phone 5G plan, why bother?  Apple has you in their ecosystem either way.  

I would rather they go back to magsafe as a power connector - I have an M1 MBA on the way and am pre-wincing - I can think of all the times I've seen my MBP 9,2 adapter end flopping around in mute testimony to my intact computer.  Use USB-C as a device connector etc.  

StrangeDays

MacQuadra840av said:

longpath said:

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone is assuming that a return of MagSafe means a return of either of the old MagSafe connectors when we know for a fact that neither of them are used in MagSafe on iPhones. Indeed, given the sequence in time, I submit that it’s vastly more likely that this leak is more likely to mean some iteration of the current MagSafe tech, which is consistent with a recent Apple patent that showed MagSafe charging pads in the palm rests for charging an iPhone.

Because the reports have stated, "The MagSafe connector in the new MacBook Pro models will have a similar shape to that of MagSafe connectors in Macs of old."  MagSafe in the iPhone is NOT a MagSafe connector.  It is inductive charging.  The report also says the MagSafe port in the new MacBook Pro would be able to charge faster, something the MagSafe in the iPhone CANNOT do.  Just because Apple files a patent, does not mean they actually introduce it.  Charging a phone on your palm rest is ridiculous because how are you supposed to use the MacBook when your phone is sitting on the palm rest?

“MagSafe” as a product feature name is whatever Apple wants it to mean. I also doubt they’re gonna re-introduce an older tech with the current name that operates entirely differently. 

StrangeDays

MacQuadra840av said:

aderutter said:

SD card slot would be a backwards move that I can’t see Apple taking.

Just like Apple going backwards and re-introducing the scissor mechanism keyboard to replace the failed butterfly keyboard?  The Touchbar is a failure.  Removing the Touchbar also helps reduce the cost of the product.

The current iteration of scissor mechanism is different than the older scissor. Iterative product development is how Apple rolls. 

What metric is telling you TB is a failure? Grouchy tech guy opinions are just that. 

DuhSesame

longpath said:

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone is assuming that a return of MagSafe means a return of either of the old MagSafe connectors when we know for a fact that neither of them are used in MagSafe on iPhones. Indeed, given the sequence in time, I submit that it’s vastly more likely that this leak is more likely to mean some iteration of the current MagSafe tech, which is consistent with a recent Apple patent that showed MagSafe charging pads in the palm rests for charging an iPhone.

It won’t be “MagSafe 3” as we knew.  If they’re bringing a proprietary port back then it better to have superior tech.

entropys

I hardly used the SD slot in my old iMac, so I am a bit bemused by its reintroduction.  The best bit I guess it it means macs will no longer be so Ived and the engineers have a say in design again.

that said, would not an SD slot be a great secondary storage option for a MBP and one hell of a lot cheaper than Apple SSD prices? Imagine if it s a four channel PCIe bus able to handle the latest spec SD Express spec cards. 128Tb @985Mbps. That will do. (I believe latest spec is 3900Mbps on a PCIe 4.0 bus). Apple could actually be a first mover there.