For those with pre USB-C connecter Macs and small internal storage e.g. like my late 2013 new Mac Pro six core with 256 GB SSDs here's a tip. I bought several $9 passive USB3 to SATA adapter cables on Amazon and several 256 GB bare SSDs for around $80 each. The cables are short but just long enough to make them equally useful for my MBP too even when traveling as no power supply makes this a very light rig. The speed of USB3 has proven more than adequate for booting developer versions of High Sierra as well as Windows 10, in fact I am hard pressed to notice much difference in boot times from the internal Mac Pro drive. I hadn't thought of Time Machine though as I use a Time Capsule but I might try one for that too since the restore functions of TM is so much faster when not using Sparsebundles. The price of larger bare SSDs has dropped dramatically, initially it wasn't worth the cost but now it may well be.
At some point you folks need to realize that your needs are best served by the MacBook or MacBook AIR, not the MacBook Pro. And once you finally realize that, you can leave the real "pros" well enough alone. Stop trying to take away features from other people that you yourself don't need. Get the stripped-down Mac that best suits you -- not a "pro" level Mac.
You realise you've hijacked a thread for a product which plugs directly into the USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports of Apple's current MacBook Pros; no USB-A involved.
The Thunderbolt 3 ports add functionality that isn't offered through USB-A connectors. A cheap small adaptor, cable or hub, small enough to be carried in any professional's bag alongside the power supply, is all you need should you still need to connect equipment with older USB-A connectors.
If you find doing such a small thing to be so insurmountable as to prefer hobbling a computer's capability with slower storage and less capable interface, then I have to wonder what your ability as a professional is to overcome the challenges faced in completing any major or complex project to a professional level.
I happen to agree with you, Jdw. So many people, especially in this forum, defend every decision Apple makes, right or wrong. Fact is a lot of those pro features you mention are important to me, and it's a crying shame some of them were eliminated from the late 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros. We can all argue which features are or aren't important to "us" but I still think that much of what Apple delete is still in the realm of Pro. The only way we can get those pro features now is to get an iMac. But I already have one of those.
I also think there's still a place for a larger screen too. A 17" MacBook Pro model filled with slots and ports would be a dream.
At some point of time you have to come to the realisation that the MBP is probably not for you and move on to a Linux/ Windows machine.
The moment I see someone requesting a USB-A port on the next MBP, I know that their love affair with the Macs will come to an end soon.
At some point you folks need to realize that your needs are best served by the MacBook or MacBook AIR, not the MacBook Pro. And once you finally realize that, you can leave the real "pros" well enough alone. Stop trying to take away features from other people that you yourself don't need. Get the stripped-down Mac that best suits you -- not a "pro" level Mac.
You're preaching/ complaining to the wrong people. We don't make the Macs. Apple has changed the MacBook Pro to what it is now, without any of the stuff that you want. Doesn't it make sense for you to move on, rather than sitting and complaining and wishing you get those legacy ports back?
Yup, pro or not, I'll buy the new MBP shortly. And I'll enjoy every moment with it!
Comments
The Thunderbolt 3 ports add functionality that isn't offered through USB-A connectors. A cheap small adaptor, cable or hub, small enough to be carried in any professional's bag alongside the power supply, is all you need should you still need to connect equipment with older USB-A connectors.
If you find doing such a small thing to be so insurmountable as to prefer hobbling a computer's capability with slower storage and less capable interface, then I have to wonder what your ability as a professional is to overcome the challenges faced in completing any major or complex project to a professional level.
I also think there's still a place for a larger screen too. A 17" MacBook Pro model filled with slots and ports would be a dream.
You're preaching/ complaining to the wrong people. We don't make the Macs. Apple has changed the MacBook Pro to what it is now, without any of the stuff that you want. Doesn't it make sense for you to move on, rather than sitting and complaining and wishing you get those legacy ports back?
Yup, pro or not, I'll buy the new MBP shortly. And I'll enjoy every moment with it!