Detnator

jdw said:

netrox said:

Who wants to see that?!?!

Yet another case of the "I don't need it, so why would anybody else" syndrome.

My Panasonic GH5 is still an extremely popular 4K video camera which doesn't link up to Macs like the newer Sonys.  I shoot on SD and then remove the card and put that card into the SD card slot of my mid-2015 15" MBP.  I use the SD card slot ALL THE TIME.  It's far better than a stupid dongle which can easily be lost or misplaced or forgotten.  Dongles also stick out of the machine and can easily be detached by accident.  An internal solution is best, and I am super pleased they are bringing it back.

The other reason this news is great is because Apple will no doubt add the latest SD card tech — SD Express.  That's basically a removable SSD in your Mac.  Everybody who has "I don't need it so you shouldn't either" syndrome forgets that important detail.

Lastly, a lot of the disbelief that the SD card is coming back centers on all the bashing that has been going on since the SD card's demise.  People who didn't need it, bashed those of us who did, claiming, "Apple will never go back!  Ha!"  And now that Apple is going back, it's hard for the bashers to backtrack all that bashing.  The good news is that we who were bashed don't hold a grudge.  We will get what we wanted all along, and those of you who still contend you don't need it, lose NOTHING.  You simply can choose not to use that slot.  And that's the great thing about it coming back — everybody is pleased in the end. Nobody loses anything.  We only stand to gain!

You have made some good points and presented them well. 

I will say that I’m in the camp I’m in because when those other ports come back I do lose something... I lose what could have taken that space and those resources instead.  I’m a huge fan of having as many of the fastest most flexible and powerful “handle anything” port (currently thunderbolt 3/4) on laptops and nothing else because for every other specialized port you put on there it’s one less “handle anything” port. I lose that. 

And for every “well they could just make it a bit bigger” line, my response is “and if they do that then I want them to make it bigger for more ‘handle anything’ ports not more specialized ports.”

Then there’s the question of where do you draw the line? Some people want HDMI but don’t care for SD. Other people are the other way around. And some want more USB-A, others don’t. Or Ethernet.  Or whatever. And there’s good arguments for - and against - all of them. 

And none of that considers what drives the ports -- how the PCIe lanes and whatever else in the chip, etc. are distributed among those ports and what's not available to other ports, or whatever.

Now, I say all this, not to disagree with your points. Your argument is a very good one, to point.  I just want to point out that it’s not as simple as “no one loses anything". There's only so much space and resources in these machines, and for every port that's included something else is left out.

25 years ago Apple made a thing called the PowerBook Duo.  It was a tiny (by the standards of the day) laptop with virtually no ports, but a kind of universal dock connector port, and you could attach any of a number of docks to it with whatever port arrangements you wanted on it.  And with one of these docks connected, it molded into the shape of the laptop, it wasn't something hanging off the side or whatever.

Also, about 30 years go, there was the G3 laptop range.  It had two compartments, one on each side, into which you could slide in any two of a number of modules.  Modules included more battery, CD/DVD drive, various port adapters, etc.

I really think the best solution to all these port complaints is something like that. Today, we're almost there with things like these:  https://www.hypershop.com/collections/usb-c-hubs-for-macbook/device-macbook-pro-form-fitting.  Form fitting docks that sort of mold into the shape of the Mac, but they're still kind of hanging off the side.

If Apple could make the shape of the MBP something with a recessed compartment into which we could slide something like those form fitting hyperdrive docks, THAT's when we'd have the best of all worlds.  Coming off the logic board could be the same four (or more?) thunderbolt ports we have today, and these docks could slide into position and in a sense "complete" the laptop with whatever port configurations an individual user might want.

Unfortunately, I think this kind of thing challenges Apple's aesthetics a little too much, such that I don't see that they're likely to do something like that.  But... anyone else here who agrees with the idea --  why don't we all write to Tim (tcook@apple.com) and also post on Apple's feedback page (https://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html) with these Ideas, and perhaps enough voices might change their minds.

pulseimages said:

The iPad Mini’s design is long in the tooth and needs a redesign. 

How would you change it? make the edges square instead of rounded? Look at a comparison of all the iPads - the bezel shrinks. the contour of the edges changes and the colors change. They finally added Face ID to the iPad pro and moved the TouchID sensor in the Air - those have been the only significant changes since the ipad was introduced.

indieshack said:

...Apple won't make an iPad Mini Pro because they know that's what the bulk of users want and it would dent profits. What happened to "the customer is always right"? It's always about $$$$ with Apple.

Jlong said:

The problem with the AirPods max is that they are trying to bridge multiple spaces at the same time. Audiophiles, tech heads, and the average consumers. These are very different spaces, Audiophiles want great audio above all, everything else either helps or hinders that goal, $550 isn't that big of a deal considering there are headphones costing up to 4k. And from what I seen in reviews, these aren't competitive with audiophile headphones in the $500-800 range Tech heads want things that are filled with technology and here the headphones shines but is the value inline with the cost? Some reviewers think they are, some do not, and some believe it's up to the buyer to determine that. And now in the "average consumer" space, price is king, Not saying that the average consumer won't spend big $$$ but they do it only if they feel the entire package is worth it in value to them. Even taking into account of the Apple tax, most consumers will compare these with the nearest competitors which are the Bose and Sony's. And while max may sound better is that better worth the additional $150? This is the question that a lot of consumers are going to need to answer especially with the way things are right now.  

MacQuadra840av said:

Only Apple would make headphones without a headphone jack, without a power switch, with cloth that will get dirty, worn out, and hard to clean, and cripple the control of your music when you use their $35 wired cable for better audio.

Didn't AI recently have an article on how to disable the automatic device switching because it is annoying when the AirPods switch to another device without your control?  Like when they automatically switch to your Mac when you wanted to keep listening on your iPhone?

I have the Sony MX3s and they are amazing.  Excellent sound quality, excellent ANC, fold into a compact hard case, wired connection included, USB-C, excellent controls by swiping on the right ear (or covering the right ear to turn off ANC temporarily), customizable software in the Sony app, and zero issues with Bluetooth connection or wired (preferred for better audio), and all for over $200 less.

You nailed it with this review.  Mediocre sound quality (typical of all Apple sound products) and not good enough to justify the $549 price.  Apple could have had something if they were $349 or less to compete with Bose and Sony, but no audiophile will buy these headphones if that was the market they were hoping for.  Audiophiles or recording artists do not listen to Bluetooth audio.