Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook Pro

[Marc]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Providing it's spun fairly regularly.

Time Machine does hourly, daily and weekly backups, so I'd call that 'fairly regularly.'

Candlelight meant, that if you don't use HDDs regularly and spin it up every once in a while (once or twice a year), HDDs might die sooner due do non-usage, though I haven't experienced that yet with some ATA (IDE) HDDs from 2002, which only get spun up every two or three years.

yeah had something like that with a client many years ago when a drive failed and was out of warranty. It was in a computer that was rarely powered up. More use and the drive would have failed soon and been under warranty.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

You do realize that the future is wireless and thats what THIS machine is about, The Future of Computers. Apple has always been about pushing forward the PC. I remember the uproar when they removed the Floppy, same antiquated arguments were made about that.

There's nothing virtuous about removing commonly used functionality and then charging extra to regain those features. We'll still be using Ethernet in 10 years. It's not about "the future." It's just laziness and profit motive.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Umm, you wouldn't even have Ethernet ports in Laptops if it wasn't for Apple. I guess you don't remember the good old days of Network Adapters and NIC cards. You had to pay handsomely for those, way more then the $29.99 Apple is charging for the Thunderbolt adapter.

The great thing about the Thunderbolt, your not limiting it to being a single port. So instead of having to waste space being taken up by legacy ports. You can have one that caters to a wide variety, so those cavemen wanting to be left behind can still use their outdated things with their outdated thinking.

Yes, it takes all kinds of laziness to be this smart and produce something of this size and caliper. I want to see what you think of as highly motivated.

There's nothing virtuous about removing commonly used functionality and then charging extra to regain those features. We'll still be using Ethernet in 10 years. It's not about "the future." It's just laziness and profit motive.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

You do realize that the future is wireless and thats what THIS machine is about, The Future of Computers. Apple has always been about pushing forward the PC. I remember the uproar when they removed the Floppy, same antiquated arguments were made about that.

There's nothing virtuous about removing commonly used functionality and then charging extra to regain those features. We'll still be using Ethernet in 10 years. It's not about "the future." It's just laziness and profit motive.

But how many laptop owners use Ethernet? I'll hazard a guess that most laptops are used with wireless. Isn't that the main point of buying one?

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

The great thing about the Thunderbolt, your not limiting it to being a single port. So instead of having to waste space being taken up by legacy ports. You can have one that caters to a wide variety, so those cavemen wanting to be left behind can still use their outdated things with their outdated thinking.

Some pretty amazing logic there... why build in multiple features when we can just carry around a bunch of dongles? Let's bring on the Thunderbolt-to-USB dongle right now.

 

[Data Holmes]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

The great thing about the Thunderbolt, your not limiting it to being a single port. So instead of having to waste space being taken up by legacy ports. You can have one that caters to a wide variety, so those cavemen wanting to be left behind can still use their outdated things with their outdated thinking.

Some pretty amazing logic there... why build in multiple features when we can just carry around a bunch of dongles? Let's bring on the Thunderbolt-to-USB dongle right now.

Ethernet is going to be replaced with a combination of next generation wireless and fiber in the next five years.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

^ You mean Thunderbolt? 802.11ac? Or both?

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Well we know fiber Thunderbolt cables are forthcoming. Intel has already promised that it would happen, maybe it will go by its original name of Light Peak.

 

[Data Holmes]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

^ You mean Thunderbolt? 802.11ac? Or both?

Yes, and more. Lightpeak-Thunderbolt, or Thunderbolt(fiber) will completely replace Ethernet for wired network connections, but 802.11ac is going to do away with the concept of wired networks for home use.

But there is a hidden front of tech that is looking to smack the telecommunication sector in the face with a trout. You have several companies looking to roll out satellite based broadband networks, from lightsquard and Dish looking at using "cellular" based satellite/ground hybrid networks, to MSCI and their COMMStellation microsat communication constellation network which will provide a total satellite based broadband communication access point to the global fiber data network backbone for 100% of the global population.

All of these will be hitting the ground running within the next three to five years, combined with thunderbolt(fiber) and 802.11ac and Ethernet will look like dial up does now.

 

[Candlelight]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Latest rumour: 13" Retina Display Macbook Pro a-comin'...

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/15/13-inch-retina-macbook-pro-coming-in-october/

 

[Marc]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

And now they have cheap hard drives that you can buy and have Time Machine do *automatic* backups.

Providing it's spun fairly regularly.

Time Machine does hourly, daily and weekly backups, so I'd call that 'fairly regularly.'

Unless you're the guy in Toronto suing Apple after losing photos and videos when his time capsule failed. He's claim there where know defects (Apple had done a recall but his model was outside the date range).

The guy is also a lawyer.

As to networking in computers not sure how much Apples is really to thank.

The original Ethernet development was done by Bob Metcalfe at 3Com. The Lisa didn't have any networking which was a major failing and the Mac wasn't going to any and the reason why was Steve Jobs didn't want it. Fortunately the Mac designers went behind his back.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Apples inclusion of Ethernet in the PowerBook series led to making other Laptop manufacturers to include them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook_500_series

I never said Steve Jobs, I said Apple.

In 1999 Apple introduced the first Laptop with 802.11b wireless.
http://mac.blorge.com/2012/01/23/wi-fi-apple-to-leap-ahead-again/

Providing it's spun fairly regularly.

Time Machine does hourly, daily and weekly backups, so I'd call that 'fairly regularly.'

Unless you're the guy in Toronto suing Apple after losing photos and videos when his time capsule failed. He's claim there where know defects (Apple had done a recall but his model was outside the date range).

The guy is also a lawyer.

As to networking in computers not sure how much Apples is really to thank.

The original Ethernet development was done by Bob Metcalfe at 3Com. The Lisa didn't have any networking which was a major failing and the Mac wasn't going to any and the reason why was Steve Jobs didn't want it. Fortunately the Mac designers went behind his back.

 

[Marc]

Re: Apple ditch optical drive, ethernet, firewire ports in new Macbook

Did the other manufacture do it because Apple did it i.e copy or was it that the chipset/hardware support to add inboard wireless became available.

At the time Apple was using Motorola chips (think they might have moved to the PPC by that point) so they weren't constrained by the reliance on the x86 chipset and the licence rigmarole it entailed (have to make sure it would work with the intel chips, meet any related licencning then get drivers written to work with MS Windows).