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Apple Rumored To Remove Old-School USB Ports On Next MacBook Pro (vice.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: First the headphone jack, now the USB port? Rumor has it that Apple may get rid of the USB 3.0 port and the Magsafe port (where the charger plugs in) on the next generation of MacBooks. Japanese tech site Macotakara, which accurately predicted that Apple would kill the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, now also claims that the USB port is on the way out. The move would be similar to Apple's latest 12-inch MacBook and its streamlined profile. There's also word that Apple may discontinue the 11-inch MacBook Air to focus instead on the 13-inch laptop. Discontinuing the 11-inch MacBook Air would also potentially boost sales on the 12-inch MacBook. If these rumors are in fact true, then the new MacBooks will have only a USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports. Both of these ports are about the size of the part of an iPhone charger that plugs into the phone. But since most laptop accessories still plug in via the USB port, Apple owners might have to use an adaptor, or upgrade their technology. Meanwhile, the new MacBooks would likely be charged through the USB-C port or Thunderbolt 3 port. Currently, Apple already sells a USB-C dock with other USB and HDMI ports for $79. The USB-C port uses USB 3.1 Standard, according to PCWorld, which will connect to a wide variety of accessories, such as external hard drives, cameras, and printers. The USB 3.1 can also transfer data between the host computer and the peripheral accessories at a speed of 10 gigabits per second, which is twice as fast as the USB 3.0. Apple is expected to reveal the new Macs at an October 27th event in Cupertino, California.

5 of 316 comments (clear)

  1. I only want one feature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have a 2011 MacBook Pro.

    There is only one feature I require to justify an upgrade: a matte display.

    Apple didn't not provide it. Therefore, no upgrade.

  2. COURAGE by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Funny

    No standard USB ports?!?!?

    Such COURAGE!

    /s

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    1. Re:Courage by TeknoHog · · Score: 5, Funny

      I also don't understand why an Apple product needs a charger. By the time the battery runs out, it's already obsolete and you should buy a new model.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    2. Re:COURAGE by dgatwood · · Score: 5, Funny

      With the way Apple is designing products these days, someone really ought to dig him up, strap magnets to him, and power half the Bay Area.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  3. Re:MagSafe have save me tons of money by chinton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you've lost multiple hard drives and a broken screen because you keep tripping over the cords, maybe you need to think about where you are plugging things in.