Adam Geitgey:
I’m not here to change your mind about the MacBook Pro. Yes, it’s probably too expensive and more RAM is better than less RAM. But everyone posting complaints without actually using a MBP for a few weeks is missing out on all the clever things you can do because it is built on USB-C. Over the past week or two with a new MacBook Pro (15in, 2.9ghz, TouchBar), I’ve been constantly surprised with how USB-C makes new things possible. It’s a kind of a hacker’s dream.
Great article. Part of it focuses on the fact that the author’s phone is a Google Pixel and has a USB-C port, so he can use a single charger to charge his phone and his Mac. But there’s more to the piece than that.
For example:
If you get any of the new USB-C compatible monitors (pretty much every vendor has at least one now), you only need to plug one single cable into your MBP.
You can then plug all your other devices into your monitor and everything flows over one USB-C to your laptop — power, video, data and even sound. Your monitor is now your docking station and breakout box!
I’m wondering if USB-C to lightning cable will be all you need to plug your phone and your Mac into the same charger. Next best thing to a USB-C port on your iPhone.
I charge my MacBook and iPhone from the same charger whenever I travel, so I’m sure this will work for MBP users as well. It’s nice not having to carry two chargers, but of course I still have to carry two cables. It’s kind of frustrating that Apple will probably never move the iPhone and iPad over to USB-C.
RIP Lightning connector.
Maybe? Its going to be interesting to see how this plays out. On the one hand, USB C seems to be the standard everyone is converging on. On the other, Apple has a decent-sized Lightning-based business to protect and they just made a “courageous” switch to Lightning-based headphones on the phone. Could they really switch again to USB C next year or even the year after?
Or they just go wireless…
I think the comments on that piece are worth reading… they underscore many things the author glosses over, for instance, not everyone who’s buying the new MacBook Pro has an Android phone with USB C. Many (most?) have an iPhone, etc.
Yes. I think they’ll go wireless with charging & then lightning use will drop off to the point of not being as necessary. Then they’ll be able to replace it or just remove it altogether.
What a horribly clickbait article. I can’t believe this misleading headline was passed around so much. Poor ‘journalism’ or whatever we are calling it these days…