While we’ve been expecting the 12-inch MacBook Air for quite some time and some of the details have long been rumored, the design exclusively revealed in Mark Gurman’s report has raised eyebrows throughout the tech world. Especially the most dramatic element: the reduction of the ports to just one multifunction USB-C socket, a headphone socket and a pair of microphones.
The $64,000 questions are: will this ruthlessly cut-down approach prove workable—and is this a design unique to this one machine, or does it represent the future of all MacBooks … ?
Let’s start with a note of reassurance. The USB Type C port is an extremely clever thing indeed—it’s the very epitome of multifunctional ports. It can provide power. It can feed an external display. You can connect it to external storage. You can plug-in any of the myriad devices you connect to existing USB ports, from cameras through printers to cardreaders. No functionality will be lost.
And we should add, while we’re discussing good news, that one of the nice features of USB Type C is that the plug is reversible, just like a Lightning cable. This would end once and for all the frustration of what someone once described as ‘USB, the only binary choice that takes three goes to get right.’
But, at first glance, some of the functionality we’re used to could become rather less convenient. At home or in the office, we’re going to need some kind of dock or hub to connect multiple devices, and the simple convenience when travelling of charging our iPhone via USB while the MacBook charges from the mains would be lost.
And what about MagSafe? I love MagSafe. Not just because it has saved me from an expensive MacBook nose-dive on more than one occasion, but also because it’s so damn easy to use—none of the fiddling around with the power lead you get with lesser laptops. Just hold the connector somewhere near the right spot and it snaps into place.
But I think we need to give Apple some credit here: usability is in the company’s bloodstream, so it’s not like it won’t have considered these issues. Simultaneously charging a MacBook and iPhone while travelling could be as simple as adding a USB port to the power brick, and MagSafe could be incorporated with a simple adapter.
And we need to remember that 9to5Mac readers are very different to mass-market consumers: I would bet good money that a high proportion of MacBook Air owners don’t ever connect their machine to anything other than power and the occasional USB key. Thunderbolt-style daisy-chaining of devices is a techhead and AV pro thing, not a person-in-the-street thing.
Which is all well and good if we’re talking about a single machine, and especially if—as has been suggested in the past—this is intended as an entry-level MacBook. But that is very much an unknown.
This might indeed be a cut-down machine, built to a price. We could even get totally crazy, and envisage it as the Apple version of a Chromebook: a machine with almost no internal storage, simply designed to connect you to the Internet, where you use iWork for iCloud. I don’t think that’s likely, but Apple was the first company to ditch optical storage from its laptops, and the first mainstream manufacturer to switch to machines which essentially cannot be upgraded. The company is certainly not afraid to declare that a brave new world has arrived.
But what if it’s not an entry-level machine? What if it’s instead a premium machine, designed to sit above the current MacBook Air range? What if it has a Retina screen and enough on-board SSD storage that the need to connect to external devices is reduced? And what if, rather than a new design for a single MacBook Air model, Apple sees this as a template for the future of the entire MacBook range?
There’s reason to think this might be the direction in which Apple is headed. It has long been working hard to move us away from wires. iPhones, which once needed to be physically plugged into a Mac even to activate them, got first wireless sync and then iCloud backup. There’s been a lot of focus on iWork for iCloud – including the eventual return of its long-lost Dropbox equivalent, iCloud Drive. And new cloud-based features built into OS X and iOS like AirDrop, Handoff and other Continuity features intended to free us from the need to do anything as 20th Century as connect a USB key.
But there’s a problem with this glorious new wireless world. Mass-market consumers might be happy with a single port, but what about power users and AV professionals? People using multiple monitors. People who need to connect scanners, printers, cameras, microphones, audio interfaces, digital speakers and external drives. People using Thunderbolt to daisy-chain high-speed devices.
Apple has in the past given mixed messages to its pro users. On the one hand, it abandoned optical drives at a time when many AV pros were still using them; it discontinued the mobile professional’s favorite laptop, the 17-inch MacBook Pro; and there was the Final Cut Pro X debacle, where many AV pros thought Apple had lost touch with their needs. Many of us wondered at times whether Apple now viewed itself exclusively as a manufacturer of consumer products, with the business market seen as largely irrelevant.
But on the other hand, it finally updated the Mac Pro—a machine which is almost the definition of a niche market—and entered into an alliance with IBM to make a big push into the enterprise market with iOS devices. There is also that persistent rumor of the 12-inch iPad Pro, a device that only really makes sense in my opinion when targeting business users.
So where does this leave us? I think pro users needn’t be concerned. All my examples of Apple seemingly moving away from this market are old ones, while my examples of it embracing business usage are far more recent. I don’t see the MacBook Pro range reducing to a single port plus mic and headphone socket anytime soon.
But I do think this is the direction in which Apple is headed. I think this vision was why Apple worked so hard with Intel to develop what became Thunderbolt: a single, high-speed, daisy-chainable, multi-function port. The standard didn’t take off in the way Apple hoped it would, but USB Type C will for sure.
The standard isn’t there yet. A single USB port—even one as clever as this—isn’t going to deliver the connectivity professionals need, but it’s an evolving standard. Give it a year or three to evolve into an even more capable super-port, and combine that with the faster and more ubiquitous wireless connectivity we’re going to see over that same timescale, and we may not be so far from the day when a MacBook with a single port can meet all of our needs—consumers and professionals alike.
Do you share my vision, or do you think that multiple ports and wires will be part of our future for a long time yet? Take our poll, and let us know your views in the comments.
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Possibly for the near future, but unverifiably people will want larger viewable areas. It might wait until a foldable screen is practical, but larger is definitely the future in displays… excluding phones of course. ;)
For desktop maybe, but we’ve already lost the 17in. Macbook, I foresee the 15in. being evolved into a 16in. with the current 15in. footprint. Or maybe even going smaller.
Thanks Siri.. and iPhone spellcheck. :/
in·var·i·a·bly
I’m still thinking there will be at least one power connector and the USB port. The only reason for this is almost all users, even power users, charge their laptops while connected to an external display.
I also don’t believe that Apple is ready to let go of Thunderbolt on everything – I mean, they just got it onto the Mac pro natively and they’re multiplying the ports on MBPs and Mac Minis now…
They can maintain Thunderbolt over the Type C connector. The “Alternate Mode” allows precisely that – The goal of Type C was to create the last wired connection needed.
Type C sorts out this for you. You could do all this with one Type C port – but it might be more convenient with two.
Plugging into a External Display will Charge the laptop via Type C – it provides up to 100W in either direction. It is the standard global IEC connector for power – and will replace all other DC connections. They expect Type C to be globally mandated.
I’m not sold that this is the final design – They like to hide speakers and there are other things about this that just scream “photoshop hack”… Why are all of the Apple news outlets treating this like its an announced design? #slownewsmonth
Because most things Mark Gurman writes become reality! 😉
It is interesting to say the least. I would love for USB-C to become mainstream. My first thought was: “Well, there went support for every USB device ever made…” Then I thought about most of the devices I have hooked to my system, and just about everything has a standard cable hooking it up, it’s all either mini-USB or the Printer type. So cables would come out that change the one end to USB-C thus eliminating that issue. All USB-stick type devices are screwed. But USB-C will eventually catch on…it’ll just have to be transitioned like every other new technology…
Adapters my friend, adapters. They will be very important for the next 5 years or so. Just enough time for people to own machines that have Type C ports, but still early enough that cheap replacement cables and USB drives aren’t available.
Well, in all fairness this is mainly for Apple customers, as I see Apple switching quickly – but PC manufacturers will keep USB Type A ports on their machines for the next 10 years…
As everyone will be using USB Type C to replace power supplies – this transition might be faster than you think.
As every device will use USB Type C for power very soon, using it for everything else should be easy!!
USB Type C is the global standard for DC power and it’s AMAZING. It routes power smartly in both directions where its needed – when it’s needed.
Let’s say your MacBook has two Type C ports and is plugged in to a display and a printer. The display is the only device plugged into the wall (of course via Type C as well).
The display charges the MacBook while it is plugged in.
Then you go to print – charging suspends, the printer is powered up to print, then charging resumes after printing.
Then you unplug the display from the wall. Amazingly, the display continues to work – now powered by the MacBook. The MacBook is no longer being charged but the power flow changes direction over the cable seamlessly.
I’m still unsure about removing the MagSafe charger. It has saved my Mac in many instances. It would be a step backwards in my opinion.
You may be right, that MagSafe has saved many of us. Who knows, we haven’t seen what the outlet plug will look like, maybe that will have a MagSafe plug that goes into a USB-C hub????
Exactly, MagSafe can be provided on the wall adapter end with the same effect. Plus the Type C end is dramatically more durable than Lightning or any previous USB connector.
Within a few years the wall adapter will be rarely needed as almost everything around you will have a Type C connector. Lamps, televisions, shavers, wall outlets etc…
I think it’s ridiculous to remove the USB ports. I already had to spend over $100 when they changed the USB size on the iPhone family… now I won’t even be able to use that cord with my new laptop? Not to mention, I had to use detoxmymac.org just to make it run like new again after several months of use and now this? I’m starting to question Apple’s motives… is it really a benefit to the consumer or just another ploy to improve their bottom line since Steve Jobs passing?
This is a global initiative and replaces every connector past and future – maintaining full backward compatibility with all devices.
DisplayPort, VGA, DVI, HDMI, Thunderbolt, Analog Audio, USB 2 can all be used with inexpensive passive adapters (think $1) – and they are the same adapters that are used on every other device from every manufacturer. They are NOT like Thunderbolt or Lightning Adapters.
That’s how innovation happens. A lot of people didn’t want to buy new HDTVs, too, but in order for the world to move forward, they had to become not only reality but a necessity. Technology is growing exponentially, so expect constant change as devices get exponentially better and faster.
Got to think this is just to further create product differentiation with the Macbook Pro line. Want the minimalist Macbook get the Air, want ports got to pay up for the Pro.
I think that’s 100% correct. Everyone needs to relax and remember how thin the MacBook Pro now is. The Air needs to become silly thin to differentiate and have a purpose and I’d bet most current Air owners rarely use their ports. Rarely enough to justify a dongle or adapter now and then essentially.
There’s too much we don’t know about this device, specifically how Apple will position it and what, if anything, it’s replacing. What about the rumored iPad pro? Until we have more details it’s hard to guess where Apple is going.
Simply replacing the MBAir because the new Retina MBPro is too close in terms of portability to the current Air. So the Air must go even thinner and more portable for it to make sense. The Pro will continue to have Pro needs, like ports. But since it’s already so thin now, the Air has to become the crazy ultra-uber portable akin to an iPad with a built in keyboard and running OS X.
What about price? I seriously don’t believe that customers are turning there nose up at MBAs because the MBP is so portable. The MBA is still much smaller, lighter and cheaper.
As someone else mentioned the other day….what if charging was done via some type of magnetic induction thing like the apple watch? It wouldn’t need a port, it’d be hidden. Kind of like an iPad’s smartcover too.
Now this is actual analysis. Nice post Ben. Good thoughts, well-reasoned.
Thanks, Scott, I appreciate that.
if apple going to dtch a lot of legacy ports, i hope apple will use lightning instead of usb. look at iPad, there are so many peripheral that use lightning. We know apple won’t change that port anytime soon. 30 pin lasted for decade while usb keep changing every year or so. i think the 12″ Air is a iPad like device. simple easy to use.
With eight pins, Lightning can’t support gigabit speeds. Lightning could never power a display or charge the computer, and is also much more fragile physically and electrically.
I honestly think the lightning port is getting scrapped by Apple. They’ll replace it with Type C with will charge and sync faster, while being the same size.
I think iPhone and iPads have already paved the path for 1 port. With continuity being perfected (it’s not yet) I think apple will do this.
What about the idea of One Port to Rule them All? By replacing Lightning with Type C on iOS Devices…
My problem is that the size is getting for traveling but the screen is too small. Look at what Apple has done with the IPhone six making it bigger. It’s a big hit.
I wonder with the limited usb plugs, no thunderbolt and such how to really get the most out of this.
I have a 15 inch MacBook pro and find myself limited with the two thunderbolt and two usb plugs. One thunderbolt and USB is dedicated to a monitor which is an old Apple monitor. That one has three USB plugins but they are USB 2s.
Even with USB 3 hubs and the thunderbolt adapter to plug in my firewire hard drive I find it still working at capacity.
So with just one USB plugin that is also the power outlet, I wonder how Apple will allow us to plug in so many different items. Also will this MacBook Air work with my Apple monitor that is ten years old (because Apple hasn’t updated this in three years).
The way I see it. If the 12″ MBA is able to change the mindset of people, you may see slightly bigger MBPs. Possibly a 14″ with two USB ports and 16″ with 3 USB ports. At which time, you’ll have the perfect range. 12″ for consumers, 14″ for prosumers and 16″ for professionals. And that extra inch on the MBPs will be perfect, answering the needs of the 17″ seekers and giving more screen for your buck for the prosumers.
I think it’s ridiculous to remove the USB ports. I already had to spend over $100 when they changed the USB size on the iPhone family… now I won’t even be able to use that cord with my new laptop? Not to mention, I had to use detoxmymac.org just to make it run like new again after several months of use and now this? I’m starting to question Apple’s motives… is it really a benefit to the consumer or just another ploy to sell a product and line their pockets with cash?
This will only be for the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro will still have ports and such. The reason is simple… the MBPro is now very thin and the too close to the current MBAir in terms of weight and thinness, so they will make the Air crazy thin without ports because that device is about portability, like an iPad with a keyboard running OS X essentially. For everyone else, who needs a fully functional laptop, you have the Pro. There is no reason for Apple to remove ports from the MBPro because if they did that, they’d just end up with more screen sizes of the new Air. Makes no sense.
It’s likely the majority of MBAir buyers are using it in such a way as to almost never need ports, and Apple knows this.
This all smells like it’s real, and although it makes me cringe, there’s at least one reason to believe Thunderbolt’s over — dunno who covered it first, but MacBreak Weekly mentioned that Thunderbolt Macs have been hacked with a pretty frightening trick that reflashes your firmware irrevocably in a way that’s almost impossible to detect. Add to this the expense and lack of widespread support for Thunderbolt, and I believe Apple may want to move to a more secure connectivity standard sooner rather than later. The one thing about this that fries me is that it would pretty much toast my nearly-new Mac Pro and Retina MacBook Pro. The former is massively wired for Thunderbolt. Not happy about that, but I do like what I read about USB Type C.
One step closer to being an iPad with a keyboard.
Apple’s version of the supremely popular Surface but with nonstandard ports?
I wouldn’t say that. Just because two different kinds of devices are trying to attract the same market doesn’t mean they still aren’t two different devices. In other words, the market here is “super light portable computer”. This would be Apple’s idea for how to serve that best. MS has the Surface, and that’s their idea of it. Two completely different devices though, one is an ultralight laptop, the other a hybrid tablet laptop. Something for everyone.
I was considering a new iPad Air 2, but now I’m going to have to wait to see this thing.
Just like Scott Sterling already wrote, this is an excellent article Ben!
Thanks, Phil, I appreciate the kind comment.
Oh look, a whole prediction article based on an unverified rumour. Shouldn’t someone also ask: “Does ‘Healthbook’ represent the future of Apple health apps?” Or how about: “Does the iPhone 6 with 1704 X 960 represent the future of iPhone resolutions?
This is the very reason I love Apple. It’s not afraid to pull people into the future, when others are pushing. People complained when the first iMac didn’t have a floppy drive. They complained when the optical drive was dropped. And here we are, new technologies took care of that. It resulted in Google Drives, Sky Drives, Dropboxes and iClouds. We are ready to move forward again. But, for now, if you want more, if you are a professional, buy the MacBook Pro(fessional). As always though, the MBA will pave the road for the MBP to follow. When the the mindshift has happened.
PS: I am pretty damn sure that during the transition Apple will provide some sort of USB hub.
Pulling people into the future is all fine and dandy but to what cost? Sure Apple slimmed down the iMac but getting rid of the superdrive – but do you know how long it takes to upload even 1Gb of data to “the cloud”? Too long – which is why Joe Public then has to go out and buy a Superdrive to replace the one Apple took away in the first place – making Apple even more money.
MarkGurman article raised the design flag and again the techy bits have come under scrutiny. SO you have yet to stumble upon the truth.
Truth is that the12″ MacBook Pro was the perfect form factor especially for RoadWarriors.
if the description is correct, then this MacBook will have the same number of ports as an iPad. So, I dont view this as a MacBook air, rather a iPad with a fixed keyboard and ability to run OS X which could make it compete with the Surface Pro 3.
I agree, and that’s a good idea on Apple’s part given how thin and light the new retina MBPro’s are. The Air was always about the ultimate in portability for OS X. The Pro now is thin enough where the current version of the Air is nearly obsolete.
I don’t think Apple will abandon Magsafe, Thunderbolt or the ubiquitous USB port. Magsafe is too practical, Thunderbolt too new and a computer that wouldn’t support a standard flash drive without an adapter? Apple may gradually head in that direction, but how many compromises are people willing to put up with just to cater to Apple’s thinness fetish? I have an 11″ MBA and any fewer ports means I don’t buy one.
Sticking with the MBA will mean that your future USB devices will need an adapter. A single Type C port plugged into a 27″ Retina Display can charge your MacBook while delivering 5K+ resolutions.
Great article: just the way I know your ‘opinions’. :)
Thanks!
I don’t see any issue if they will integrate Wi-Fi charging! ;)
I really think that they will have two USB Type C ports.
This will only be for the MacBook Air. The MacBook Pro will still have ports and such. The reason is simple… the MBPro is now very thin and the too close to the current MBAir in terms of weight and thinness, so they will make the Air crazy thin without ports because that device is about portability, like an iPad with a keyboard running OS X essentially. For everyone else, who needs a fully functional laptop, you have the Pro. There is no reason for Apple to remove ports from the MBPro because if they did that, they’d just end up with more screen sizes of the new Air. Makes no sense.
It’s likely the majority of MBAir buyers are using it in such a way as to almost never need ports, and Apple knows this.
I’m definitely ready to see a chassis redesign, will be exciting to see what Apple has been able to cook up in the labs of Jony Ive. My current Air serves my needs well as a college student who at the most plays around with iMovie for the occasional video project. I just hope that one way or another this notebook will be able to interface with the current or future Thunderbolt Display, as imho it is a great option for a desktop solution without having to buy an iMac. Additionally, I almost exclusively charge my iPhone/iPad from my Mac, while plugged in, and I would be kind of perturbed if I could no longer do this. When the first Air and then 2010 model came out sans disc drive and many ports complained I didn’t understand all the fuss as in hindsight it was a forward-thinking device, but unfortunately any complaints resulting from the release of a device to the standard of these rumors may be more warranted. I doubt that this will have the same impact to the market as the previous design, as it seems more evolutionary than revolutionary due to recent trends. The only way in my mind Apple could completely screw this up is failing to give us USB-C to Lightining cables. It would be cool if we could live in a world of Lightining or USB-C or Thunderbolt across the board for simplicity’s sake.
A glass screen would be sweet, though maybe not feasible at a budget price point if that’s what they’re going for.
SURPRISE ME APPLE
I think this is definitely the direction Apple is heading with the Macs. Like I commented on in the original story, I believe we will see a closer integration between Macs and iOS devices in the future, with my suggestion being that the new MacBook Air utilizing the Lightning connector for power.
As iOS becomes more powerful over the years, so will the distinctions between what is a phone, tablet and computer dissolve. That is also why I believe the will be no iOS or OS X in the future, simply an OS.
I remember a discussion I had with a friend of mine a couple of years ago about his frustration with the 30-pin connector being replaced and him having to buy new accessories for his iPhone. I insisted that there would be less need for cables as more and more accessories would utilized wireless connections, and I believe the Macs are heading that way as well. Truly, the only reason to have a cable is to charge your device, and even that has alternatives being explored.
I know people are going to freak out when I say this but: With the near identical sizing to Lightning, and the wild increase in functionality – I think Apple is going to replace lightning with USB Type C on iOS devices in the next 1 to 2 years.
Look, mass adaption of the standard is expected to happen in 2015. Rumour has it that Apple is adding to is Mac’s – and in some cases (such as the 12 inch Air) only it! I think it would makes things much easier, to have one unified standard – even if just an Apple proprietary that replaces there multiple offerings. From what I know about Type C, it has the power abilities of MagSafe, speed of ThunderBolt, size of Lightning, high resolution display driving of HDMI, compatibility of USB – why not go all in on this seemingly perfect solution?
~ Honestly, I’d like to see Apple offer Type C headphones for High-Res audio – eliminating the need for a 3.5mm jack, akin to there Lightning Audio: http://viptest.9to5mac.com/2014/06/03/apple-introduces-mfi-specs-for-lightning-cable-headphones-support-arriving-in-future-ios-update/ ~
Not to mention, with the port being smaller they could add more ports to a MacBook Pro in the same space the ports currently occupy. (Also thinking about charging, they could potentially allow for dual port charging to double the charging speed!)
The only other port that would continue to be functional for Pro users would be the SD card slot.
You have some good points. If so, let’s hope that USB-C is truly future-proofed.
definitely an “on the go” machine. All the way there!
Back home, I wish to have a big Docking station, a big Display 32″ 5k I hope, to link there everything, from power to ethernet to USB and so on.
It resembles some way the good, excellent old Duo.
Heh, that Duo reference brings back memories, Mirko!
I can’t believe this rumour is growing such legs. Apple darn well better not release a machine wit the Power key on the top-left where ESC belongs, and with those ugly speaker grills. I don’t believe this rumour at all.
Does anyone remember the reversible USB Type A standard that Apple was developing?
With all of the clear benefits of Type C, not to mention the Sources from within Apple that leaked this design to Mark Gurman – it’s clear that Apple will adopt the Type C standard.
I wonder if the Type A reversibility is and always was destined for Adapters?
It is likely – even if there is only 1 type-c port – that there will at least 1 passthrough on the charging cable – so charging your phone at the same time will be possible.
Personally I doubt this will only have 1 type-c socket anyway.
Also – MagSafe is an unmitigated disaster, specially MagSafe 2. If you’re a fan you’ve clearly never tried to use your laptop in bed or on your lap white it’s charging. It pops out WAY too easily:
http://usabilityhell.com/post/38462984336/11-ongoing-apple-ux-fails
With 10+ hour battery life these days the benefits of MagSafe are limited – and a type-c plug will probably come out pretty easily in any case.
Clearly this thing will just replace the current MBA line – not sure why you’re speculating about whether it will be higher or lower end?!
I mainly use my air in bed, magsafe works perfectly. it pops out all the time and i don’t damage the air what so ever. the type-c plug is going to be a nightmare for using in the bed. you air is going to be in the air!
This is just like a Chromebook, of course pricier. We all know how useless Chromebooks are for pros. It’s just a netbook. If you need to run real productivity apps, all these thin-books fall flat.
As long as the Type C can do Thunderbolt I don’t care. Otherwise I still see them putting a Thunderbolt port on the thing
I don’t think Ben took this contemplation quite far enough. It’s good to consider what this means with the Mac line of laptops, but Apple doesn’t limit it’s thinking like that. They think in terms of entire ecosystems. So how will this USB-C port affect the #1 money maker in the Appleverse? Will the iPhone/iPad family sprout a USB-C connector, ditching the non-standard Lightning connector?
Why did Apple even use the Lightning connector in luie of the Thunderbolt connector? Well, I suppose size is the main reason, but why did they change WHEN they changed it? Clearly, when the iPhone 5 came out, USB-C was not ready yet, but it was on the horizon, and 2 years later here we are. Is Apple so willing to anger its customer base by using Lighting as just a short lived interim standard? I was very slow to adopt Lighting, using my iPad 2 and iPhone 4S considerably longer than originally intended, primarily because I have a lot of money invested in car adapters, home docking stations, additional chargers, cables and other accessories.throughout my work and home locations. Many of my friends were similarly hesitant to upgrade due to this downstream cost. Now, finally, I have migrated most of my stuff to Lighting. I can assure you, changing yet again is not going to happen in my household for several years yet. I’m still feeling the burn going to Lightning.
I never quite understood Apple’s implementation of their desire to eliminate wires. By going with non-standard ports, they actually made things clunkier, due to the dongles and adapters business users are forced to use. While the goal of eschewing wires is admirable, the execution of the strategy has always been deeply flawed in practical use. HDMI and USB 3 on my MBPr has gone a CONSIDERABLE way in reducing clutter, dongles,and cables.
But not Thunderbolt. I don’t own ANY Thunderbolt accessories. Apple can blame themselves for that. By refusing to make the Thunderbolt standard available, the proprietary costs of Thunderbolt licensed accessories has suffocated the market.
Apple can recover from that with USB-C, but will they do it in a smart way? Will they implement it across all devices, including AppleTV, AirPort, Mac Pro’s, iMac’s, MacBooks, iPhones and iPads? If they adopt it globally, it could work. If they don’t, they will hurt themselves, and frustrated their customers even further. I think every device Apple sells with USB-C should come with 2 free USB-3 accessories, selected from a range of devices by the customer.
Yes, I’ll take a 2015 MBA, with one additional Lightning/USB-C adapter and one HDMI/USB-C adapter as part of the Customer Appreciation Package please…
With Intel’s Skylake processors on the horizon Mid-2015, this laptop makes a lot of sense for mainstream consumers. Skylake will bring wireless charging and a better version of WiDi, which Apple will triage into a new implementation of AirPlay. I can see this laptop using these new technologies, eliminating the need for a power cord and more importantly the MagSafe connector, even though USB Type-C can power devices.
Agree that USB Type C is where it’s at…but would still love to have at least 3 of them on the next MBA
Guys.. And the smaller keyboard? What do u think? The Mister Steve Jobs said in 2007 and some many times: The notebook must have a full keyboard!!! and i agree!!!!!
I hated this new macbook cus the keyboard miniature :/
So strange cus the macbook 11 inch have a full size keybaord and why not 12inch????
and… the thickness allows 2 ou 3 USB TYPE C!!! Why only one???
At least for now, Apple will really separate MBA and MBP. Once Apple knows who buys what, the future will unfold.
Great level headed piece amongst the panic Ben, nice one :-)
I think Type C will roll out pretty fast on all Mac devices this year, but not at the expense of current ports on iMacs and MacBooks. The ‘possible’ design of the new Air works fine, but an extra port, or that one Type C with a MagSafe connector would be best, we’ll have to wait and see. I figure Apple held off on a new 5K Thunderbolt display when the 5K iMac came out to add new the C ports and it’ll launch with the Air for display and charge link ups. All in it looks like another exciting year for Apple, nice to see them getting their head in the game after a couple of years adjusting to change, bit of a stumble with iOS8, but I doubt that’ll happen twice :-)
Thanks – and that’s a good theory about the 5K display.
Give me 3 or 4 USB C ports and nothing else and this would be ideal.
microSD could certainly fit in there as well, it’s tiny. No need to leave it out.
This machine looks to be targeting Macbook Air users. Typically these users are not pro. If I’m not mistaken pro users would purchase the Mac Book Pro (or even the Mac Pro).
Thinking about how I use my 2011 Macbook Air. I use it around home, on the dining room / kitchen table. So typically I’m attaching only one device (at the most) to my Macbook Air.
I love my 2011 Macbook Air and I haven’t seen reason to upgrade. Of course if this machine includes a Retina display then I’m in.
So to answer your question: I think this could be the future of low end of the Macbook range. I don’t think Apple will change the Macbook Pro (for now). The Pro range is actually a different beast, although still a laptop.
I have a 2011 13″ MBA and I love it, apart from one thing: its lack of a Retina display. I’ve also played with a 13″ rMBP and I find it a bit bulky and heavy, comparatively. So, for me a Retina MBA is the perfect laptop (I’m a software engineer with background in graphics design and I do regard myself as a power user).
I can’t see Apple dropping the MagSafe port over USB-C for any reason. MagSafe offers safety that USB-C cannot offer.
The only way I can envisage the upcoming design as functional is if along with this laptop comes bundled a device, a dongle, that has a USB type C port on one end, MagSafe on the other and in between a couple of normal USB ports, Thunderbolt / HDMI and probably a “disconnect everything” button.
This could be a win-win for most situations:
– without the laptop, we can use the dongle to charge USB devices
– connected only to the laptop, it serves as its USB-and-whatever hub
The only downside is that we will have to carry this dongle at all times if we use USB drives frequently (which I kinda do).
Maybe in a Mac-only environment that’s not an issue (hello AirDrop), but most of us who live and work in a mixed (Mac + Win) environment, will simply avoid it because the dongle will be extra hassle.
Don’t think so, there is no point in leaving them out. There’s certainly space enough for another USB Type-C and a microSD card slot – they’re tiny.
What if it’s Apple’s first wireless charging MacBook? Considering we already have 12 hour battery life, most users will not need to carry around their charger and when they charge at home there will be even less wires than before (no more MagSafe wires – even less tripping over). Considering wireless charging is essentially already here: http://viptest.9to5mac.com/2015/01/06/true-wireless-power/ & http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_giler_demos_wireless_electricity
Nice piece Ben to wet our appetites for more thought and consideration.
I see this as a meeting of two worlds; the iPad and MacBooks. Along with this, it nicely delineates the product line. This machine is the ultimate mobile Mac; no thrills, just mobility.
A jump in battery life would negate the need for MagSafe. Most network communications are done wirelessly. I think Apple took a look at the iPad third party keyboards and used them as a template for size.
Yes, it is an interesting thought that almost no-one would think about plugging in an iPad while using it, so why would this be any different given we’re now in the realms of all-day battery-life? I have to say that when I’m out & about with my MacBook Air, I don’t ever bother taking the power brick even if I’m going to be using it in one place with power sockets available – there’s just no need.
Why not use lightening?
Is USB-C capable of doing anything more than Apple’s lightning connector?
I love Apple products. But i hate this obsession Apple has on designing slim products just for the sake of selling year over year the same products with marginal improvements. Also getting out of the picture the possibility of users upgrading stuff like processors, memory and SSD. This is not other thing than using programmed obsolescence as a lucrative strategy device. I mean, you can be an Apple products fan, but think about what you are going to do with all those iMacs with soldered components that you can’t even use as a 4K or 5K monitors. Think about the Mac Pro and his minimalist design vs the 5,1 Mac Pro. I can picture the beautiful new minimalistic Mac Pro surrounded by all those peripherals you are going to need in case you are a real pro-user, a the image that come to my mind, is not a beautiful one, all those cables, SSD or HDD peripherals, etc…is just horrible. I think that if Apple don’t move from this selling machine strategy with the time people will.