[mrmister]

Happens to me all the time--I go somewhere else with my laptop. I bring my mouse (1 usb port) I plug into their printer (2 USB ports) I go to use their scanner--out of USB ports. I was psyched about the Intel Book, because maybe things would finally change.

I'm still a little in shock that we lost a FW port (I've been using an 800-400 converter so that I can have two FW400 ports on my AlBook) and, portwise, gained...nothing.

I expected they'd sensibly give us another USB port...and then we lost SVideo, and the new PCCard port that, I *pray* gets adopted widely or it'll be a total mess. Verizon CDMA cards are useless, as are other wireless (non-WiFi) internet services that require PCCards--we're just going to have to hope that everyone under the sun adopts the new standard, but given how entrenched PCCards are, I'm not totally certain that will happen, and if it does, I doubt it will be very quick.

But that at least is defensible, if potentially annoying--but not giving three USB ports on a high-end laptop, or 2 USB and 2 FW, really sucks.

I haven't even gotten into the loss of the modem port, which in a way is the ultimate insult; it's been replaced by a USB dongle, which, if one needs to dial-up, eats up a USB port. In other words, if you need a modem and a mouse you are out of USB ports.

I await the apologists, who I expect will flock in like hungry birds to this message--I'd ask you take a moment, read what I'm actually saying, breathe and then explain to me how the loss of 4 ports (FW800, PCCard, SVideo, modem) is anything but a cost-cutting move at the expense of users. Shouldn't there at *least* be more USB ports? Something?

[icruise]

I've been using a 12" PowerBook G4 since they were introduced, so I've already had to deal with this. The 12" only has 2 USB ports and 1 firewire port. But as long as you use hubs and some daisy-chaining (for the firewire stuff) you can easily get by with that, and I have a LOT of peripherals attached to my computer.

They have really small USB hubs now (like credit card sized) so I don't think it's a huge problem. If you regularly need to use so many USB devices, a hub would make sense anyway. You might also look into a bluetooth mouse, which is a lot more convenient than a USB one for a portable anyway.

[B Gallagher]

mrmister, I have to say I agree with you. As much as the comsumerism of the tag line "one inch thick laptop!" works, I'm dissapointed that they've taken some ports out here and there to fit everything in.

Like someone said in the official MBP thread, think of this as a public beta for Apple - they're bound to make some mistakes, now let's just hope they learn from them and come up with better revisions further on down the line.

I think the MBP is a great idea. I love the PB's casing, and the appeal is huge, until you look closer and see what has been taken away.

I'm glad I've still got my PB G4. Battery life hasn't been an issue yet, the screen is bright enough for me (I sometimes wish it was brighter, but it'll do), and it's fast enough for everything I want it to do. And I bought it with the intention of it lasting 3-4 years, so of course it's going to be superseded by something else sooner or later.

Maybe I'll change my mind in a month or so when we get to see some decent benchmarks. For now though, let's wait and see.

[mrmister]

"But as long as you use hubs and some daisy-chaining (for the firewire stuff) you can easily get by with that, and I have a LOT of peripherals attached to my computer."

This isn't the issue--technically, I could "get by" with one USB port. I just don't understand how we can have less ports now than we did before, across the board.

"They have really small USB hubs now (like credit card sized) so I don't think it's a huge problem."

"If you regularly need to use so many USB devices, a hub would make sense anyway."

Re-read my post. If you use more than TWO devices (and that includes your modem, if you dialup) you are out of ports. If you used both FW ports on the current PB, you'll also need a hub/splitter for that. We're losing functionallity.

"You might also look into a bluetooth mouse, which is a lot more convenient than a USB one for a portable anyway."

I might--or I might not. The point isn't what solves these issues through kludges--I know they can be faked around and fixed by spending more money on new peripherals and hubs and added bulk. I just think losing .1 inch and a fifth of a pound isn't remotely worth it, and I just can't imagine WHY, aside from saving money.

It can't simply be design minimalism, can it? If so, they really shouldn't stick that IR receiver on the front where they did?

PowerBooks need to improve over time, and in many ways this one is expected to be much faster--but they're using the architecture change to cut costs by dropping features which, I fear, won't be returning in any form.

[icruise]

Originally Posted by mrmister

"If you regularly need to use so many USB devices, a hub would make sense anyway."

Re-read my post. If you use more than TWO devices (and that includes your modem, if you dialup) you are out of ports. If you used both FW ports on the current PB, you'll also need a hub/splitter for that. We're losing functionallity.

I read your post just fine, thank you. But I should have made it clear that I was referring to using so many USB devices on the go. Any serious computer user is going to need to use a USB hub with most laptops, especially now that USB 2 is becoming so popular for things other than input devices. So using a hub should be a given. But I think the number of people who need more than 2 USB ports when away from their desk is somewhat low.

In the end, I agree with you, at least in theory. Less ports is worse than more ports. I'm just pointing out that there are ways around these problems that may not be as bad as you seem to think. For the record, I don't think it's a cost-cutting measure. An extra USB port on the motherboard really doesn't cost much of anything. It's a design issue. Personally, I would take a computer that was a few tenths of an inch thicker if it meant having more features, but that's not my decision to make.

[urrl78]

It's a problem; I agree, but not for me anymore. I'm keeping my 17" and won't be drueling over any laptop, Mac or PC anytime soon since I wiped out my bank account. I just bought a Hummer.

[tooki]

Use the Official Thread.

tooki