Yeah, not many other manufacturers have chargers that can be used on a full range of computers, from 17" down to 11," and largely keep the same connector (you can use magsafe adapters to change the tip size) for 8+ years.
The real problem is the crappy strain relief. I’ve probably gone through 5 or 6 genuine Apple chargers through warranty (you can still get them replaced by more sympathetic Apple Store employees who want to help you out, especially if you pretend your adapter is less than a year old). This issue is exacerbated by the fact you can use the same charger for so long that people remember their failures in a way they might not remember limited-run chargers failing.
Pretty much all camera phones have a fixed aperture, so nothing you an do will change the DoF (at a given focusing distance). Panorama/landscape would have no effect on any camera.
I’ve hardly ever had any problems with serial. And for real-time work the timing has usually been much better than USB. USB was a compromise between protocol and transport for both communications and mass storage, and has usually IMO the worst of both worlds. But it least it’s cheap! Modern USB variants are a bit better, but it’s still a one-size-fits-all solution which is a better compromise for manufacturers than users.
[quote=“Red, post:14, topic:54066”]
I understood that they are going have only one port type, but they actually have only one port?
[/quote]They have TWO ports. The other one is for headphones
So to connect anything alongside the charging cable you need to have a small shoebox of expensive dongles.
Just have a look at apple dongles and their prices.
Even with a $79 USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter you only get ONE USB port, so to plug in more than one accessory you still need an old-fashioned USB hub.
There is also $79 USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter, again with one see-through USB-C port for charging or daisy-chain, one USB port and one graphical port.
And a plain USB-C <-> USB-C cable made by apple costs $19
See at: http://store.apple.com/us/accessories/all-accessories/cables-docks#!f=12inchmacbook&fh=4098%2B44c7
Do not get me started at the topic of naming their devices. The MacBook. How are you going to distinguish it from all other MacBooks in a few years when it won’t be “The New MacBook” anymore? “MacBook with a single port?” Sigh …
Any one for whom a 5.5/2.1mm barrel jack at around 19 volts is good enough.
Acer netbooks are an example.
Edit: There are quite some “hidden standards” in that area. The 19V power supplies (why 19? why not 20 as some do?). the 18650 cells in the batteries, or at least the Li-ion chemistry that lets you use even different-size cells with merely a mechanical hack…
I had an inline dongle for that, with a LED for each of the signals. That single thing cut debugging by 3/4 or more merely by telling you the Rx/Tx activity and how the other signals behaved (DSR or DTR issued but not reacted to - look at the other side’s flow control setting, Tx or Rx active but not the other - look at the baud rate related setting and parity…).
The number of times connectors have changed on the MacBook may not be as frequent as it feels like, and its great they are hopefully coming around to a real industry standard–but I think it’s an overall perception thing with Apple. The feeling that their devices–(hello, iPhone)–use proprietary or constantly changing power and data ports–that lead to that, “Because fuck you” vibe so many relate to.
I was going to say. Just about every Windows laptop I’ve owned had a different charger. My boss just got a new Lenovo and I couldn’t even identify the power port. Looked like some weird optical port or something. Weirdest port I’ve seen in a while.
I’ve been working on Lenovos on the helpdesk, and they use a regular Barrel-type charging port that’s been molded into a USB port shaped rectangle. Just a single pin and sleeve, but rectangular.
It’s not just a rectangle, but a rectangle within a rectangle. I fail to see how this is better than a standard barrel connector and would just make it harder to find a replacement.
I had a ibook (icebook) that used a round connector. The power adapter was prone to fraying. Plus, there was the whole “trip over the cord, buy yourself a new computer” bit.
I guess the fact that they tend to have higher customer satisfaction numbers than any other manufacturer is irrelevant, or the fact that they’re the largest most profitable company on the planet out of any industry, which to my mind hints that if anything, people love their products more now than ever.
