

Note that there are actually three sizes of HDMI connectors - the standard one that you’re probably already familiar with, plus “mini” and “micro” variants. A built-in HDMI port could make this easier. It’s fairly trivial to connect an external monitor with an inexpensive USB-C to HDMI adapter, but of course, you have to buy the adapter separately and have it handy when you want to use a larger screen or conference room projector. Kuo also suggests that the return of MagSafe could also bring faster charging speeds than USB-C is capable of. While USB-C also disconnects fairly easily, it doesn’t do so at every angle the way MagSafe did.

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Before then, the MacBook Pro had included a dedicated MagSafe power connector, two USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card slot. This was arguably also the case with the 2016 MacBook Pro lineup, which ditched a wide array of different ports in favour of four USB-C ports, on the assumption that these could do everything anybody would really need. In almost every case, Apple led the way into the future, and others eventually followed, ultimately validating Apple’s decisions as simply being ahead of the curve. Apple was the company that famously killed the floppy drive, was the first to remove optical drives from its laptops, and of course nuked the iPhone’s 3.5mm headphone jack a few years ago. Of course, Apple has never shied away from making unpopular decisions when it comes to removing ports and other features, especially if it believes that doing so will have a positive long-term effect.
This means that anybody who wants to use their MacBook Pro for more than personal use is likely going to find themselves toting around several adapters for various purposes.Īlthough most of these adapters aren’t expensive, they are something else that you have to make sure you have on-hand, and in fact this was one of the biggest criticisms regarding Apple’s MacBooks when it made the switch to USB-C back in 2016. Even many flash drives still use USB-A, and of course if you walk into a conference room you’re likely going to find that the projector uses a standard HDMI plug.

The downside to USB-C ports, however, is that adapters, or “dongles,” are required to hook up many accessories. They’re also some of the slimmest ports you’ll find, which appeals to Apple’s desire to make its MacBooks as thin and light as possible. To be clear, USB-C ports are quite versatile, supporting charging, video output, and standard USB communications. However, we’ve also heard recent reports from a reliable source that Apple could be taking a step back from its sole commitment to USB-C ports on this year’s MacBook Pro lineup, potentially returning to include a more versatile arrangement of ports.īack in January, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a pretty good track record of being right about Apple’s plans, suggested that the MagSafe charging port would return, and now he’s doubling down on that with the prediction that Apple could bring back even more of the ports that were lost in the 2016 transition to a USB-C only configuration.
