Did Apple just kill MacBook's most useful features?

Apple’s ambition to make everything simpler is backfiring and making things more complicated


Tech Desk October 29, 2016
A guest points to a new MacBook Pro during an Apple media event in Cupertino, California, U.S. October 27, 2016. PHOTOL REUTERS

Apple on Thursday unveiled new MacBook Pro laptops infused with touch control features that people have embraced on smartphones.

MacBook Pro models displayed at a special event at Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley touted keyboards with “Touch Bar” controls where function keys have traditionally been positioned. Touch Bar adapts to display controls most relevant to whatever application is being used, from email or typing text to video editing or music mixing, demonstrations showed.

Apple ramps up MacBook infused with touch controls

However, Apple’s ambition to make everything simpler is kind of backfiring and making things more complicated.

If you have an iPhone 7 and want to connect it with your new MacBook Pro, you won’t be able to do so as Apple has dropped USB Type A port from its latest MacBook Pros. Although new MacBook Pros come with four USB ports and all of them are Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C ports, the iPhone 7 comes with a lightning to USB Type A cable.

So if you want to connect your devices to new MacBook Pros, you’ll have to some spend more money and buy a $20 adapter or a new cable altogether.

Similarly, Apple also removed the SD card slot from its new range of MacBook Pros, something that photographers and video producers use on daily basis.

Microsoft is the new Apple

Apple added the SD card slot to its MacBook laptops in 2009, after the SD card format after it became massively popular among photographers and video as it is the only surefire way to efficiently download media directly to your laptop on the go.

Apple has not yet offered any explanation as to why it removed the slot. In fact, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller didn't even mention its removal during the keynote, Mashable reported.

Now users are forced to spend extra money and buy a memory card reader with a USB-C plug.

PHOTO: AMAZON

One of the options is $35 3-in-1 hub by Satchi. The device has three full-sized USB ports, an SD card slot and a microSD card slot, but that's more money that you have to spend.

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