Apple: Perplexed by Ports

by: Joel West October 20, 2008 | about stocks: AAPL    

Joel West

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My post earlier in the week about Apple (AAPL) and Firewire was inaccurate: Apple is cutting back on Firewire, but it is still available for most field graphics work. I noticed this when visiting the Apple Store Friday (to get a repair for a MacBook Air hardware design problem).

To recap, Apple now has five different MacBooks with five different port configurations. Once upon a time, they had a coherent port strategy but now everything is different:
 

Model
LCD
Price
USB
FireWireExpansion
Audio
Video Out
MacBook
13"
$1000
2
400 
in, out
Mini-DVI
MacBook
13"
$1300
2
- 
in, out
Mini DisplayPort
MacBook Air†
13"
$1800
1
- 
out
Mini DisplayPort
MacBook Pro
15"
$2000
2
800ExpressCard 34
in, out
Mini DisplayPort
MacBook Pro§
17"
$2700
3
400, 800ExpressCard34
in, out
DVI

† New model due in November, replacing current model
§ Rumored to be replaced in the next 90 days

On Tuesday, Apple introduced two new laptops: the 13" MacBook and the 15" MacBook Pro. Both have the same black keyboard and aluminum case design (although thicker) than the MacBook Air, and both new latpops (along with a promised update to the MacBook Air) will use the new Mini DisplayPort connector. Two old laptops were kept at the bottom and the top of the line: the old 13" white plastic MacBook is now the entry-level model, while the 17" MacBook Pro is unchanged for now but (store employees say) will soon get updated to look like its 15" cousin.

As I noted earlier, Apple deleted Firewire from its 13" laptop. What I missed was that even though the 15" MacBook Pro looks exactly like a stretched 13" MacBook, it still has a Firewire 800 connector on the side.

So of the new models, 2/3 (15", 17") will have Firewire and 1/3 (13") will not. FireWire is a “Pro” feature but not a “MacBook” feature: you can pay $2000 for Firewire — or get it in last year’s model for $1000.

Deleting Firewire from the 15" is my error. Serves me right from trying to make sense of what was going on from news reports, rather than going to look at the products myself. It also says something about the need for boots on the street, rather than merely bloggers surfing the web.

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This article has 7 comments:

  •  
    Oct 20 08:14 AM
    Now, do us another favor and STOP BLOGGING YOURSELF.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 20 09:33 AM
    What is your point precisely? This sounds like you were talking to yourself and thought we might be interested in 'listening in' your personal ramblings. You and this post are a waste of space.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 20 10:32 AM
    "Serves me right from trying to make sense of what was going on from news reports, rather than going to look at the products myself. It also says something about the need for boots on the street, rather than merely bloggers surfing the web."

    You do know the information is available on Apple's web site.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 20 11:08 AM
    It's quite simple, actually.

    + Legacy models - the white MacBook and the 17" MBP still have DVI / miniDVI. All new models are moving to mini Display Port.

    + Firewire will only be available on MBP's - it's a legacy device on the white MacBook.

    Is that really too dificult to understand?
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 20 12:22 PM
    Ha, it's great to see you mac heads confused. Microsoft would never limit the connection ports on any of it's PC's. Of course the operating system formerly known as Vista will horribly confuse you anytime you plug anything into a port, but I digress.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 21 12:59 AM
    Well, I didn't have to go to an Apple Store to figure out the ports. Pro models get FW and Expresscard slots and discrete graphics. They used to also get aluminum and LED backlights, but this generation brought aluminum and LEDs to the Macbook line. All the laptops will get DisplayPort and USB. The $1000 13" is a transition model and so is the 17". When they get updated, they'll have DisplayPort, too, though the $1000 13" will most likely get phased out and an entrylevel aluminum will replace it, once mfring costs have dropped.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 21 01:02 PM
    So basically Apple is no longer interest in amateur musicians.

    Once the old MacBooks run out there will be no way to connect a quality audio interface to a Mac laptop for under $2000. USB 2.0 just isn't up to the job of multichannel recording or playback.

    A sad day for creativity. :(
    Reply | Link to Comment
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