[kscherer]

Originally Posted by Robo Honestly, I think Apple’s position is going to be that ports of any kind are a “Pro” feature on all of their product lines, like expansion slots once were.

I think ports will remain in desktops for some time, regardless of "pro" features. There are just so many things people still plug into a desktop. From hard drives and optical drives, to wired keyboards and mice, printers and scanners. Too many things, yet. Laptops are another story altogether. Most laptop users aren't using their holes for anything other than USB's.

Originally Posted by Robo people refer to flash drives themselves as “USBs.”

Oh, how I wish I had no clue what you meant. But, yeah.

Originally Posted by Robo enabling connection to Google Docs even when wi-fi is spotty?

I bet Apple's push here will be connecting and integrating with iCloud.

Originally Posted by Robo It’s pretty clear that Apple views ports of any kind as a compromise, a concession to our lack of progress toward a completely wireless world.

Anyone who is even remotely paying attention to apple has seen this coming for quite some time. You are correct in noting that it's not quite there, yet. Still a lot of wireless wonders yet to be placed into the market in reliable enough and cheap enough options, especially with stationary computing.

Originally Posted by Robo Power is honestly the last stand, for many users, and there are ways of delivering power without holes.

Yes, there are ways, but they are still immature. Wireless charging things can be finicky, and there is also a speed thing. Laptops need to charge quickly, and a wireless charging matt for a laptop is bound to be large, expensive, and have to be placed "just so". There are some hurdles here.

Originally Posted by Robo I think Apple would love to be able to curve the sides of their wedge-shaped laptops to make them feel even thinner and more elegant, like they did with the original MacBook Air.

I think the 2018 iPad Pro contradicts that, and I also think they look better without that curvy thing going on. Although my iPhone X is a wonder of elegance, design, and utility, and it is curved all the way round. But, are holes the only thing keeping laptops from roundness? The ports are all the way in the back, so the front edges could be wedged or curved, and the USB-C port is designed in such a way that it could exist on a curved surface, which is common amongst Android phones. I think there is more to it than just the existence of the ports. There is also a rigidity factor; square tubes tend to be more structurally sound than round tubes where all other factors are equal.

Originally Posted by Robo But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, say, the first ARM MacBook is a portless vision statement successor to the 12-inch MacBook.

I can absolutely see that. "This is a wireless device for a wireless world. Here's your power cable."