(sorry for the double post)
Quote:
Originally Posted by kscherer
I think ports will remain in desktops for some time, regardless of "pro" features.
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I'd actually argue that all of Apple's desktops, with the exception of the "education special" non-retina iMac, are "pro" machines. Casual users aren't really buying desktops any more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kscherer
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.
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USB-C can exist on a curved surface, but only to an extent (just like Lightning). Tapering the sides of the MacBook inwards to the extent that the 2008 MacBook Air did would make it impossible for the USB-C port to be parallel to the keyboard — it would have to be pointed downward, which is obviously undesirable for a notebook that is going to be placed on a table. And yet, the edges being tapered to a point is a big reason why that first MacBook Air was so striking. Apple has since adjusted that design to a flat-sided wedge shape for a host of reasons (the cost and complexity of the flip-down door, wanting to be able to put ports on each side), and that flat-sided wedge shape has now more or less become the Standard Laptop Shape, but I don't think Apple thinks the tapered-on-all-sides MacBook is a bad design. It just hasn't been practical, yet.
I think it would be good for Apple to avoid sticking with the Standard Laptop Shape for longer than they have to. It's important for them to keep evolving, to do things that are difficult for their competitors to match.
If anything, I think with time we might view the current flat-sided wedge shape as a weird compromise, uncomfortably between the tapered-on-all-sides consumer notebook dream and the flat-on-all-sides iPad Pro/MacBook Pro. I think it's fairly natural for a tapered wedge-shaped product to be tapered on all sides. If the product is supposed to be thin, make it
feel as thin as possible, y'know? At least without causing ergonomic issues (and you don't hold a MacBook in your hands by its edges, so I think they're fine there).
But this is getting off into the weeds a bit. iPhones!