this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2024
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There’s nothing simple about adding more ports on a portable computer. It means additional buses, I/O boards, and a larger device size.
Most manufacturers that offer USB-A ports don’t have three Thunderbolt 5 ports. It would either be modular or a trade if you’re making a true comparison.
If they could do it in 2010, they can do it in 2024. And no, it wouldn't significantly increase the footprint.
About TB5 you're right. Most laptops don't have it but you're also conveniently ignoring that the first laptops with those ports were released literally a few months ago.
Tell me where there’s room to add another bus and ports without expanding the footprint.
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/22/ifixit-shares-m4-macbook-pro-teardown/
Thunderbolt 4 still has twice the bandwidth of the fastest USB-C standard currently available at 40 Gb/s. Thunderbolt 5 tops out at 120 Gb/s. That means you could have six USB-C devices, running max throughput of 20 Gb/s through a dock, connected to the Mac using Thunderbolt 5, without limiting the bandwidth. It also daisy chains more 4K displays at a higher refresh rate than USB-C. It’s a far superior connection.
There is a lot of empty PCB in that design. They could at the very least add 1 more port on each side if they wanted to. The audio solution is also taking up quite a bit of space.
Agai with the TB5. Those hubs cost $200+ and some even require external power. It's a good option to have. It's bad if it's your only option.
Empty PCB? You can’t see the other side of the logic board in this video. All reputable computer manufacturers use circus design on PCBs.
The cost of the dock is high because the tech is new. I don’t believe I need to explain the cost curve of advancing technology to you.
You don't need to explain why it's expensive but you do need to explain why it's suddenly necessary instead lf an option.