Planning to buy the new "portless" Macbook?

[totoff]

watch this insight first:

Very much off topic, I know. But, hey, it's the pub!

[arjen]

What else is there to remove? 5¼-inch floppy, serial ports, 3½-inch floppy, CD-rom, DVD-rom, most video outputs, trackpad buttons, ethernet and finally USB. Hopefully power will be next... 

[diogo]

What else is there to remove? 5¼-inch floppy, serial ports, 3½-inch floppy, CD-rom, DVD-rom, most video outputs, trackpad buttons, ethernet and finally USB. Hopefully power will be next... 

The retina screen will be replaced by a projection on the retina

[pwired]

Used to work in computer shops when laptops were easy to open and swap a hdd, memory card, micro, repair a usb or power connector or simply clean the ventilators. Seriously, latest Apple models are evolving into unrepairable throw-away machines. They become so slim that inside, one part is either, glued, soldered or integrated with another part. It has become almost impossible to repair, replace or upgrade a part because opening and disassembling means your are going to break something. I think this is being done purposely to by pass local computer service and force you to use an expensive Apple store with a service contract. And what about these Apple models without a LAN connector and only 1 usb connector, often not a standard one but a mini or micro usb connector. Only 1 usb connector means you are going to use this single connecor many times reducing it's life span without having a second one available.

Edit:

Apple saves a lot of money and at the same time let people believe that portless devices is a "modern trend"

[DaveP]

There's a real security concern to just having the one USB Type-C port and no other way of charging the device. It means that just to charge it you are connecting a fully-enabled data port to a potentially hostile connection - especially if you leave your own charger at home or plug into a charging port integrated into a power socket. How do you know that all your machine isn't being compromised as well as charged?

[Pete]

That's a good point Dave - you can get homeplug network devices, so it should be possible for someone with the right skills to place a hidden device into a power line to be able to access via the USB (talking well-equipped people, but still possibly do-able).

At least a normal power socket on a laptop doesn't have a chance of exposing data.

[Mike Rockett]

Indeed a very good point. However, I feel that everything seems to be moving in that direction already. Wireless charging is starting to pick up the pace - could be a regular thing in just 5 to 10 years. That kind of technology could also, potentially, introduce similar concerns.

The point I'm getting to: tech is becoming sophisticated and complex - so much so that 'simplicity' now only comes in the design. With such complexity, space for security issues widens.

Let's not get started on IoT and IoE.