10-17-2008, 06:20 PM
samintx wrote:
I was mad when they didn't put 2 USB ports along with Firewire on macs. One USB and One Firewire.....My PCs have up to 4 USB ports and putting on the USB series plugin units makes my macs balk sometimes.
The truth is Apple is cutting costs. That is the reason. Why PCs can afford more than one USB AND a Firewire and apple can't has to be manfging costs. Apple is trying to get down to PC prices by hook or by crook. I say nutz to Steve (sorry to say this when he is a sick man but....)
If it's really about cost, then why do most $400 PC laptops have a billion and one USB ports, built-in card readers, &c? Apple certainly isn't selling any $400 laptops itself. It's more about "elegance" than cost IMO.
I think Apple looks long and hard at what features people actually use on their machines and aggressively strips out what doesn't get used often enough. It's comparatively rare that people plug in more than two USB devices to a laptop, so they don't build in more ports. If they came to the conclusion that most MacBook users don't use the Firewire given the emergence of MPG videocams that use USB or the cheap USB external hard drives that dominate the market, I guess I can understand that. Not that I'm happy about it since I too use Firewire very often.
Speaking of Firewire, my new (refurbed) BlackBook should be arriving real soon!