It used to be that Apple's computers were good for travel because they had everything built-in (and the reason they're more expensive than they're less feature-laden rivals). But now they've started getting into that whole "Who needs standard ports, when we can just have people carry around extra cables!".

First it was removing the modem, so if you needed that, you carried a cable. Then the Air lost the ethernet port. Another cable (sold separately). Now this rumor brings people even more adapters/cables to haul around and keep track of.

And this sounds more like Apple just trying to make a laptop 'look' good (the all-important feature for Apple products, apparently) at the expense of users.

Mini DVI makes no sense when you can stick an HDMI slot in the same place and allow even LESS thickness. Besides, it'd be pretty much required for HDCP.

Mini DVI makes no sense when you can stick an HDMI slot in the same place and allow even LESS thickness. Besides, it'd be pretty much required for HDCP.

Does the mini/micro DVI support adaptors for VGA, S-Video, and composite video like the full-size DVI port does? Yes, believe it or not, I've used all of those (VGA on the old projectors at my office and S-Video/composite for slide shows/video on TVs)! I'm guessing they drop those pins to make it smaller?

However, I'd also like to see an HDMI port. HDMI-to-DVI adaptors are easy enough to come by.

...adopting HDMI connections or something as there is a slow trend in that direction - but first most monitors still are primarily using DVI and second Apple themselves will have to update their own Monitors in order to do so - or discontinue them altogether. Which since they have not updated them in 4 years after having a continuous run of several models over the 4 or 5 years prior - makes you wonder.

Thank you for pointing out the fact that its the variety of connections that makes (err... made?) the pro apple laptops nice. I have just about every port I'll need on my Powerbook, and I DO use them all.

Some people say all these ports don't fit Apple's minimalist aesthetic, but they did a great job fitting them all in on my old machine while that still draws eyes for its slimness and overall look.

Apple made the more specialized machine with the macbook air. That was intended for users who are less likely, if probable at all, to use multiple ports daily. To change their business model - offering few choices of machines for a large demographic of users by covering their bases - to pulling out ports in the hopes that customers and industry standards will conform, is a good way to loose customers.

Then again, Apple was the company that first got rid of the floppy, serial connections (mice, keyboards) and a few others standards at the time.

For me personally, stripping out capability is going to make my next machine a MacPro. Perhaps they're hoping that those that need the mobile power and homebase capability will just buy both. Goodness knows I'll keep my old Powerbook around.

In the end, moves like this will make MacbookPro less like the swiss-army knife of machines and move to just the chic machine with a nice engine under the hood.

HDMI would be a nice addition, but my DVI to HDMI cable works perfectly fine for TV connection along with optical audio for surround sound.dagamer34: Do your research, HDCP works perfectly fine over DVI. Since HDMI and DVI are electrically the same (minus the extra pin for audio and DVI's legacy pins) and HDCP is just an encryption scheme, an older TV with a DVI port that supports HDCP can work perfectly fine with newer HDMI equipment.

Would something like one of these converters work with the new Macbooks?

http://www.firewiretousb.com