If I were to buy a new laptop right now, it would need at least __ USB ports.
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One (Score:2)
Just 1 would probably do it - occasionally I still have to copy some files to/from a USB stick or external hard drive, or download things off a camera. Don't think I'd ever need to do more than one of those at the same time. This is assuming that the same port ~isn't~ also used for other necessary things like ethernet and charging (ala the new Macbook).
Re: (Score:2)
Just 1 would probably do it
Do you never use a mouse/trackball/whatever? I've always found touchpads annoyingly imprecise and even with ibm/lenovo thinkpads the new trackpoints are coming with the buttons built into this awful spring loaded touchpad contraption. at least one usb is definitely required!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I used to think all trackpads were terrible, then I used one that actually worked well and haven't used a mouse on a laptop since.
Re: (Score:2)
I used to think all trackpads were terrible, then I used one that actually worked well and haven't used a mouse on a laptop since.
Which trackpad did you like? We give our staff the option of running windows 7 or OS X on their MacBook Pros at work. Most of the staff that uses Windows ends up plugging in a mouse because the track pad support for the Apple pad is AWFUL and generally busted. Under OS X the support is amazing. I think the Apple track pad is the best designed track pad I've ever used. The gestures are great and the *actual* tracking is excellent.
Re: (Score:2)
I like the Apple trackpads on their MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. I never run Windows on those, so I had no idea that software was a big aspect of their magic. That's interesting to note.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I could get by with one port but why should I? I often connect my Macbook to my 24" monitor when at home because I like being able to see. I like to connect to ethernet when possible because it's just better. I don't have to but I like to. For my linux laptop I use a USB mouse because the best PC laptop trackpad I've ever used was total shit compared to any Mac laptop I've owned in the last 12 years. The HP 420 laptop I use now is okay but still better with a mouse. It's nice to have a couple of USB p
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Or maybe two thunderbolt ports. I dunno.....with a big 15 inch laptop I don't see any reason to cut it down even that much. Two usb ports per side with an HDMI and Ethernet additionally and it'd be great. On a tiny mac book air which people buy for it's small size I can see maybe just one thunderbolt port. Apple has a great trackpad so no mouse needed. But on the bigger ones surely there is no reason to cut the ports down.
Re: One (Score:2)
ThunderBolt and DisplayPort are capable of carrying USB/FW/10Gbe and anything else your dock/display has. I don't know whether HDMI does USB but it does do Ethernet. So if you have a display/desk at home, ideally one connection would do until we get 10Gbps+ over wireless signaling.
Re: (Score:2)
If it's in reference to the new MacBook, the adapter hub would connect power, an external display and a USB jack, all that in one click. So you don't need to connect a bunch of devices individually. I recall the power adapter splits out a USB jack as well.
On Windows tablets, you might find adjusting the control panel settings to suit. I find on Windows or Mac, I like to dial the settings a bit to be more to my preferences anyway.
Re:One (Score:5, Insightful)
I would hardly classify ethernet as "necessary"; wifi serves the same purpose in most situations
Yes. Exactly. "Most". For the odd time you don't have it though it really sucks. The hotel with only wired in the room. Or the day your wifi router craps on you and you need to wire in to fix it. Or the office that has wired everywhere because ethernet just works, whereas wifi has all sorts of issues... signal strength, bandwidth contention, more prone to random disconnects, etc.
An RJ45 ethernet port adds like a nickle to the cost of a laptop. And if it has to be a couple mm thicker so be it. Fill the space with some more battery.
if a vendor wants to offer an ultraportable without one that's fine. But any vendor that removes ethernet from their entire laptop lineup from ultraportable to pro-desktop-replacment has its head firmly stuck in its ass.
Re: (Score:2)
The hotel with only wired in the room.
I keep a tiny wireless access point in my suitcase for these cases. Even with ethernet on my laptop, my phone and tablet don't have an RJ-45 connector and I don't always want to be using my laptop as an AP. Most hotel networks can't come close to saturating 802.11g, let alone .n.
Re:One (Score:5, Insightful)
I would hardly classify ethernet as "necessary"; wifi serves the same purpose in most situations
Yes. Exactly. "Most". For the odd time you don't have it though it really sucks. The hotel with only wired in the room. Or the day your wifi router craps on you and you need to wire in to fix it. Or the office that has wired everywhere because ethernet just works, whereas wifi has all sorts of issues... signal strength, bandwidth contention, more prone to random disconnects, etc.
An RJ45 ethernet port adds like a nickle to the cost of a laptop. And if it has to be a couple mm thicker so be it. Fill the space with some more battery.
if a vendor wants to offer an ultraportable without one that's fine. But any vendor that removes ethernet from their entire laptop lineup from ultraportable to pro-desktop-replacment has its head firmly stuck in its ass.
With the rollout of USB 3.1 and the USB-C connector, we are going to start seeing USB only ultraportable laptops. USB-C adapters will be used for power, video, ethernet, dock connections, etc. The days of separate dedicated physical connectors will go away, similar to the way that parallel and serial ports were replaced by USB. My prediction is that we will see this within the next 3 years.
Re: (Score:2)
For security my wifi access point only allows editing settings from the ethernet port. I can't log into the control panel via wifi.
a simple security arrangement that might be hackable, but it does make things harder.
It is the only time my laptop's ethernet port gets used any more.
Re:One (Score:4, Insightful)
And how often would you want to connect an external drive at the same time you need to connect the laptop for charging?
About once a week, or would you trust "the cloud" as your only backup device?
Re: One (Score:2)
There's always the option of NAS.
Re: (Score:2)
I would hardly classify ethernet as "necessary"; wifi serves the same purpose in most situations, and more conveniently.
I consider ethernet necessary. Yes, wifi can stand in for it, but wifi is a lot slower, so on my main machine, I only use the wifi when I've taken it on the road or am in some location where I can't sue ethernet.
Re: (Score:2)
When I'm ssh-ing to a server I can usually tell the difference between WiFi or Ethernet. It seems that WiFi isn't good at sending many small packets (one per keypress) quickly in a crowded environment. At home I always connect my laptop to Ethernet unless I'm using it on the coach.
I always plug my laptop to the main and I use a USB drive once a day to back it up. Luckily it's got 3 USB ports and a separate DC port. I won't have any problem doing a backup on battery power but it's not likely that I'm doing i
Re:One (Score:5, Funny)
At home I always connect my laptop to Ethernet unless I'm using it on the coach.
The trick is getting the spool of ethernet cable from getting caught in the wheels, or tripping up the horses.
Re: (Score:2)
Couch, couch
Re: (Score:2)
> I would hardly classify ethernet as "necessary"; wifi serves the same purpose in most situations
This is like saying that walking serves the same purpose as air travel. While it's strictly true that one can stand in for the other, it's going to be an inferior and problematic experience.
Re: (Score:2)
Position (Score:5, Interesting)
The position of the ports on the device is at least as important as the number of ports. Two ports right next to each other may cause the USB devices you are trying to attach not to fit (flash drives, etc).
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The position of the ports on the device is at least as important as the number of ports. Two ports right next to each other may cause the USB devices you are trying to attach not to fit (flash drives, etc).
One USB port is enough for me, two at the most. I never use a mouse and never connect an external keyboard to my laptop. If I can find a wireless alternative to a wired peripheral device I'll buy it in preference to the wired version. I have wireless keyboards, mice, printers, headphones, speakers and most of the time I stream media to my computer over a wireless network. Even if I ever found a reason to connect half a dozen devices to my laptop I'll never connect more than one device that saturates a USB p
1 port for a hub (Score:4, Insightful)
1 port gives you the ability to plug in a tiny, cheap, fast hub if needed.
I almost never need more than 1 port on the go, but I use a bunch at my desk, where a hub is no big deal.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Unless your hub has an alternative power source, there will be times where the power provided a single port will not be enough to support all of the attached devices.
Re: (Score:2)
true, but at my desk, that's not a problem.
in fact, i use one of my monitors as my hub, as it's got several usb 3.0 ports on it.
Re: (Score:2)
You are correct from a technical point of view that just one is enough thanks to hubs; but the question is really if one were to plunk down cash, how many are desired? In that case, dangling a hub is easy when primary used at a desk but I'd really rather have at least 2 or best 3 built into the thing so I can get by dragging a hub along.
Re: (Score:2)
For me, still one. I never use a hub when away from my desk, and always use one when I'm at my desk. Think of it as a docking station and that's pretty much my usage pattern. If I can get a thinner or lighter laptop by throwing away the "extra" ports, I'd leap at the chance.
Re: (Score:2)
My answer: 4. If the machine has less than 4, then I have to use a USB hub, and using a USB hub kinda sucks.
Re: (Score:2)
While I hope that whoever wrote the driver for this device has since been forced out of the software development business and is now messing up my drive through order at McDonalds, I know that if I ever have a computer with a single USB port I'm going to run in
Re: (Score:2)
ha, well, if i had a hp, i'd feel the same. but this is an apple.
i've owned apple machines for 10+ yrs. never had a port fail.
besides, what could i ever due with a laptop usb port that would require redundancy?
Re: 1 port for a hub (Score:2)
what about bluetooth mice?
Three (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Three (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not a Bluetooth mouse?
Just another stupid thing that takes batteries or needs to be charged.
Re: (Score:2)
Why not a Bluetooth mouse?
Just another stupid thing that takes batteries or needs to be charged.
There are a several wireless mice out there that can charge from USB, and can be used while charging, even if the battery is completely flat.
Re: (Score:2)
There are a several wireless mice out there that can charge from USB, and can be used while charging, even if the battery is completely flat.
I believe in this case one would be better served by just having a USB mouse without the extra complexity.
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed there are, but that solution removes the only advantage of a bluetooth mouse: not plugging something in.
Re: (Score:2)
And where are you? "flat" for a battery is UK English, not US English.
Though personally, I like it. I use the "wireless" mouse wired at the desk, and
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, a thousand times this. I use a bluetooth mouse when I'm taking my machine on the road, but never never never when I'm at home. Batteries and/or charging is an annoyance that can easily be avoided by just using a USB mouse.
Re: (Score:2)
I felt this way for a decade or more before buying my first wireless mouse.
In my mouse, AA Batteries 6 months to a year, even with daily use. The hassle of replacing the batteries is soooo much less than the hassle of fighting with cords on the road.
Re:Three (Score:5, Funny)
A cable mouse is much easier to find: just pull the cable, and the mouse will appear from which-ever pile of paper it ended up being under this time.
What's wrong with hubs? (Score:2)
One is fine for a laptop, where I try to keep as few things connected at once as possible (less of a chance of dropping the laptop and destroying the thing plugged into it, like I did with my USB thumb drive). In that rare 1% of cases where I need more than one plug, USB hubs are cheap and easy to come by.
I'm especially interested in playing with one of the new USB-C plugs.
Re: (Score:2)
depends on the use pattern. My most common things to have on USB are a scanner, keyboard, mouse, and disk. The disk is the only one that's really likely to need even 1/4th of the average bandwidth, although the scanner uses a lot in bursts.
Well let's see... (Score:2)
I would need one for the keyboard, because laptop keyboards are too cramped.
I would need one for a webcam, because the webcams that come with laptops are too low quality for my standards.
I would need one for an external DVD/Blu-ray combo burner since laptop optical drives are cheap.
I would need one for an external hard drive since laptop hard drives are too small.
I would need a jack for speakers, since laptop speakers are terribl
*USB* Ports (Score:3)
HDMI's not USB. The speaker jack is usually not USB. An external webcam with a bandaid over it to block it is really not much more useful than the built-in webcam with a bandaid over it.
External DVD, yes, if the laptop doesn't have one built in (my wife's ultra-portable doesn't; my work laptop does.) No, if there's a built-in, unless you really need the blu-ray burner. And yes, external hard drive sometimes (USB3 are becoming common enough these days, but there was a while you might use E-SATA instead.)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'd prefer mouse and keyboard to connect over Bluetooth rather than USB
If OP is gaming, they're more likely to use a wired device than a wireless one. I've never liked wireless devices, myself.
Re:Well let's see... (Score:4, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
I would need one for the mouse, because track pads are no good for gaming.
Let's face it: track pads are no good for anything other than having a backup for when you lose your mouse.
Re: Well let's see... (Score:2)
You need a desktop.
Counting power or not? (Score:2)
I would say two, but could live with one, but only if it isn't also the power connector, if it is, then there should be three, but if I really have to I could live with 2. One shared with power would just be retarded.
One more... (Score:5, Funny)
USB3 (Score:3)
I would say four USB ports, and please they really should be ALL USB3 by now, stop still trying to be cheap with 50% USB2 and 50% USB3. You shouldn't need to think which slot is which type when you plug a device in, it should all be fastest type. A hub is useless when you're on the move, more batteries or worse, a mains adaptor to power things, more things to worry about and carry.
Re: (Score:2)
A few more is obviously better.
I would have said one... (Score:2)
More is better (Score:2)
Given a choice, more is always better.
Even though my Lenovo Z580 has four USB ports, I often find myself wishing I had a couple more so I wouldn't have to swap devices. In particular, I'd appreciate another USB 3.0 port for an SSD (seeing as the "second" hard drive tray slot is occupied by the DVD drive, which I *do* use.) Sure USB 3.0 isn't as fast as I'd get with SATA, but it'd be a darned sight faster than the 5400RPM drive that's built in to the unit.
Normally I have the printer, mouse, and extern
Re: (Score:2)
The do make MANY different USB 3.0 hubs that could tie all of those stationary things together.
1 if (Score:2)
it has thuderbolt, displayport, hdmi,sd, firewire (Hey I have a old camcorder)
Animator needs three (Score:3)
Being an animator, I need one for mouse, one for Wacom tablet, and one for USB stick. That's what my current laptop has and I can't immediately think of a time when I've needed more.
Three, obviously. (Score:2)
With many BIOSes, mice and keyboards do not work on USB hubs. That is two. The third one is for anything else.
Four, I don't have time to fiddle with USB hubs (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Only excuse should be too many other ports (Score:2)
The only excuse for having less than four should be having too many other ports present to physically fit them all.
Every current Intel mobile chipset provides at least four USB3 ports, and most provide six. The only acceptable reason not to have at least four is "between all these video outputs, audio outputs, Thunderbolt port, and SD card reader, there just wasn't room for all four USB ports".
The physical USB port costs basically nothing. You can get them for ten cents apiece on Amazon - I'm sure buying in
Parallel Port (Score:3)
Nice easy instant hardware interface. A thing of beauty
Let me count... (Score:5, Funny)
one USB port for connecting the USB -> Centronics adapter for my dot matrix printer
one USB port for connecting the USB -> PS/2 adapter for my keyboard
one USB port for connecting the USB -> RS232 adapter for my BELL103 modem
Call me old fashioned (and it wouldn't be the first time), but I just need four USB ports.
Missing Option (Score:2)
I don't have or want a laptop thanks.
I have a desktop PC, a tablet and a phone.
The Phone is for ultra portable, always connected and always on.
Tablet for meetings, away from office, work, home etc. Also for at home relaxed and so on.
The PC is when I want to actually do something other than look at things - you know like actually "creating content"
Whether you are writing a book, developing, photo editing or playing serious games, a full size keyboard and screen along with a comfy mouse will make you much
Re: (Score:2)
"I don't have or want a laptop thanks."
Agreed
Re: (Score:2)
I personally would never want to be saddled with a desktop again. I used to build fancy gaming rigs with side windows/lights/many fans, but now I have a laptop that does all I could want anywhere and I can take it with me. I mainly do development/compiling work on it as well as graphics/photo editing and high end gaming. It has an i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and 1TB spinning drive, nVidia graphics, and a 15.6" full HD touchscreen. I also have 24" monitors at the 3 main locations I use it but I
Plus RS232 (Score:4, Insightful)
Because a lot of us out here still use that port. a LOT of advanced hardware is still RS232.
I just wish that Dell and Lenovo still offered it on their top of the line laptops that us pros use. Yes I will pay an extra $150 for a native rs232 port on my laptop.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Just a few weeks ago I recommended the purchase of an HP ProBook_650_G1 at work. Not for the RS232 port, but it has one nonetheless. That's a pro or at least "pro-sumer" level of laptop. It was a pleasant surprise to see the RS232 on it.
Quantity doesn't matter... (Score:3)
...when the damn USB interfaces are crammed so close together that I can only plug one thing in at a time anyway.
Don't worry though, I'm sure that design consideration is right around the corner. I mean, we consumers have only been complaining about that bullshit for years now...
3 for me (Score:2)
2 or 3 at least (Score:2)
1 just for the external fan to cool the sucker down, 1 for a transfer drive.
One is enough (Score:2)
I can always plug in a small hub if I need more ports. External devices tend to limit the portability of a laptop anyway.
Two, for diagnostics and repair (Score:2)
The existence of hubs makes the question moot for normal daily usage. But when you need to do repairs or diagnostics, being able to boot from a usb drive and plug in a second usb drive to transfer files is always nice.
Re: (Score:2)
6 or more since I always come up short, and a Centronics port as well to be able to run my EPROM programmer.
Re: (Score:2)
2.
1) USB Hub, and as much stuff as I want
2) Backup in case stuff connected to 1 gets knocked around and unsolders 1 from the motherboard. In this case I still have a place to plug in the hub.
Note: using a hub with a flexible wire decreases the odds that 1 will be bumped hard enough to damage something.
Re: (Score:2)
Yep - same here. For me it's:
1 - wireless mouse
2 - HID keycard (how I get into the VPN at work)
3 - data port (charge phone, music recording input)
4 - wireless headset or professional headphones
Of course, the point is moot because I just bought a new laptop last month. I could get by with 3 (the keycard is only necessary to connect to work and then can be unplugged unless I need to hit an HR website, but that also requires me to use IE 8 or lower and I just go in to the office when I need to do that - we hav
Re:Symmetry (Score:5, Insightful)
The previous "magsafe" connector was nicer - super quick to connect, idiot and trip-proof. I don't see the USB charging port as a step forward, personally.
Re:Symmetry (Score:5, Informative)
Round power connectors are crap. The jacks stretch and stop making proper contact in no time. Apple used to use them back in the PowerBook days, and on the PB 145, I broke at least three cables and at least two or three jacks on the back of the device over the course of three or four years.
Magsafe connectors are a godsend by comparison. In the eight years or so that I've been using them, I've broken zero ports. And if you don't count the recycled MacBook Air cables that I was using with my rechargeable external power brick, I've also broken zero cables. (If you count those, I've broken two or three, but given that the external power brick company cut them off of dead power supplies, odds are good that they had been seriously abused long before I got them.)
Magsafe 2, however, is a train wreck. The contact surface is too small to have any real grip, so they tend to fall off while I'm moving my laptop from a tray table to my lap. That "upgrade" was a huge step backwards. That's the one thing I really miss about the pre-retina MacBook Pro, and I'd be more than happy to see Apple add an extra millimeter of thickness at the edge of their case (the center is plenty thick enough) to allow them to go back to the (far superior) earlier design. With that said, I did appreciate the lighter weight of the Retina MBP when one fell edge-first out of an overhead bin onto my head a few months ago... but I digress.
The new USB power connector is doubly bad, because it has all the same problems as the older, breakage-prone designs, plus it steals your ability to use your USB port without plugging in a clumsy adapter cable. The absolute last thing I want to do is have to carry around some weird splitter cable just so I can charge my laptop and a cell phone at the same time. And of course, as an iOS developer, I keep more than one cell phone connected to my laptop for much of the day, so the new MacBook really would be nightmarish from my perspective; I'm hopeful that Apple does not even *think* about taking their Pro line in that direction.
Re: (Score:2)
Round power connectors are crap. The jacks stretch and stop making proper contact in no time.
What do you do to your machines?? I have never once had this happen to any of the dozens I've had over the years.
Re: (Score:3)
They make an add on connector called a Snuglet that fixes the issue with the Magsafe 2 port being too loose.
Re: (Score:3)
Round power connectors are crap. The jacks stretch and stop making proper contact in no time. Apple used to use them back in the PowerBook days, and on the PB 145, I broke at least three cables and at least two or three jacks on the back of the device over the course of three or four years.
What in the everloving god do you DO to your laptops? I just polled the guys around me and in a collective 30 years spanning thousands and thousands of machines we came up with TWO machines that needed repair due to power
Re:Symmetry (Score:4, Funny)
Magsafe is crap, the cables look ugly (...)
As opposed to all the pretty cables out there?
Re: (Score:2)
The cables, the cables! I have had to replace several Apple power cables that crapped out. Much fewer with the round-style connectors.
Not that I think USB charging is a step forward at all - in fact it's a regression to a single-orientation design whereas at least MagSafe was dual-orientation.
Re: (Score:2)
Isn't the USB-C reversible?
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, it is. I didn't realise Apple were using C connectors, in which case I withdraw my complaint!
Re: (Score:2)
routers? so what you really want is a serial port...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The more the merrier; I want maximum portability, not having to carry a stupid hub and power brick with me along with the laptop!
I managed to get my currently laptop up to 5 by plugging a USB3 expresscard into it but annoyingly it's unpowered so I can't plug things like scanners or hard disks into it...
Scanners and hard disks?
Ironically you're looking for "maximum portability" while crating around an entire office with you.
Re: (Score:2)
I'll agree with the scanner (unless I need legal quality I just photo paperwork in good light with my phone), but this 2TB Seagate drive is very small (and cheap at $90). There's always at least one in my laptop bag.
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-... [amazon.com]
Re: (Score:2)
It's better than having a bag full of accessories to make up for the fact that the one option you are allowed is woefully under equipped.
Re: (Score:2)
oh, why did I get logged out? I'm not anonymous, nor a coward.
jeez.