Call me crazy, but, doesn’t the word “laptop” denote using something on your lap? Sitting in your living room, on an airplane, or maybe even a taxi. What do all of these situations have in common? The fact that you’re not going to be plugged into Ethernet, external monitors, etc. The very definition of the name “laptop” means that it’s not intended to be used at a desk as a workhorse. That’s what desktop computers are for.
Whoever coined the term “laptop” envisioned a whole new world of leisure computing that was iPad-esque in nature. However, what the world really wanted were portable desktops that could be moved from desk to desk. What they really should have named them were “Portable Desktops”.
I bring this up because with Apple’s introduction of the updated MacBook, the tech journalists who are enamored with portable desktop computers are coming out of the woodwork to complain that the new MacBook still only has one USB-C port. The MacBook is built to be used as a laptop. Kind of like a two-seat roadster built to be nimble and light. The press can complain all it wants about the lack of a rear seat but adding one is not true to the essence of the sports car. Likewise, a laptop in its essence doesn’t need more than one port. While sitting on the train you don’t need…any.
Many of these MacBook critics are the same guys who think working on an iPad is a joke. The contingent that laughs at any effort to take an iPad and turn it into a primary computer is being hypocritical. Because that is precisely what they’ve done with the laptop. They took something intended to be used away from desks and used it as their main desk machine. Laptops were intended for traveling executives who spent a lot of time in airports, hotel rooms, and taxis. They weren’t intended for writers and programmers who spend all day, every day sitting at their desk.
This is all reminiscent of what happened between the Macintosh and the Apple II. For many years after Steve Jobs announced that the Macintosh was the future of Apple, the Apple II continued to be Apple’s bread and butter product. But eventually the Macintosh surpassed the Apple II and usurped its role as the primary product.
Products like the MacBook and iPad Pro are the true laptops of the future. They are unapologetically lightweight and will continue to grow in capability. They fulfill the original vision for what a laptop should be.
I bring this up because with Apple’s introduction of the updated MacBook, the tech journalists who are enamored with portable desktop computers are coming out of the woodwork to complain that the new MacBook still only has one USB-C port. The MacBook is built to be used as a laptop. Kind of like a two-seat roadster built to be nimble and light. The press can complain all it wants about the lack of a rear seat but adding one is not true to the essence of the sports car. Likewise, a laptop in its essence doesn’t need more than one port. While sitting on the train you don’t need…any.
Many of these MacBook critics are the same guys who think working on an iPad is a joke. The contingent that laughs at any effort to take an iPad and turn it into a primary computer is being hypocritical. Because that is precisely what they’ve done with the laptop. They took something intended to be used away from desks and used it as their main desk machine. Laptops were intended for traveling executives who spent a lot of time in airports, hotel rooms, and taxis. They weren’t intended for writers and programmers who spend all day, every day sitting at their desk.
This is all reminiscent of what happened between the Macintosh and the Apple II. For many years after Steve Jobs announced that the Macintosh was the future of Apple, the Apple II continued to be Apple’s bread and butter product. But eventually the Macintosh surpassed the Apple II and usurped its role as the primary product.
Products like the MacBook and iPad Pro are the true laptops of the future. They are unapologetically lightweight and will continue to grow in capability. They fulfill the original vision for what a laptop should be.
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