What external ports do you reaaally need?

HDMI, USB2.0, Power. That's about it.

For LAN, you can use USB or IP over AC through the power cord. So a LAN port you don't need.

Video and audio are both built into HDMI

Power is pretty obvious.

Think about it, you only need 3 different ports, maybe 12 USB ports, 2 HDMI ports and a power connector. Nobody needs FireWire or eSATA, RJ45, Audio jacks, Serial ports, LPT ports, SP/DIF, PS/2... especially if USB2.1 or something is released which should beat the spoon out of eSATA and FW. Audio, Serial, LPT and PS/2 can easily be converted to USB anyway. What have wee all got connected to the PC? Almost everything wee have connected, can be done via USB. Mouse, keyboard, printer, harddisks, removable storage, scanner, what else?

Also, if they built in Bluetooth and WiFi that would save us a few connectors, e.g. phone data cables, mouse and keyboard receivers, printer cables... EVERY phone had got bluetooth, EVERY laptop has got WiFi and many laptops have bluetooth. WHY don't modern desktop motherboards have bluetooth? I understand they don't have wifi because many people don't need WiFi in a desktop because its not portable anyway, but what's with bluetooth?

Quote:For LAN, you can use USB or IP over AC through the power cord. So a LAN port you don't need.

What?

BlackNinja Wrote:

p4ch3c0 Wrote:What?

PoE yo!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_over_Ethernet

Forgive my rudeness, but that's Power over Ethernet, not IP over AC. Thus, my "What?" still stands.

A Wrote:
Forgive my rudeness, but that's Power over Ethernet, not IP over AC. Thus, my "What?" still stands.


Ohhh, IP over AC! Yeah, never mind about that, its pretty 1337, you wouldn't understand.

Hai2u p4ch3c0!

Lol.


Anyways, as for Bluetooth, it's really expensive.  Wi-Fi is much more useful IMO - I dunno why phones must use Bluetooth...
LAN ports are still a lot faster and better than USB (standard Gigabit ethernet is 1000Mbps vs USB 2.0's 480Mbps max), which is somewhat ghey to setup, plus.
I don't like the idea of HDMI - I'd prefer video and audio to be separate - easier to swap things around (eg different speakers).

Currently, Firewire and eSATA are WAY faster than USB.  Actually, I'd like to see eSATA take over USB, but that's unlikely to occur.  The main use of Firewire is still DV though.  I haven't heard of any plans for any update on USB yet either...
As for the other ports, I believe they could be merged into USB :P

kinda interesting

heeh