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less cords for a mac?

dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
edited January 9, 2008 in Digital Darkroom
I've seen more than a couple of claims that one benefit of a mac is they use less cords than a pc. I work on a mac for my day job (you'll note-- perhaps with horror -- that I boot it as a pc :D) and I happened to have a camera handy today so I shot a couple pics showing those cords.

Why? Well yesterday I was hunting around for a spare USB port, and couldn't find one... even the two on the external monitor were 'taken'. These photos are completely unstaged-- just snaps of how my desk (and work mac) looks on a regular day. No USB ports to spare. :cry

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Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
website blog instagram facebook g+

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    DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    User error. mwink.gif
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    dogwood wrote:
    I've seen more than a couple of claims that one benefit of a mac is they use less cords than a pc.
    Riiighht...I hear they help you lose weight as well.

    :hide
    My Pics
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    BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Yup I feel your pain... wouldn't a dock make life easier.... oh wait they don't have one.

    As a fellow MacBook owner
    -=Bradford

    Pictures | Website | Blog | Twitter | Contact
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    gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    My mac has one cord & that is the power cord.
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    David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,213 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    USB hub
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
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    dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    David_S85 wrote:
    USB hub

    Well, that's one solution I guess. That AND a firewire hub. :D
    Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
    website blog instagram facebook g+

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    dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    gus wrote:
    My mac has one cord & that is the power cord.

    Use your battery (assuming it's a notebook) and you could even have less cords-- at least while it's charged. :D
    Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
    website blog instagram facebook g+

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    BradfordBennBradfordBenn Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited December 30, 2007
    David_S85 wrote:
    USB hub

    But not everything will work off a USB hub, even if it is powered. The biggest example is the iPods. Also from my anecdotal testing, CF reader through a hub is not as fast as CF reader connected directly.
    -=Bradford

    Pictures | Website | Blog | Twitter | Contact
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    gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited December 30, 2007
    dogwood wrote:
    (assuming it's a notebook)
    Its an imac
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    Van IsleVan Isle Registered Users Posts: 384 Major grins
    edited January 6, 2008
    wireless keyboard, mouse, and network would eliminate most of those cords, as would runing the macbook on battery. Almost as if it was designed that way...ne_nau.gifmwink.gif

    VI
    dgrin.com - making my best shots even better since 2006.
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    SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 7, 2008
    David_S85 wrote:
    USB hub
    15524779-Ti.gif
    THis is the way to go.
    I have 12 usb ports on my desktop and I still only use three ports. Two of those ports are powered USB hubs. They just make life easier. Not to mention it takes the power strain off your machine. While it's not a huge power draw. Anything I can make dumb electronics vs. making my main machine work is worth it IMO.
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    ivarivar Registered Users Posts: 8,395 Major grins
    edited January 7, 2008
    dogwood wrote:
    Well, that's one solution I guess. That AND a firewire hub. :D
    A lot of products that use firewire, have 2 FW ports (at least hard drives, etc.). Connect one to your lappy, and the other one to another product; no need for hubs. Except if you have a lot of items with only one FW port of course.
    Ivar
    www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
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    dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2008
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    15524779-Ti.gif
    THis is the way to go.
    I have 12 usb ports on my desktop and I still only use three ports. Two of those ports are powered USB hubs. They just make life easier.

    Ironically, my home built PC doesn't need a USB hub-- four USB ports on the back, two on the front, and other two on one of the monitors. Plus some firewire ports. There is actually less connected to that PC though than my work mac.

    My day job mac needs a lot of extras like headphones and an mbox and a bunch of cords for telephone interviews that most photographers wouldn't need, so to be fair, I'm not really a typical mac user. And wireless is not an option since I need to connect to a server that is not on wi-fi.
    Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
    website blog instagram facebook g+

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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2008
    Docking station or port replicators are the way to go - I've got two generic ones sitting in a drawer next to me if anyone's interested in buying them.

    The one I use was made for HPs though - and it's great. Every day I come in and plug in two wires (it would be 1, but I choose to use the HDMI out instead of the analog video). The dock cable gives me power, internet, all my usb devices, audio, headphones (if I need them), microphone - and would do D-sub video if I wanted. One day of putting all these wires in the right place results in months of a relatively wire-free desk.

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    dwayne_bradleydwayne_bradley Registered Users Posts: 52 Big grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    First post at dgrin!

    Well, I think that the "rat's nest" of connections to my iMac G5 would scare the hell out of most people. Here is a list of everything that I can remember right off hand:
    • 2nd monitor
    • Logitech speakers
    • Ethernet to router (I have an airport card but I like the speed when transferring files between computers)
    • 2 powered USB hubs (1 4-port and 1 7-port)
    • 1 powered Firewire HUB (6 port)
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse (Logitech Marble Mouse trackball)
    • Wacom tablet (hate the mouse on this thing!)
    • iPod cable for 30 GB video model
    • iPod cable for shuffle
    • heuyPro montior calibrator
    • 2 printers
    • 1 scanner
    • Sandisk memory card reader
    • Bluetooth dongle (my iMac did not include internal bluetooth)
    • External Firewire 16x DVD writer (internal is just 8x)
    • External Firewire 250 GB drive (clone/backup drive)
    • External Firewire 80 GB drive (misc stuff)
    • 2 External Firewire Weibetech dual-drive enclosures
      • 1st with 2 500 GB drives - RAID 1 mirror for pictures :-)
      • 2nd with 160 GB and 80 GB drives - capture and scratch disks for Final Cut
    And of course, not only are all of these "external" thingies, printers, HUBs, speakers, etc., connected to my iMac, they also have their own power cables which further clutters up things behind my desk. You can also add to this mess by including the router and dsl modem and all of their power cords and cables. It is truely a disaster behind my desk! I wish I had a few pictures to share right now. Maybe I'll have to take some when I get home tonight.

    Can anyone beat this mess?

    Dwayne
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    SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Welcome to dgrin wave.gif

    Wow now that's a mess! You have your own energy field humming away behind your mac! You could probably put a rat back there and he'd come out like the hulk!

    -Jon
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    dogwooddogwood Registered Users Posts: 2,572 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    dwayne_bradley wrote:
    First post at dgrin!

    Well, I think that the "rat's nest" of connections to my iMac G5 would scare the hell out of most people. Here is a list of everything that I can remember right off hand:
    • 2nd monitor
    • Logitech speakers
    • Ethernet to router (I have an airport card but I like the speed when transferring files between computers)
    • 2 powered USB hubs (1 4-port and 1 7-port)
    • 1 powered Firewire HUB (6 port)
    • Keyboard
    • Mouse (Logitech Marble Mouse trackball)
    • Wacom tablet (hate the mouse on this thing!)
    • iPod cable for 30 GB video model
    • iPod cable for shuffle
    • heuyPro montior calibrator
    • 2 printers
    • 1 scanner
    • Sandisk memory card reader
    • Bluetooth dongle (my iMac did not include internal bluetooth)
    • External Firewire 16x DVD writer (internal is just 8x)
    • External Firewire 250 GB drive (clone/backup drive)
    • External Firewire 80 GB drive (misc stuff)
    • 2 External Firewire Weibetech dual-drive enclosures
      • 1st with 2 500 GB drives - RAID 1 mirror for pictures :-)
      • 2nd with 160 GB and 80 GB drives - capture and scratch disks for Final Cut
    And of course, not only are all of these "external" thingies, printers, HUBs, speakers, etc., connected to my iMac, they also have their own power cables which further clutters up things behind my desk. You can also add to this mess by including the router and dsl modem and all of their power cords and cables. It is truely a disaster behind my desk! I wish I had a few pictures to share right now. Maybe I'll have to take some when I get home tonight.

    Can anyone beat this mess?

    Dwayne

    What? No mbox? :D I'm sure there's room somewhere to add one of those...
    Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
    website blog instagram facebook g+

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    PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    dwayne_bradley wrote:
    First post at dgrin!
    ...
    Dwayne

    Welcome! wave.gif You're just right up the road from me!

    Let's see, at home...
    • 2nd monitor - yep
    • Logitech speakers - I've got the creature
    • Ethernet to router (I have an airport card but I like the speed when transferring files between computers) - Yep
    • 2 powered USB hubs (1 4-port and 1 7-port) - just one
    • 1 powered Firewire HUB (6 port) - nope
    • Keyboard -- yep
    • Mouse (Logitech Marble Mouse trackball) - yep
    • Wacom tablet (hate the mouse on this thing!) - yep
    • iPod cable for 30 GB video model - yep (Classic, though)
    • iPod cable for shuffle - nope
    • heuyPro montior calibrator - Eye1 for me
    • 2 printers - yep
    • 1 scanner - yep
    • Sandisk memory card reader - yep
    • Bluetooth dongle (my iMac did not include internal bluetooth) - yep
    • External Firewire 16x DVD writer (internal is just 8x) - yep
    • External Firewire 250 GB drive (clone/backup drive) - yep
    • External Firewire 80 GB drive (misc stuff)- no
    • 2 External Firewire Weibetech dual-drive enclosures - only one of these, too
      • 1st with 2 500 GB drives - RAID 1 mirror for pictures :-)
      • 2nd with 160 GB and 80 GB drives - capture and scratch disks for Final Cut
    By my count you've got me beat by 2 hubs, an iPod cable, an external drive, and a dual enclosure.

    And my wife thinks my desk is bad!?!? rolleyes1.gif I did spend several days developing and putting into place a cable system that keeps almost all of them hidden though. :ivar
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    SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Spending afew hours on a rainy day can make the most cluttered of workspaces seem open and free of clutter.
    It's up to the owner to keep it that way though!mwink.gif
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    dwayne_bradleydwayne_bradley Registered Users Posts: 52 Big grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Funny thing is, this "rat's nest" of stuff that I listed above does not even include the PowerBook that is setting next to my iMac along with it's firewire backup drive and Logitech cordless mouse, the ThinkPad (work laptop; I cannot stand that piece of crap!) that is sitting next to it, or the battery chargers for the camera batteries! Yes indeed, way too much stuff on my desk!
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