I'm probably missing something: why have a HDMI port if you have two Thunderbolt ports? In fact, why not just have three Thunderbolt ports - even if one is only going to carry DP and not PCI?
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> In fact, why not just have three Thunderbolt ports
Avoids needing a dongle when plugging into an HDTV or an HDMI overhead projector, I'm guessing. They probably considered the pros and cons and ended up thinking two TB ports were enough and HDMI was requested often enough it would make sense, especially as they'd axed both GigE and FW800.
And one of the TB port will often be used for e.g. a GigE adapter.
Personally, I'm surprised that the Thunderbolt<->GigE dongle is only $30. That's barely got to cover the cost of the TB chip in the thing.
Aye, the whole laptop has something like 0.05" over a standard ethernet port, so you'd have to carve the lid or something.
About the dongles: in my use I usually take the laptop to the same places all the time, so I just buy the right cable (here it would be a thunderbolt -> hdmi cable i guess). If I go to random places where I need to hook up to a monitor I won't know whether they'll have a hdmi cable just as much as I don't know if they'll have a thunderbolt cable, so I need to carry a cable anyways. What's the difference whether it's a hdmi-hdmi or thunderbolt-hdmi cable? They're likely to have DVI or DP anyway, so you still need to take the dongles with you.
Yes.
And again. People HATE buying, carying, and remembering dongles.