I'm having a hard time understanding why people get so worked up over adapters. I actually like adapters. They're like little pieces of handshaking technology. Curiously satisfying, in a way, especially when you find the right one on the display rack or the website.
There are probably a few reasons: First, after spending 1K or more on a new Mac, it can be annoying to have to go and buy something additional for functionality. Apple knew this when they shipped the iPhone 7, so they included a headphone dongle for legacy ear/headphones, even though they shipped Lightning 'phones as well. They sell more iPhones than Macs and I assume they didn't want to upset so many people.
Second, Apple has had a lot of uneven experience with many of their branded dongles not working properly. They charge more than third-parties and there's the reasonable expectation that they should just work. And that isn't always the case. Apple discussion boards are full of these complaints, as are other sites.
Third, third-party adapters aren't always reliable either, especially regarding USB-C cables. Benson Leung (?) of Google has been testing USB-C cables and finding many used to connect a USB-C computer to a USB Type A power supply lacked proper current limiting and could damage computers.
Fourth, Apple charges a pretty penny for the MFi program so manufacturers can sell Apple-approved anything. This raises the price of dongles and cables, and limits selection. So over all there's an extra squeeze in the gotcha-by-the balls hold.
Sure not every user will need every dongle that Apple or anybody makes. They won't need half of them. And if every user only needed one dongle, there might not be any Dongle Rage. And nobody even makes (or makes one that works) a dongle I'd like to have– one that lets me charge my MacBook while using any other dongle or device. This would be a no-brainer with two USB-C ports.
Some people use their books a lot more than others and consequently need more dongles. I can easily see where it's annoying to get somewhere and forget one. It happens because people are human.
I have an impossible time understanding why some people believe their use case is some universal standard that must be revered. Ok, maybe nearly impossible.
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Second, Apple has had a lot of uneven experience with many of their branded dongles not working properly. They charge more than third-parties and there's the reasonable expectation that they should just work. And that isn't always the case. Apple discussion boards are full of these complaints, as are other sites.
Third, third-party adapters aren't always reliable either, especially regarding USB-C cables. Benson Leung (?) of Google has been testing USB-C cables and finding many used to connect a USB-C computer to a USB Type A power supply lacked proper current limiting and could damage computers.
Fourth, Apple charges a pretty penny for the MFi program so manufacturers can sell Apple-approved anything. This raises the price of dongles and cables, and limits selection. So over all there's an extra squeeze in the gotcha-by-the balls hold.
Sure not every user will need every dongle that Apple or anybody makes. They won't need half of them. And if every user only needed one dongle, there might not be any Dongle Rage. And nobody even makes (or makes one that works) a dongle I'd like to have– one that lets me charge my MacBook while using any other dongle or device. This would be a no-brainer with two USB-C ports.
Some people use their books a lot more than others and consequently need more dongles. I can easily see where it's annoying to get somewhere and forget one. It happens because people are human.
I have an impossible time understanding why some people believe their use case is some universal standard that must be revered. Ok, maybe nearly impossible.