Someone has a very loose definition of a “nightmare.”
Kind of a first-world definition of a "nightmare".
Yeah, well, since around here having to flip a USB A connector over to plug it in, having to actually dig out your credit card instead of being able to use Apple Pay, and the continued existence of the lightning port instead of pure wireless charging are considered huge deals, the title was appropriate.
Clearly, they could have used the standard USB A cable for the Apple Watch, etc. The whole point here was to test the viability of USB C since it's being pushed as 'the future.' I think it's safe to say that USB C is still the future and not the present.
The comments about "MacBook Pro should have moar portz!" are kind of missing the point of the article. It's not that they need dongles to plug the stuff they brought with them into their MacBook Pro, it's that they can't use USB-C only to charge their other devices yet.
If the only devices they'd decided to charge via USB-C were the two that needed it - the MacBook Pro, and the iPad Pro - then they wouldn't have had a problem. The problem is caused by trying to use USB-C to charge everything, and not having enough USB-C ports available to charge everything at once.
I still don't see the problem. The 3 (sans power) fucking USB-C ports, how many do they need?
And how many devices are enough?
I had the same problem (not enough ports to charge) as a photographer with USB A, so that has nothing to do with USB C.
And anybody who knows that they have multiple devices to charge could have gotten an appropriate breakout box with 2-3-5 USB C -- there are several.
This is contrived BS.
If you're working at a trade show, you just might find yourself in a situation where you have one or more devices running down and either no convenient wall points to charge from, or nowhere to sit and plug in your MacBook Pro, then arrange the other devices around it. Note that, while in clamshell mode and disconnected from power, the MBP will tend to power down the USB ports. And if your MacBook Pro is one of the things running low on power, you're definitely going to need somewhere to plug it in.
It's quite easy to find yourself running low on power in multiple devices. Especially if you're taking lots of photographs, recording interviews, editing footage on the fly, writing blog entries and news reports, and using LTE for data (since the WiFi at these things is pretty basic, and massively oversubscribed). I expect if you're working at these things, you don't usually get to go back to your hotel room until quite late. Sure, charging over night will set you up for first thing tomorrow morning, but how long will it last?
Even so, this kind of ignores the point of the article. They decided, as an experiment at least, to work at CES using only USB-C. Unfortunately, it's not pervasive enough to make this work. Yet/ It probably will be in a few years. In the meantime, you probably do need to carry some USB-A cables.
USB-A is massively entrenched. It will take years (decades) for the PC side to let go. I appreciate why Apple wants to move USB-C forward and make it ubiquitous, but, at this point, I think they are doing us all a great disservice by not including a “legacy” USB port for convenience.
Really? Including the “legacy” USB port would only enable continued, further entrenchment of the old standard. Apple’s move here is the one thing that will push the change to happen faster. Leave the legacy port and the third-party manufacturers will only drag their feet at making products that take advantage of the bigger throughput of USB-C. Get rid of the USB-A port, and those third-party manufacturers will see more and more MBP owners who want to buy USB-C peripherals.
Also, the physical size of the USB-A port would affect the entire design of the MBP shell, and including one would necessitate that MBP be a larger, heavier device, all just to have a large hole for a slow port. Exactly whose convenience are you thinking about? USB-A was introduced in 1996. Computers were still using 1.44 MB floppy discs in 1996. Why should a 23 year-old standard be controlling the design of a new computer made in 2019?
The one way to get past something that is outdated but “massively entrenched” is to shut it out and get rid of it. Besides, if you as an end-user just can’t get over it, you can still get a dongle so you can attach your floppy disc drive. I think that’s a much more reasonable solution than requiring everyone else to lug around a heavier notebook just because you can’t let go.
So a totally arbitrary experiment is a nightmare? Whose fault is that? This just feeds into the FUD over USB-C when you could’ve just used a travel extension cord with plenty of AC outlets to plug in whichever number of chargers you needed to charge with whatever cable.
USB-A is massively entrenched. It will take years (decades) for the PC side to let go. I appreciate why Apple wants to move USB-C forward and make it ubiquitous, but, at this point, I think they are doing us all a great disservice by not including a “legacy” USB port for convenience.
Really? Including the “legacy” USB port would only enable continued, further entrenchment of the old standard. Apple’s move here is the one thing that will push the change to happen faster. Leave the legacy port and the third-party manufacturers will only drag their feet at making products that take advantage of the bigger throughput of USB-C. Get rid of the USB-A port, and those third-party manufacturers will see more and more MBP owners who want to buy USB-C peripherals.
Also, the physical size of the USB-A port would affect the entire design of the MBP shell, and including one would necessitate that MBP be a larger, heavier device, all just to have a large hole for a slow port. Exactly whose convenience are you thinking about? USB-A was introduced in 1996. Computers were still using 1.44 MB floppy discs in 1996. Why should a 23 year-old standard be controlling the design of a new computer made in 2019?
The one way to get past something that is outdated but “massively entrenched” is to shut it out and get rid of it. Besides, if you as an end-user just can’t get over it, you can still get a dongle so you can attach your floppy disc drive. I think that’s a much more reasonable solution than requiring everyone else to lug around a heavier notebook just because you can’t let go.
Standards shouldn't be changed simply for the sake of change. They should be changed because there is enough of a benefit to the new standard to justify the change. If there really is a benefit to USB C, the change will happen, regardless of whether USB A ports still exist or not. If simply leaving a USB A port on computers is enough to keep people from changing, it speaks to the lack of benefits of the new standard. 1.44MB floppies died out because they were no longer useful. USB A, on the other hand is still quite useful.
Unlike desktops, laptops are about convenience and portability. Requiring people to carry around a slew of dongles to make their $1500 computer compatible with the rest of the world. There is nothing wrong with including new ports, but eliminating the old ports simply for the sake of pushing a new standard is sacrificing the convenience of everyone using the device for your vision of the future.
As for it making the computer heavier, the MacBook airs had USB A ports and were clearly not heavier. (arguably, they were the most popular laptop Apple ever made.)
Has anyone tried plugging a solar panel USB into one of these battery Banks to keep it charged up? It will charge it up but as long as the bank is charging up, for some reason they have the electronics to shut off all outputs! Completely doesn't make sense whatsoever... So you have to disconnect from solar charger in order to actually use the damn Bank defeating the purpose of the solar panel....
It all depends on the battery pack. The feature you are looking for is "pass-thru charging". Some packs will charge and supply power to the USB ports at the same time. Some will not.
Well, I for one appreciated the article. Kudos, AppleInsider staff! And I chuckle to see that a good number of forum commenters are bashing AppleInsider folks for daring to have written the obvious truth. The same unfortunate mentality has resulted in such people bashing me since late 2016 when I dared to say Apple's decision to abandon USB-A entirely on the MBP for USB-C was insanely bad. Had it 3 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A, it would almost have been insanely great. But of course, the insanely great honor can only come when the SD card slot is restored, along with a good keyboard, the extension power cord (free, in the box), LED on power cord to let you know charging state, glowing Apple logo on back, etc.
USB-A will be with us even 10 years hence. And during all those years, people who embrace USB-C only machines will have increased blood pressure levels due to endless frustrations and the loss of countless dongles. But hey, Apple has a fix for your ailing health too -- the Apple Watch.
I've only had to buy one dongle. Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2. When I'm at my desk I'm connected to two Thunderbolt Monitors which means I have 6 USB A ports for my wireless keyboard that needs an adapter (it's a Logitech solar one there were no rechargable bluetooth ones I saw at the time.) my Wacom tablet (which Wacom seems to be intentionally making work worse and worse with each software update) an external HDD for Time Machine, (not that I really need it with iCloud Drive) and then I've still got three more USB A ports for other random things I might want to plug in.
But honestly, what do I even need to plug into my computer these days? Other than power it's pretty well all legacy devices. Mice, keyboards and other input devices are pretty well all bluetooth now. I think most external storage these days is coming with USB C (the Samsung SSD drive I bought and returned recently was USB C on the device and came with two cables. My iPhone and iPad connect wirelessly now. Printers are all Wifi. Aside from SD cards from cameras or audio hardware for musicians, what exactly are people plugging in on the go?
USB-A is massively entrenched. It will take years (decades) for the PC side to let go. I appreciate why Apple wants to move USB-C forward and make it ubiquitous, but, at this point, I think they are doing us all a great disservice by not including a “legacy” USB port for convenience.
Really? Including the “legacy” USB port would only enable continued, further entrenchment of the old standard. Apple’s move here is the one thing that will push the change to happen faster. Leave the legacy port and the third-party manufacturers will only drag their feet at making products that take advantage of the bigger throughput of USB-C. Get rid of the USB-A port, and those third-party manufacturers will see more and more MBP owners who want to buy USB-C peripherals.
Also, the physical size of the USB-A port would affect the entire design of the MBP shell, and including one would necessitate that MBP be a larger, heavier device, all just to have a large hole for a slow port. Exactly whose convenience are you thinking about? USB-A was introduced in 1996. Computers were still using 1.44 MB floppy discs in 1996. Why should a 23 year-old standard be controlling the design of a new computer made in 2019?
The one way to get past something that is outdated but “massively entrenched” is to shut it out and get rid of it. Besides, if you as an end-user just can’t get over it, you can still get a dongle so you can attach your floppy disc drive. I think that’s a much more reasonable solution than requiring everyone else to lug around a heavier notebook just because you can’t let go.
Users should be encouraged to switch to new connection standards, not obliged.
If the advancement really is a step forward, they will transition to the new technology but at their own pace depending on a series of factors that the users themselves will define.
The word 'legacy' gets banded around a lot. Perhaps it reached peak levels of use (and hysteria) with the USB-C only MBP refresh.
People were declaring USB-C as 'the future' and everything that came before it as 'legacy'.
More than two years later (the future!) those ports still abound in the industry - including Apple's desktop lines. 'Legacy' ports are very much alive and kicking. Those ports will go away - slowly - as the industry as a whole and users transition to the better, more flexible options but if the process is slow it isn't because of entrenchment.
People use what they already have and it will last for years. Visit any store for storage options and you will still see USB2 and USB3 storage options galore. Only those who have an interest in switching will actually seek out USB-C options but for that, a couple of ports is enough - alongside those, ehem, legacy ports. Just like the new Mini (which even has more than a couple).
Size? Laptops were already thin and the term ultrabook was coined for a reason. Some manufacturers even put USB-A back on models they had removed it from (due to consumer feedback) and still kept things svelte.
It could even be argued that Apple shaving off millimetres has brought more trouble than it's worth. We now have new keyboard designs with shallow travel that have have well known issues. We have situations where repairs necessitate switching out good components that technically should have nothing to do with the faulty part, increasing the cost of repair out of warranty.
All the while, we see arguments for 'sustainability' plaudits through longer upgrade cycles (for example iPhone) while turning a blind eye to the issues surrounding the newer MBPs.
I said two years ago that wholesale switch to USB-C was not necessary. USB-C could be introduced as another option with zero (or little - Thunderbolt over USB-C has been confusing for some) disruption to users' lives.
That stance, IMO, has been more than justified by events over the last two years.
USB-A is massively entrenched. It will take years (decades) for the PC side to let go. I appreciate why Apple wants to move USB-C forward and make it ubiquitous, but, at this point, I think they are doing us all a great disservice by not including a “legacy” USB port for convenience.
Really? Including the “legacy” USB port would only enable continued, further entrenchment of the old standard. Apple’s move here is the one thing that will push the change to happen faster. Leave the legacy port and the third-party manufacturers will only drag their feet at making products that take advantage of the bigger throughput of USB-C. Get rid of the USB-A port, and those third-party manufacturers will see more and more MBP owners who want to buy USB-C peripherals.
Also, the physical size of the USB-A port would affect the entire design of the MBP shell, and including one would necessitate that MBP be a larger, heavier device, all just to have a large hole for a slow port. Exactly whose convenience are you thinking about? USB-A was introduced in 1996. Computers were still using 1.44 MB floppy discs in 1996. Why should a 23 year-old standard be controlling the design of a new computer made in 2019?
The one way to get past something that is outdated but “massively entrenched” is to shut it out and get rid of it. Besides, if you as an end-user just can’t get over it, you can still get a dongle so you can attach your floppy disc drive. I think that’s a much more reasonable solution than requiring everyone else to lug around a heavier notebook just because you can’t let go.
Standards shouldn't be changed simply for the sake of change. They should be changed because there is enough of a benefit to the new standard to justify the change. If there really is a benefit to USB C, the change will happen, regardless of whether USB A ports still exist or not. If simply leaving a USB A port on computers is enough to keep people from changing, it speaks to the lack of benefits of the new standard. 1.44MB floppies died out because they were no longer useful. USB A, on the other hand is still quite useful.
Unlike desktops, laptops are about convenience and portability. Requiring people to carry around a slew of dongles to make their $1500 computer compatible with the rest of the world. There is nothing wrong with including new ports, but eliminating the old ports simply for the sake of pushing a new standard is sacrificing the convenience of everyone using the device for your vision of the future.
As for it making the computer heavier, the MacBook airs had USB A ports and were clearly not heavier. (arguably, they were the most popular laptop Apple ever made.)
The standard wasn’t changed for the sake of change. It’s faster and smaller, and truly more universal, which is what the U in USB stands for. You can’t charge a notebook with USB-A.
If you really want a gas/electric hybrid car, buy a Prius. Don’t complain that there’s no gas tank in a Tesla.
Also, you grossly exaggerate the inconvenience of the dongles. I bought two for my MBP. One is a C-to-A, that I use occasionally, but not frequently. The other is a C-to-LAN which is used rarely, and is stored proximate to the router.
I’d rather have the new, smaller and faster standard built in and use dongles for backward compatibility, rather than have the form of the new device held back to keep a big hole for the old, slower standard for which there is no genuine forward compatibility dongle. Try as you might, you will never get a USB-A port to transfer as much power or data as a USB-C.
I don’t travel, don’t go to shows, and don’t have a USB-C device, yet I knew what your results would be the moment you said you thought you’d see what would happen.
You should’ve known too. USB-C is barely anywhere yet. It will take a very long time for it to attain commonplace utility status, because USB-A is already everywhere. Until the day that USB-C dominates (and I hope that day comes ASAP), bringing your own is a must.
What made you think there’d be any other possible outcome?
I don’t travel, don’t go to shows, and don’t have a USB-C device, yet I knew what your results would be the moment you said you thought you’d see what would happen.
You should’ve known too. USB-C is barely anywhere yet. It will take a very long time for it to attain commonplace utility status, because USB-A is already everywhere. Until the day that USB-C dominates (and I hope that day comes ASAP), bringing your own is a must.
What made you think there’d be any other possible outcome?
Suspecting what was going to happen isn't the same as practically proving it.
Besides, sometimes I just like to hassle the other guys. Ask William about the time I took away his Apple Watch for a week a few years ago
Curious... How is everyone's display working on their new Macbook Pro (2016+)? With the new "flexgate" problem discovered, Apple's lawsuits over faulty display ribbons are piling up... I hear it's a nasty $600 repair, according to iFixit. Hopefully you have the new 2018 model that fixed their keyboards. Even with the newly designed keyboards which fixed the previous design flaw, now you still have a display that will go out at any time after the warranty expires. In addition, no magsafe port. In addition, data recovery port on the SSD has been removed from 2016+ models.
I'm not sure I would take a free 2016+ model - If I did, I would likely sell it to some unsuspecting idiot.
My really old 2013 Macbook Pro is working great and flawless! Data recovery is possible, keyboard is great, Magsafe is alive and well, no display issues, plenty of ports, I can go on and on....
Apple either truly does not care anymore, or they don't understand what people are asking for.
The comments about "MacBook Pro should have moar portz!" are kind of missing the point of the article. It's not that they need dongles to plug the stuff they brought with them into their MacBook Pro, it's that they can't use USB-C only to charge their other devices yet.
If the only devices they'd decided to charge via USB-C were the two that needed it - the MacBook Pro, and the iPad Pro - then they wouldn't have had a problem. The problem is caused by trying to use USB-C to charge everything, and not having enough USB-C ports available to charge everything at once.
I still don't see the problem. The 3 (sans power) fucking USB-C ports, how many do they need?
And how many devices are enough?
I had the same problem (not enough ports to charge) as a photographer with USB A, so that has nothing to do with USB C.
And anybody who knows that they have multiple devices to charge could have gotten an appropriate breakout box with 2-3-5 USB C -- there are several.
This is contrived BS.
If you're working at a trade show, you just might find yourself in a situation where you have one or more devices running down and either no convenient wall points to charge from, or nowhere to sit and plug in your MacBook Pro, then arrange the other devices around it. Note that, while in clamshell mode and disconnected from power, the MBP will tend to power down the USB ports. And if your MacBook Pro is one of the things running low on power, you're definitely going to need somewhere to plug it in.
It's quite easy to find yourself running low on power in multiple devices. Especially if you're taking lots of photographs, recording interviews, editing footage on the fly, writing blog entries and news reports, and using LTE for data (since the WiFi at these things is pretty basic, and massively oversubscribed). I expect if you're working at these things, you don't usually get to go back to your hotel room until quite late. Sure, charging over night will set you up for first thing tomorrow morning, but how long will it last?
Even so, this kind of ignores the point of the article. They decided, as an experiment at least, to work at CES using only USB-C. Unfortunately, it's not pervasive enough to make this work. Yet/ It probably will be in a few years. In the meantime, you probably do need to carry some USB-A cables.
Carry a USB-C battery like the Anker and a charger. The Nikon uses it's own batteries that you should bring spares of.
A small travel power strip and set of chargers handles everything listed. There's nothing they brought that I haven't taken into a desert where the only power came from vehicles or generators. Everything could have easily been done using USB-C if they didn't limit themselves to ONE charger. Two of the dual chargers and the MBP brick is all you need.
Curious... How is everyone's display working on their new Macbook Pro (2016+)? With the new "flexgate" problem discovered, Apple's lawsuits over faulty display ribbons are piling up... I hear it's a nasty $600 repair, according to iFixit. Hopefully you have the new 2018 model that fixed their keyboards. Even with the newly designed keyboards which fixed the previous design flaw, now you still have a display that will go out at any time after the warranty expires. In addition, no magsafe port. In addition, data recovery port on the SSD has been removed from 2016+ models.
I'm not sure I would take a free 2016+ model - If I did, I would likely sell it to some unsuspecting idiot.
My really old 2013 Macbook Pro is working great and flawless! Data recovery is possible, keyboard is great, Magsafe is alive and well, no display issues, plenty of ports, I can go on and on....
Apple either truly does not care anymore, or they don't understand what people are asking for.
There's no indication that the problem is widespread. Last two paragraphs. The 2013 can suffer from potential GPU problems, a different kind of display cable tearing, fragile drive cables, and a few other issues. You have survival bias.
It's great that your machine is fine. However, the service data says that despite your complaints here, it is failing less frequently in the first year of ownership (and the second, in the case of the 2016), versus the 2012-2015 models.
Curious... How is everyone's display working on their new Macbook Pro (2016+)? With the new "flexgate" problem discovered, Apple's lawsuits over faulty display ribbons are piling up... I hear it's a nasty $600 repair, according to iFixit. Hopefully you have the new 2018 model that fixed their keyboards. Even with the newly designed keyboards which fixed the previous design flaw, now you still have a display that will go out at any time after the warranty expires. In addition, no magsafe port. In addition, data recovery port on the SSD has been removed from 2016+ models.
I'm not sure I would take a free 2016+ model - If I did, I would likely sell it to some unsuspecting idiot.
My really old 2013 Macbook Pro is working great and flawless! Data recovery is possible, keyboard is great, Magsafe is alive and well, no display issues, plenty of ports, I can go on and on....
Apple either truly does not care anymore, or they don't understand what people are asking for.
"piling up" - citation needed
My 2011 MBP had four logic boards, two displays, two top cases, two hard drives, four or five wifi/bluetooth flex cables, three wifi/bluetooth cards all replaced within its 8 years of life. It's not like the 2013 models or any others from prior to 2016 are invincible or flaw-free. So far my 2018 MBP is doing just great, and is my favorite Mac I've ever owned. Instead of paying for $600 repairs, one could buy AppleCare, look at the benefits on their credit card which may cover electronics repairs, get a personal line of coverage from their renters/homeowners insurance company with no deductible, so forth.
People use what they already have and it will last for years. Visit any store for storage options and you will still see USB2 and USB3 storage options galore. Only those who have an interest in switching will actually seek out USB-C options but for that, a couple of ports is enough - alongside those, ehem, legacy ports. Just like the new Mini (which even has more than a couple).
Ridiculous. First off, you're conflating USB2.0/3.0 (data protocols) with USB-C (a connector standard). I assume you mean USB-A or Micro-B versus USB-C, in which case there's absolutely no reason one couldn't also just pick up a USB-A or Micro-B to USB-C cable (and that applies to any other USB-A accessory they might own). Anyone buying storage after the fact would hopefully be smart enough to not buy anything limited to USB 2.0 (480Mbps) anymore, since that'd be an old piece of gear. Any existing USB 2.0 storage should be replaced with USB3.1 gen1/gen2 (5/10Gbps) enclosures/devices where possible, obviously, in which case you might as well just buy stuff with USB-C ports/cables to begin with. Anything with built-in USB-A cables can just get a little adapter stuck on the end and left there permanently — that's what I did with my 30" Cinema Display, on top of the old DVI to mDP adapter in between. Carry a little A to C adapter on your keychain for the random thumb drive or whatever, or need to plug in your iPhone cable, etc. None of this is a big deal.
There's literally no reason any of this needs to be a serious problem for anyone.
People use what they already have and it will last for years. Visit any store for storage options and you will still see USB2 and USB3 storage options galore. Only those who have an interest in switching will actually seek out USB-C options but for that, a couple of ports is enough - alongside those, ehem, legacy ports. Just like the new Mini (which even has more than a couple).
Ridiculous. First off, you're conflating USB2.0/3.0 (data protocols) with USB-C (a connector standard). I assume you mean USB-A or Micro-B versus USB-C, in which case there's absolutely no reason one couldn't also just pick up a USB-A or Micro-B to USB-C cable (and that applies to any other USB-A accessory they might own). Anyone buying storage after the fact would hopefully be smart enough to not buy anything limited to USB 2.0 (480Mbps) anymore, since that'd be an old piece of gear. Any existing USB 2.0 storage should be replaced with USB3.1 gen1/gen2 (5/10Gbps) enclosures/devices where possible, obviously, in which case you might as well just buy stuff with USB-C ports/cables to begin with. Anything with built-in USB-A cables can just get a little adapter stuck on the end and left there permanently — that's what I did with my 30" Cinema Display, on top of the old DVI to mDP adapter in between. Carry a little A to C adapter on your keychain for the random thumb drive or whatever, or need to plug in your iPhone cable, etc. None of this is a big deal.
There's literally no reason any of this needs to be a serious problem for anyone.
I wasn't conflating, simply using the terms people use most often but that isn't the point. The point is that wholesale switch to USB-C in 2016 was unnecessary. Making people buy adapters or new cables was unnecessary. Other manufacturers provided docks in the box - and still do. If they can do that, so can Apple.
We still have ethernet on routers and HDMI on TVs for example.
And having just ONE USB-C port on the original MacBook was plain stupid.
Comments
Clearly, they could have used the standard USB A cable for the Apple Watch, etc. The whole point here was to test the viability of USB C since it's being pushed as 'the future.' I think it's safe to say that USB C is still the future and not the present.
If you're working at a trade show, you just might find yourself in a situation where you have one or more devices running down and either no convenient wall points to charge from, or nowhere to sit and plug in your MacBook Pro, then arrange the other devices around it. Note that, while in clamshell mode and disconnected from power, the MBP will tend to power down the USB ports. And if your MacBook Pro is one of the things running low on power, you're definitely going to need somewhere to plug it in.
It's quite easy to find yourself running low on power in multiple devices. Especially if you're taking lots of photographs, recording interviews, editing footage on the fly, writing blog entries and news reports, and using LTE for data (since the WiFi at these things is pretty basic, and massively oversubscribed). I expect if you're working at these things, you don't usually get to go back to your hotel room until quite late. Sure, charging over night will set you up for first thing tomorrow morning, but how long will it last?
Even so, this kind of ignores the point of the article. They decided, as an experiment at least, to work at CES using only USB-C. Unfortunately, it's not pervasive enough to make this work. Yet/ It probably will be in a few years. In the meantime, you probably do need to carry some USB-A cables.
Also, the physical size of the USB-A port would affect the entire design of the MBP shell, and including one would necessitate that MBP be a larger, heavier device, all just to have a large hole for a slow port. Exactly whose convenience are you thinking about? USB-A was introduced in 1996. Computers were still using 1.44 MB floppy discs in 1996. Why should a 23 year-old standard be controlling the design of a new computer made in 2019?
The one way to get past something that is outdated but “massively entrenched” is to shut it out and get rid of it. Besides, if you as an end-user just can’t get over it, you can still get a dongle so you can attach your floppy disc drive. I think that’s a much more reasonable solution than requiring everyone else to lug around a heavier notebook just because you can’t let go.
Unlike desktops, laptops are about convenience and portability. Requiring people to carry around a slew of dongles to make their $1500 computer compatible with the rest of the world. There is nothing wrong with including new ports, but eliminating the old ports simply for the sake of pushing a new standard is sacrificing the convenience of everyone using the device for your vision of the future.
As for it making the computer heavier, the MacBook airs had USB A ports and were clearly not heavier. (arguably, they were the most popular laptop Apple ever made.)
USB-A will be with us even 10 years hence. And during all those years, people who embrace USB-C only machines will have increased blood pressure levels due to endless frustrations and the loss of countless dongles. But hey, Apple has a fix for your ailing health too -- the Apple Watch.
If the advancement really is a step forward, they will transition to the new technology but at their own pace depending on a series of factors that the users themselves will define.
The word 'legacy' gets banded around a lot. Perhaps it reached peak levels of use (and hysteria) with the USB-C only MBP refresh.
People were declaring USB-C as 'the future' and everything that came before it as 'legacy'.
More than two years later (the future!) those ports still abound in the industry - including Apple's desktop lines. 'Legacy' ports are very much alive and kicking. Those ports will go away - slowly - as the industry as a whole and users transition to the better, more flexible options but if the process is slow it isn't because of entrenchment.
People use what they already have and it will last for years. Visit any store for storage options and you will still see USB2 and USB3 storage options galore. Only those who have an interest in switching will actually seek out USB-C options but for that, a couple of ports is enough - alongside those, ehem, legacy ports. Just like the new Mini (which even has more than a couple).
Size? Laptops were already thin and the term ultrabook was coined for a reason. Some manufacturers even put USB-A back on models they had removed it from (due to consumer feedback) and still kept things svelte.
It could even be argued that Apple shaving off millimetres has brought more trouble than it's worth. We now have new keyboard designs with shallow travel that have have well known issues. We have situations where repairs necessitate switching out good components that technically should have nothing to do with the faulty part, increasing the cost of repair out of warranty.
All the while, we see arguments for 'sustainability' plaudits through longer upgrade cycles (for example iPhone) while turning a blind eye to the issues surrounding the newer MBPs.
I said two years ago that wholesale switch to USB-C was not necessary. USB-C could be introduced as another option with zero (or little - Thunderbolt over USB-C has been confusing for some) disruption to users' lives.
That stance, IMO, has been more than justified by events over the last two years.
If you really want a gas/electric hybrid car, buy a Prius. Don’t complain that there’s no gas tank in a Tesla.
Also, you grossly exaggerate the inconvenience of the dongles. I bought two for my MBP. One is a C-to-A, that I use occasionally, but not frequently. The other is a C-to-LAN which is used rarely, and is stored proximate to the router.
I’d rather have the new, smaller and faster standard built in and use dongles for backward compatibility, rather than have the form of the new device held back to keep a big hole for the old, slower standard for which there is no genuine forward compatibility dongle. Try as you might, you will never get a USB-A port to transfer as much power or data as a USB-C.
You should’ve known too. USB-C is barely anywhere yet. It will take a very long time for it to attain commonplace utility status, because USB-A is already everywhere. Until the day that USB-C dominates (and I hope that day comes ASAP), bringing your own is a must.
What made you think there’d be any other possible outcome?
A small travel power strip and set of chargers handles everything listed. There's nothing they brought that I haven't taken into a desert where the only power came from vehicles or generators. Everything could have easily been done using USB-C if they didn't limit themselves to ONE charger. Two of the dual chargers and the MBP brick is all you need.
It's great that your machine is fine. However, the service data says that despite your complaints here, it is failing less frequently in the first year of ownership (and the second, in the case of the 2016), versus the 2012-2015 models.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/22/macbook-pros-stage-lighting-problem-caused-by-thin-cable-integrated-into-display
My 2011 MBP had four logic boards, two displays, two top cases, two hard drives, four or five wifi/bluetooth flex cables, three wifi/bluetooth cards all replaced within its 8 years of life. It's not like the 2013 models or any others from prior to 2016 are invincible or flaw-free. So far my 2018 MBP is doing just great, and is my favorite Mac I've ever owned. Instead of paying for $600 repairs, one could buy AppleCare, look at the benefits on their credit card which may cover electronics repairs, get a personal line of coverage from their renters/homeowners insurance company with no deductible, so forth.
Ridiculous. First off, you're conflating USB2.0/3.0 (data protocols) with USB-C (a connector standard). I assume you mean USB-A or Micro-B versus USB-C, in which case there's absolutely no reason one couldn't also just pick up a USB-A or Micro-B to USB-C cable (and that applies to any other USB-A accessory they might own). Anyone buying storage after the fact would hopefully be smart enough to not buy anything limited to USB 2.0 (480Mbps) anymore, since that'd be an old piece of gear. Any existing USB 2.0 storage should be replaced with USB3.1 gen1/gen2 (5/10Gbps) enclosures/devices where possible, obviously, in which case you might as well just buy stuff with USB-C ports/cables to begin with. Anything with built-in USB-A cables can just get a little adapter stuck on the end and left there permanently — that's what I did with my 30" Cinema Display, on top of the old DVI to mDP adapter in between. Carry a little A to C adapter on your keychain for the random thumb drive or whatever, or need to plug in your iPhone cable, etc. None of this is a big deal.
There's literally no reason any of this needs to be a serious problem for anyone.
We still have ethernet on routers and HDMI on TVs for example.
And having just ONE USB-C port on the original MacBook was plain stupid.