If it has five ports, it will be one more port than I have now with the base M1 Mac mini. Add to that it is much more capable ports. I’ve always had more devices than I can plug directly into the mini or our iMac so we have hubs. Hopefully they do reduce the size. It is time for the usb-a ports to go and will likely go. Need usb-a? You knew this was coming. Get a hub, adapter or new cable. Get a thunderbolt dock with a mix of ports, then you have full speed to most of your devices. I say this even with weird usb-a cables I have. Yes there is still USB-A devices being sold. I bought solar lanterns from Costco last month, which could be charged by USB-C but only can charge other devices by its USB-A port. At least they included USB-A to USB-C cable. Apple still sells 30 pin to USB-A cable for $19. 25/9pin serial/parallel connections on computers are gone. Let’s move on.
The question really is, why upgrade? Sure increase in processing power. What does the real world effects for AI M1 vs M4? IE what benefit when AI is released would I notice?
The question really is, why upgrade? Sure increase in processing power. What does the real world effects for AI M1 vs M4? IE what benefit when AI is released would I notice?
Some of us are still on Intel Mac Minis. I’m thinking of finally upgrading this generation because my 2018 Mini is at the bottom of the support list in the upcoming macOS release. Next year, it may not be supported any longer and it’s unlikely Apple will refresh the Mini again in 2025. Might as well have the best and latest when it comes out.
Most of the mice that I would be willing to use come only in USB-A flavours (as far as I know.) So I have no choice but to use a USB-A port or buy a hub that supports the USB-A port.
The question really is, why upgrade? Sure increase in processing power. What does the real world effects for AI M1 vs M4? IE what benefit when AI is released would I notice?
Some of us are still on Intel Mac Minis. I’m thinking of finally upgrading this generation because my 2018 Mini is at the bottom of the support list in the upcoming macOS release. Next year, it may not be supported any longer and it’s unlikely Apple will refresh the Mini again in 2025. Might as well have the best and latest when it comes out.
By all means, a M4 Mac mini would be a great upgrade. For me though, what is the point of upgrading? Apple Intelligence will work on the M1, what is the benefit of upgrading?
Sorry to be blunt, but "USB-A is here to stay" is one of the dumbest things I've ever read in these forums, and that bar is as you all know pretty high.
There's almost no hardware connection technology that lasts more than two or three decades (bar Ethernet and 3.5mm audio). My 2012 MBP has exactly one port in common with my 2019 Intel MBP, which has four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack, the latter of which is the only "legacy" port. USB-A has already been eliminated from the MBP and MBA lines, and the iMac -- the Mac mini is in fact the last consumer-facing Apple hardware to have USB-A ports at all, so the idea that the next revision will drop USB-A shouldn't be at all surprising. This transition has been going on for a few years now.
I was a bit surprised when the Mac Studio (which debuted in 2022) sported a pair of USB-A ports, but I'm pretty confident the next major redesign it gets (and the Mac Pro) will reduce or eliminate them as well. USB-C offers more of everything you want in a USB port, and legacy equipment still in use (and thumb drives, which are starting to come up in mass quantities with USB-C plugs as well) can easily be accommodated with cheap hubs until the transition is complete. If you need a hub or adapter, buy one that matches the style of your computer for minimal aesthetic frisson, and get on with your life and work.
USB-A is still ubiquitous (unlike USB-C) and Apple going to all USB-C on a new Mac Mini won't change that fact in the least. For better or for worse, USB-A is here to stay, and I suspect it will continue to be used 10 or 15 years hence.
Keeping support for it on computers is what keeps manufacturers making the products with USB-A. This has been played out a number of times with different ports over the years and it's why VGA ports were on PCs long after they were useful.
USB-C is at a point where most products can be supported by changing cables. Logitech keeps shipping USB-A receivers with their mice and they sell an adaptor instead of a native USB-C version but their mice work fine over Bluetooth without the adaptor.
All computer manufacturers should start dropping USB-A so there's not a repeat of VGA. USB-C is faster, more compact, easier to plug in (works upside down), can charge an entire laptop supporting 100W of power and more. It's better in every way than USB-A.
For the rare products that have wired USB-A cables, the adaptors like the Logitech one above can be left attached to the cable.
Keeping support for it on computers is what keeps manufacturers making the products with USB-A.
You and I and everybody else in this thread are mainly talking about Apple here, not the PC world. And even when we talk about PCs, we're talking to eachother — Apple users. Since the world is dominated by Windoze (proper spelling) PCs, what goes on in that dark and silly world impacts us in the Mac world. For that reason (and despite the silly remarks of Chasm), USB-A really is here to stay, whether we like it or not. And even though you did say "All computer manufacturers should start dropping USB-A," what we say in this forum doesn't dictate what the Pee See (correct spelling) world will do, nor will a decision by Apple to drop all USB-A ports on the Mac Mini dictate what the Windoze PC world will do. And so, if only Apple is dropping USB-A, and if we still are blasted with USB-A devices for years to come, the need for a USB-A port to avoid another STUPID DONGLE is key.
By the way, I just bought the single best 1TB Thumbdrive SSD today on Amazon only 1 hour ago, and guess what? The connector only comes in USB-A. Check it out too, because it beats any other thumb drive out there. Pretty incredible. And yeah, I'll need to use a STUPID DONGLE with it on my 16" M1 Max MBP, although my 2015 5K iMac at the office can accept USB-A without dongles. I may buy a Mac Mini in the near future, so all this talk has meaning for me. I would buy an M4 Mini with or without a USB-A port, but I would be FAR HAPPIER with it. And honestly, it doesn't matter to me of the rest of you feel differently. I buy things for my own satisfaction, not any of yours.
Sorry to be blunt, but "USB-A is here to stay" is one of the dumbest things I've ever read in these forums
I post here infrequently. I just read the article and the comments. I share the sentiments of Jdw perfectly, so I cannot agree with those who somehow think USB-A is going away soon.
I must add something else. I've never had an accidental USB-A yank-out, but USB-C makes me cry all the time when it comes to unexpected disconnects. People can rave all day about how USB-C cables can attach "either way" but that huge benefit is outweighed by the connector negatives. The bigger USB-A connectors stay in place more securely and tightly. Adding a USB-A to USB-C adapter only makes connections worse. I would choose a native USB-A plug on a computer over an adapter solution to USB-C any day of the week!
Keeping support for it on computers is what keeps manufacturers making the products with USB-A.
nor will a decision by Apple to drop all USB-A ports on the Mac Mini dictate what the Windoze PC world will do.
Apple is pretty influential these days, especially with mobile and this isn't a decision that's going against the grain. PC manufacturers would love to have the mobility Apple has with the latest standards. They don't have that luxury because their competitors adding more ports count as competitive features and there's little brand loyalty among low quality brands.
PCs are trying to make thinner laptops now and they are only fitting the USB-A ports at the thickest parts of the laptops. This one has 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt and 1x USB-A:
Keeping support for it on computers is what keeps manufacturers making the products with USB-A.
By the way, I just bought the single best 1TB Thumbdrive SSD today on Amazon only 1 hour ago, and guess what? The connector only comes in USB-A. Check it out too, because it beats any other thumb drive out there. Pretty incredible. And yeah, I'll need to use a STUPID DONGLE with it on my 16" M1 Max MBP
There's also the Kingston USB-C drive, which will give mostly the same real-world speed:
Once you own a USB-C-only computer, you will gradually move all the peripherals to USB-C connectors/cables and the exceptions will eventually drop to one or two products. Changing standards over the years have always been painful (firewire, displayport, mini-displayport, ADC, DVI-I, DVI-D etc) but this is one of the least painful because it's a compatible port.
Well, not nearly as influential as the killing off of the floppy drive was back in the day, let me tell you. As I said previously, I judge that influence by the peripherals I see commonly sold in the marketplace. And while there are more USB-C gizmos than when USB-C first came out, the fact remains that Apple didn't make nearly as big a splash as many thought it would with the USB-C introduction.
Believe me, I know. I've spent every day of the past two weeks comparing all data I could find on that and the drive I ultimately purchased.
Why buy the Hynix T31 over the competition? Because it offers better cooling and therefore better sustained performance which matters a lot. It doesn't matter to me what the speed is for the first 60 seconds or so. I want to know if I'll get sustained performance before thermal throttling takes over.
And, as mentioned in AnandTech's comprehensive review, only the Hynix T31 offers a a DRAM cache for FTL (Flash Transition Layer), which has a net positive impact on performance.
The Hynix brand itself also has a good reputation, and the P31 SSD is the top pick among users who have replaced their Mac's internal SSD in this monolithic 485 page thread (where I myself have posted). All said, I chose the Hynix T31 for good reason, and it just so happens to come in USB-A only.
And for those wondering, yes I do have my reasons for picking the T31 thumbdrive version over the Hynix Beetle, which offers a different form factor but the same performance. The T31 I bought is smaller overall and I don't need to worry about losing cables as I would with the Beetle. I also don't mind something sticking out of my notebooks, but I dislike things that dangle down and off. Can't tell you how many times I accidentally disconnected my SanDisk Extreme Portable 1TB drive! And no, it's not as portable as the T31, plus it has that cable I dislike too!
As to your mention of ThunderBolt, I will only repeat my call for a TB thumbdrive. Small. Compact. No cables! But hopefully well cooled and with a DRAM cache too.
Once you own a USB-C-only computer, you will gradually move all the peripherals to USB-C connectors/cables and the exceptions will eventually drop to one or two products.
Your use of the word "you" is not referring to "me" because I've owned my M1 Max MBP 16" since the day it came out, and I assure you that wasn't yesterday. And yet, I still have numerous USB-A devices and continue to buy more to this very day. The existing of those C ports on my favorite Mac hasn't caused me to gradually move all peripherals to USB-C. It hasn't. Not in the least, really. And the fact I exist indicates others like me exist as well.
My intent in saying all this isn't to praise USB-A. I hate it like you! I love plugging in USB-C cables and not needing to worry the cable won't connect because the stupid connector is 180° the wrong way! I love the speed and features! I love everything about it, except perhaps for the fact cables slip out easier than USB-A. But as I've repeatedly said, I have lots of USB-A stuff and still have need to purchase other stuff which, regardless of reason, has USB-A. And I hate dongles and adapters about as much as I hate the bad things about USB-A.
So as long as I have most of my stuff with USB-A ports, I will find use of USB-A ports on a computer, and that is why I said I could live with a new M4 Mac Mini that lacked USB-A, but I would be MUCH HAPPIER, if space on the Mini allows, to have at least one USB-A port. The existence of that USB-A port not moving the world forward to USB-C really doesn't matter to me. Let the world move as it likes, but if I can get a USB-A port on a new computer even now in 2024, I'm very happy. Some of you couldn't care less, and that's fine. I'm not trying to poop on your parties. In like manner, please don't poop on mine.
We Mac lovers are a diverse group. We don't all think the same. And I tend to especially Think Different from my peers and take a lot of flack for it in forums like this. But in the eyes of Apple, my diverse way of thinking is technically viewed as "genius": https://www.thecrazyones.it/spot-en.html
Comments
With a desktop, I can see some more reason for keeping a dedicated video port, and maybe a card reader, but I can live without USB-A.
USB-C is at a point where most products can be supported by changing cables. Logitech keeps shipping USB-A receivers with their mice and they sell an adaptor instead of a native USB-C version but their mice work fine over Bluetooth without the adaptor.
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-USB-C-to-USB-A-Adaptor/dp/B09JL9RQN5/
All computer manufacturers should start dropping USB-A so there's not a repeat of VGA. USB-C is faster, more compact, easier to plug in (works upside down), can charge an entire laptop supporting 100W of power and more. It's better in every way than USB-A.
For the rare products that have wired USB-A cables, the adaptors like the Logitech one above can be left attached to the cable.
By the way, I just bought the single best 1TB Thumbdrive SSD today on Amazon only 1 hour ago, and guess what? The connector only comes in USB-A. Check it out too, because it beats any other thumb drive out there. Pretty incredible. And yeah, I'll need to use a STUPID DONGLE with it on my 16" M1 Max MBP, although my 2015 5K iMac at the office can accept USB-A without dongles. I may buy a Mac Mini in the near future, so all this talk has meaning for me. I would buy an M4 Mini with or without a USB-A port, but I would be FAR HAPPIER with it. And honestly, it doesn't matter to me of the rest of you feel differently. I buy things for my own satisfaction, not any of yours.
And there you have it.
I must add something else. I've never had an accidental USB-A yank-out, but USB-C makes me cry all the time when it comes to unexpected disconnects. People can rave all day about how USB-C cables can attach "either way" but that huge benefit is outweighed by the connector negatives. The bigger USB-A connectors stay in place more securely and tightly. Adding a USB-A to USB-C adapter only makes connections worse. I would choose a native USB-A plug on a computer over an adapter solution to USB-C any day of the week!
PCs are trying to make thinner laptops now and they are only fitting the USB-A ports at the thickest parts of the laptops. This one has 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt and 1x USB-A:
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Zenbook-Touchscreen-i7-13700H-Thunderbolts/dp/B0CDD8BFH1/
Mobiles are all USB-C and come with USB-C cables and chargers. That hugely influences the ports that are added to computers.
There's also the Kingston USB-C drive, which will give mostly the same real-world speed:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-DataTraveler-256GB-USB-C-Performance/dp/B09DVPH8NQ
The external SSDs are almost as compact as thumb drives now, some are faster and offer more capacity:
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-1TB-Extreme-Portable-SDSSDE61-1T00-G25/dp/B08GTYFC37/
This is 100mm x 52mm x 9mm
vs
92mm x 30mm x 14mm for the thumb drive
This one is around the same size and 3x faster because of USB-C/Thunderbolt3:
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Professional-1TB-PRO-G40-SDPS31H-001T-GBCND/dp/B0BGYMJBQF/
Once you own a USB-C-only computer, you will gradually move all the peripherals to USB-C connectors/cables and the exceptions will eventually drop to one or two products. Changing standards over the years have always been painful (firewire, displayport, mini-displayport, ADC, DVI-I, DVI-D etc) but this is one of the least painful because it's a compatible port.
Marvin said: Believe me, I know. I've spent every day of the past two weeks comparing all data I could find on that and the drive I ultimately purchased.
Why buy the Hynix T31 over the competition? Because it offers better cooling and therefore better sustained performance which matters a lot. It doesn't matter to me what the speed is for the first 60 seconds or so. I want to know if I'll get sustained performance before thermal throttling takes over.
And, as mentioned in AnandTech's comprehensive review, only the Hynix T31 offers a a DRAM cache for FTL (Flash Transition Layer), which has a net positive impact on performance.
The Hynix brand itself also has a good reputation, and the P31 SSD is the top pick among users who have replaced their Mac's internal SSD in this monolithic 485 page thread (where I myself have posted). All said, I chose the Hynix T31 for good reason, and it just so happens to come in USB-A only.
And for those wondering, yes I do have my reasons for picking the T31 thumbdrive version over the Hynix Beetle, which offers a different form factor but the same performance. The T31 I bought is smaller overall and I don't need to worry about losing cables as I would with the Beetle. I also don't mind something sticking out of my notebooks, but I dislike things that dangle down and off. Can't tell you how many times I accidentally disconnected my SanDisk Extreme Portable 1TB drive! And no, it's not as portable as the T31, plus it has that cable I dislike too!
As to your mention of ThunderBolt, I will only repeat my call for a TB thumbdrive. Small. Compact. No cables! But hopefully well cooled and with a DRAM cache too.
Your use of the word "you" is not referring to "me" because I've owned my M1 Max MBP 16" since the day it came out, and I assure you that wasn't yesterday. And yet, I still have numerous USB-A devices and continue to buy more to this very day. The existing of those C ports on my favorite Mac hasn't caused me to gradually move all peripherals to USB-C. It hasn't. Not in the least, really. And the fact I exist indicates others like me exist as well.
My intent in saying all this isn't to praise USB-A. I hate it like you! I love plugging in USB-C cables and not needing to worry the cable won't connect because the stupid connector is 180° the wrong way! I love the speed and features! I love everything about it, except perhaps for the fact cables slip out easier than USB-A. But as I've repeatedly said, I have lots of USB-A stuff and still have need to purchase other stuff which, regardless of reason, has USB-A. And I hate dongles and adapters about as much as I hate the bad things about USB-A.
So as long as I have most of my stuff with USB-A ports, I will find use of USB-A ports on a computer, and that is why I said I could live with a new M4 Mac Mini that lacked USB-A, but I would be MUCH HAPPIER, if space on the Mini allows, to have at least one USB-A port. The existence of that USB-A port not moving the world forward to USB-C really doesn't matter to me. Let the world move as it likes, but if I can get a USB-A port on a new computer even now in 2024, I'm very happy. Some of you couldn't care less, and that's fine. I'm not trying to poop on your parties. In like manner, please don't poop on mine.
We Mac lovers are a diverse group. We don't all think the same. And I tend to especially Think Different from my peers and take a lot of flack for it in forums like this. But in the eyes of Apple, my diverse way of thinking is technically viewed as "genius":
https://www.thecrazyones.it/spot-en.html
Stay Hungry. Stay FOOLISH!