Fidonet127

MplsP said:

Fidonet127 said:

If you cannot understand that old ports should not be on modern laptops, then move away from tech and live in a cave. 

Got it - you're going to try the "old is not useful" trope. Do I really need to explain the difference between 'old' and 'useful' to you? 

What is useful and convenient to you doesn’t mean the same thing to others. To others, all USB-C is convenient and useful. Somehow you can’t understand that. In this and other threads people have been wanting only USB-C. Period. Again, having only USB-C ports hasn’t hurt Apple’s sales. Yes it is inconvenient to some people. Most people do not notice the lack of USB-A, let alone think of it as dongle hell. This is because most people’s workflow doesn’t involve cables  or devices, except for power or involve wireless devices most of the time. Additionally, the added weight, space and power consumption isn’t worth it for most people. Yes additional ports will consume additional power. Additional ports involve additional milling and parts. Additional milling, parts and power consumption is added negative environmental impact. USB-A is not what people think of as modern. 

If you cannot understand that old ports should not be on modern laptops, then move away from tech and live in a cave. 

MplsP said:

Fidonet127 said:

MplsP said:

This. As I've pointed out repeatedly, Phil Schiller said in 2015 "USB C is the future." Except USB A is the present and they sacrificed convenience and functionality in the present for a future that wouldn't arrive before the machines were replaced. Here we are 5 years later and USB A is still the dominant USB connector on the market. Even Apple is shipping their peripherals with USB A cables.

Look as much as you complain about Apple, understand that people IE consumers are pushing Apple to be this way. People want modern Macs, and some people don’t want old connections. Cables wear out, so it isn’t a big deal to replace them with newer  connections. You see USB A as convenience, others see USB C only as the best convenience. Many things are wireless so cables and dongles are not used, so no dongle hell. 

USB-C is the future. People can buy USB-C cables, chargers, and power banks from any manufacturer. USB-C doesn’t have a right way up. USB-C can deliver much higher bandwidth and power. You can use a USB-C power bank to run the laptop, which there wasn’t any power bank for mag safe laptops. Well maybe one or two, whereas there is lots of USB-C power banks.

Are consumers pushing Apple or is Apple pushing consumers? If there were different models of laptops and nobody was buying one then you could easily say that it was consumers driving change. In this case I think it’s more Apple pushing consumers. 

I don’t dispute that USB C is the future, and I’m not opposed to USB C devices; my complaint is with consumers being forced to use a connection that saddles them with extra costs and inconvenience because Apple thinks the future is more important than the present. 

It’s rather ironic that everyone who defends Apple’s USB C-only approach basically says ‘there are ways to work around it,’ buying new cables, being ‘prepared’ by always having the appropriate cables or adapters with, etc. What they are essentially arguing is the ‘future’ requires inconvenience. If you need the additional functionally that breeds the inconvenience that may be fine, but if the inconvenience doesn’t give you anything then you end up behind. 

Your right of course, Apple should have all the currently used ports on every laptop. You don’t mind sending Apple some feedback asking them to include a  nine pin RS-232 port with 12V signaling? 5V signaling isn’t as compatible. I can use all the feedback I can to get Apple to add such a port. Yes I still do use that port with microcontrollers. 

MplsP said:

This. As I've pointed out repeatedly, Phil Schiller said in 2015 "USB C is the future." Except USB A is the present and they sacrificed convenience and functionality in the present for a future that wouldn't arrive before the machines were replaced. Here we are 5 years later and USB A is still the dominant USB connector on the market. Even Apple is shipping their peripherals with USB A cables.

Look as much as you complain about Apple, understand that people IE consumers are pushing Apple to be this way. People want modern Macs, and some people don’t want old connections. Cables wear out, so it isn’t a big deal to replace them with newer  connections. You see USB A as convenience, others see USB C only as the best convenience. Many things are wireless so cables and dongles are not used, so no dongle hell. 

DavidEsrati said:

I hope it wakes the morons at Apple up.
My 2020 Mac Book pro barely qualifies as pro.

A "pro computer" that I need a dongle to hook up to an external projector, monitor or ethernet.
A pro computer that ditched the brilliant mag safe power cable.
A pro computer than no longer allows me to stick an SD card in it.
A pro computer that requires a dongle to connect a USB A jump drive- the industry standard way of walking files.

And- they gouge me on the price of RAM, Storage by 3 to 10x what everyone else charges.
With no user replaceable parts- and barely serviceable.

And that was my Intel machine.
Now- my M1 MacMini- can't connect to my Drobo- which is a 72 TB paperweight.
Gee - thanks Apple.

You keep saying that your Drobo is a paperweight on several threads. Drobo says their Dashboard software is compatible with ASi Macs as of November. https://myproducts.drobo.com/retrieve/s3/knowledge/AA/New%20Mac%20M1.html