Other than having one ethernet connector, I'm all in favor of standardizing on USB-C.
"So why do you want that ethernet connector? 1 Gbps ethernet is a legacy standard, the latest WiFi standards are theoretically faster (on theoretical days when the wind is in the right direction, there aren't 100 other WiFi networks in range and nobody is microwaving their dinner) and USB-C/TB3 ports are ideal for attaching 10Gbps ethernet (if it ever becomes affordable)"
...is what the apologists will say when the 2017 iMac comes out with 2xTB3 on the 21.5", 4xTB3 on the 27", no ethernet, no SD slot, no optical out, soldered-in RAM, soldered-in SSD... but hey, it will be available in space grey and be 10% thinner and, if you're really lucky, Apple might release a new keyboard with a touch bar, no number pad and the keys inexplicitly shoe-horned together as if they had to fit on a 12" laptop...
Hoping to be proven wrong on this one but, ask yourself, what would the guy who designed the new rMBP do?
Now, I
want multiple USB-C on any new computer I buy - its the future - but on a machine like the iMac, especially the 27", there's no reason why that it shouldn't have space for 4 x TB3/USB-C, 2 x USB-A, Ethernet, SD and audio.
I just meant it's less annoying on an AIO since you don't have to carry the dongles everywhere you go.
Quite true - one of the things putting me off the new rMBP is that I'd need slightly different cables and dongles for home, work and on-the-road to replicate my current "just plug in the cables on the desk" experience, or, to actually get an
upgraded experience, separate docking stations for home and work - and the price of that that starts to add up rapidly to a significant fraction of the total outlay, especially if you don't want to risk frying your Mac with a cheap cable. Cabling up for a stationary iMac wouldn't be so bad. But, conversely, on a desktop machine,
there's no sane reason to dump still-useful connectors to save space.
Also, 4 ports (4xTB3/USB-C) is less than 8 ports (4xUSB A, 2xTB2/miniDP, 1xEthernet, 1xSD). I counted it, twice. Now, those 4 new TB3 ports might have more theoretical bandwidth than the 8 old ports put together, but say you've currently got an Ethernet cable, a second display, a TB backup drive, a wired keyboard or 3rd Party mouse transmitter... (make up your own variations) then, whups that's all the ports taken (even though you're only using a fraction of the bandwidth) and you suddenly need a hub... now, on a laptop you'd call it a "dock" and point to how you could connect everything and re-charge with a single wire. On a desktop - its more clutter and probably another wall-wart to power it.
