How do you manage ports on your M-Series iMac?

[AndreUK]

My 27" iMac is now 10yrs old and obsolete. Just looking at the M3 iMac (and potentially new M4 iMac).

Looking at the available ports (2x Thunderbolt 4 and 2x USB 3), is a dock / hub almost a "must" purchase?....

The way I look at it is:
1. Thunderbolt 4 ---> external SSD for additional storage
2. Thunderbolt 4
3. USB 3 ---> external drive for Time Machine backups
4. USB 3 ---> probably a dongle for wireless mouse (if not using Magic Mouse. I know there's Bluetooth, but there are frequent issues re: lag with 3rd party mice)

...which only leaves one free port. Not a lot really! So it looks like a dock / hub is pretty much a compulsory purchase?

Appreciate everyones setup is different, but is that what most people are doing?

(I'm guessing this is less of an issue with a Mac mini and Apple Studio display as the display has additional ports).

 

[coffeemilktea]

I almost never have anything connected to my iMac, unless I want to manually back up some files to an external drive or I need to connect to my iPhone for some reason.

I've also never had an issue with using third-party mice on Bluetooth. I think you might have problems if you connect too many Bluetooth peripherals, but I only connect a Magic Keyboard, a cheap ergonomic Bluetooth mouse I found on Amazon, and some wireless headphones.

So ports aren't really an issue for me.

 

[AndreUK]

I almost never have anything connected to my iMac, unless I want to manually back up some files to an external drive or I need to connect to my iPhone for some reason.

I've also never had an issue with using third-party mice on Bluetooth. I think you might have problems if you connect too many Bluetooth peripherals, but I only connect a Magic Keyboard, a cheap ergonomic Bluetooth mouse I found on Amazon, and some wireless headphones.

So ports aren't really an issue for me.

That's good to know.

....unfortunately, as much as I would love a totally clean desk setup, I run three separate accounts on the same iMac for family members, as we all love using a larger screen! We all have decent sized photo collections (whether in Apple Photos or Lightroom), so additional space is a necessity.

I've also had Time Machine bail me out of trouble on so many occasions (hence having a drive connected pretty much 24/7 for regular backups).

I think I must have a tonne of interference or something in the vicinity, as I've always struggled with lag on my mice, (hence the dongle and a 5Ghz Mouse which is super smooth).

 

[Macky-Mac]

My 27" iMac is now 10yrs old and obsolete. Just looking at the M3 iMac (and potentially new M4 iMac).

Looking at the available ports (2x Thunderbolt 4 and 2x USB 3), is a dock / hub almost a "must" purchase?....

The way I look at it is:
1. Thunderbolt 4 ---> external SSD for additional storage
2. Thunderbolt 4
3. USB 3 ---> external drive for Time Machine backups
4. USB 3 ---> probably a dongle for wireless mouse (if not using Magic Mouse. I know there's Bluetooth, but there are frequent issues re: lag with 3rd party mice)

...which only leaves one free port. Not a lot really! So it looks like a dock / hub is pretty much a compulsory purchase?

Appreciate everyones setup is different, but is that what most people are doing?

(I'm guessing this is less of an issue with a Mac mini and Apple Studio display as the display has additional ports).

I've needed and used an external dock since my first G3 iMac.

I've updated to newer iMacs over time but along the way there have always been a couple of external drives, a printer, a scanner, and keyboards. Bluetooth replaced some of the wired devices but then signal interference became a problem and giving up on bluetooth mice created the need for a port for a dongle.

Of course a lot of my external devices have a USB A connector.

For me, a hub has always been part of the setup

 

[wilberforce]

IMO, if one has to attach and interconnect multiple devices to an iMac, it somewhat negates one of the advantages of the all-in-one iMac: clean and sleek with a single cable (power). This is how I use my iMac 90% of the time, except for occasional attachment of USB devices. Time machine is done wirelessly over the network.
If I had to permanently interconnect devices I think I would lean towards a Mini or Studio, and banish all the clutter (and most of the cables) to below the desk.

 

[tomekwsrod]

I constantly run out of Thunderbolts / USB-C ports unfortunately. I have only two on the iMac. I don't have a solution. The docks are expensive and I have not bought one yet.

 

[AndreUK]

IMO, if one has to attach and interconnect multiple devices to an iMac, it somewhat negates one of the advantages of the all-in-one iMac: clean and sleek with a single cable (power). This is how I use my iMac 90% of the time, except for occasional attachment of USB devices. Time machine is done wirelessly over the network.
If I had to permanently interconnect devices I think I would lean towards a Mini or Studio, and banish all the clutter (and most of the cables) to below the desk.

What do you use for your wireless Time Machine backup? (I'm still using an very old Time Capsule, wireless, but I figure it's days are numbered and I was under the impression that most people to do wired, rather than wireless backups now).

Agreed, the whole concept of minimal wires and lack of clutter does very much appeal to me. My current ancient iMac has a really neat shelf which attaches to the stand behind the screen and that's where my external drives sit (ie completely out of view).