Except that the main reason CD sales are down is that most people have switched away from physical media to downloading or streaming audio. Not because they are switching back to vinyl.
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It's late 2021, is USB-A still relevant for Macs with Apple Silicon?
- Thread starter Adarna
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You stated that Apple used to introduce ports in a gradual fashion in 2000-2016. I presented a few counterexamples (most of them in the 2000-2016 range). I wasn't reframing your statement. But don't worry, I don't get angry over internet discussions
That's cherry-picking.
That's... a whole different media, for a totally different use case.
There were 4 iPhone models that had both lightning and a headphone jack. 30-pin was substituted by Lightning/USB-C, not the headphone jack. The headphone jack was simply removed. The 30-pin connector already had audio capabilities, even.
My point, exactly, against the inclusion of Thunderbolt 2 after Thunderbolt 3 had been released.
Why? Thunderbolt 2 didn't sit side by side with Thunderbolt 3.
You can keep repeating that if you want, but it's not going to become true. Apple has been adamant to remove I/O standards as soon as they believed they were becoming outdated long before 2016.
You have won the internet. Pat yourself on the back.You stated that Apple used to introduce ports in a gradual fashion in 2000-2016. I presented a few counterexamples (most of them in the 2000-2016 range). I wasn't reframing your statement. But don't worry, I don't get angry over internet discussions
That's cherry-picking.
That's... a whole different media, for a totally different use case.
There were 4 iPhone models that had both lightning and a headphone jack. 30-pin was substituted by Lightning/USB-C, not the headphone jack. The headphone jack was simply removed. The 30-pin connector already had audio capabilities, even.
My point, exactly, against the inclusion of Thunderbolt 2 after Thunderbolt 3 had been released.
Why? Thunderbolt 2 didn't sit side by side with Thunderbolt 3.
You can keep repeating that if you want, but it's not going to become true. Apple has been adamant to remove I/O standards as soon as they believed they were becoming outdated long before 2016.
USB-C is definitely a much better port standard than USB-A. I think the problem is that it doesn't really have a clear benefit in a lot of common cases (e.g. USB keyboards/mice, external spinning HDDs, most flash drives, gamepads, etc.) and that for manufacturers it's still a much safer bet that a random computer will have a USB-A port than a USB-C.
Since people are upgrading computers less frequently than they did when USB-A was introduced, and USB-C isn't as much of a Grand Unifying Port the same way that USB-A was (replacing parallel, serial, ADB, PS/2, SCSI to an extent, Zip drives to an extent, floppy to an extent...), I'm guessing we're going to have to wait a while yet for USB-C to take over completely the way USB-A did.
As to the main question of the thread, I'd say USB-A would still be a nice-to-have on modern macs for many users, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker for many anymore. *I'd* definitely benefit from a single USB-A port (I use flash drives constantly for work) but I might be in the minority, and with a small and reliable C-to-A adapter (or multi-port dock for desktops) it's not too much of a headache.
Since people are upgrading computers less frequently than they did when USB-A was introduced, and USB-C isn't as much of a Grand Unifying Port the same way that USB-A was (replacing parallel, serial, ADB, PS/2, SCSI to an extent, Zip drives to an extent, floppy to an extent...), I'm guessing we're going to have to wait a while yet for USB-C to take over completely the way USB-A did.
As to the main question of the thread, I'd say USB-A would still be a nice-to-have on modern macs for many users, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker for many anymore. *I'd* definitely benefit from a single USB-A port (I use flash drives constantly for work) but I might be in the minority, and with a small and reliable C-to-A adapter (or multi-port dock for desktops) it's not too much of a headache.
USB-C dongles are a chore to go through.
You need to read reviews and ask questions. Sometimes those who reply to be helpful may not give a definitive reply
Of course it does. Many of my USB-A drives are USB 3. Same with flash card docks and SATA drive docks.
Technical and vision arguments aside, I still use USB-A plug devices literally every single day, sometimes dozens of times a day.
This is my main USB-C gripe. My dad got a 2016 MBP with the two USB-C ports when it first came out, and he's gone through like 5 or 6 different dongles in that time frame (some failed and got RMA'd, others just got randomly flaky).
There's also a ton of variability in price for the same sort of dongle across no-name Amazon brands and more established players (25$ to 70$ for a simple USB-C to HDMI/DVI/VGA multi-adapter) with the reviews tending to be quite a bit worse for the cheaper ones, meaning that every adapter you buy is a gamble in terms of cost/benefit and longevity. With the more complex standard, there's all kinds of ways companies can make a poorly-designed device (e.g. an A-to-C adapter that only functions in USB 2.0 mode) and you have to dig through mountains of reviews to figure out whether that's the case for a given one.
Personally, I think we need to have some sort of community-sourced database of battle-tested and known-reliable USB-C dongles so it's easier to know which ones to buy. Would save a lot of people a lot of headaches and money!
@ahurst
And all of that you so nicely described is simply not a "thing" when the ports are built into the machine.
From a company that once prided itself on "it just works", it's so embarrassing to see them outsource simple reliability and functionality to the dumpster fire world of third party adapters and dongles.
It's awful for their customers.
And all of that you so nicely described is simply not a "thing" when the ports are built into the machine.
From a company that once prided itself on "it just works", it's so embarrassing to see them outsource simple reliability and functionality to the dumpster fire world of third party adapters and dongles.
It's awful for their customers.
When I replaced my 2014 MPB with 2016 MPB I had to replace my DP to VGA dongle with a USB-C dongle so there was nothing more to carry around. At that point in time my clients where mostly using VGA beamers.
Today there is usually a primary HDMI with a bunch of different dongles attached. So in a way adding HDMI seems unnecessary.
Funny I have a different perspective.
"It just works" and "simple" = not having to carry a dongle.
If the tech world was only designed by Apple, USB-C only is fine. But it isn't. I live in the real world.
It's quite clear that USB-A, HDMI, and SD Card slot aren't going away soon. HDMI displays are the majority. USB-A accessories outnumber USB-C. SD Card is still the standard for cameras.
I think you maybe didn’t understand what I wrote.
I agree with you completely
I hate dongles and adapters and want a variety of real world useful ports built-in
You're right. I read it again and we are in agreement!
I just wonder whose moronic idea it was to put just a single USB-C port on the MacBook 12", without a separate charging port, so that you couldn't plug anything into it while it was charging. Yet they left the headphone jack in, even though you can use a USB dongle for headphones. Courage my @ss.
Even the iPad Air now can charge and have a USB-C device plugged in at the same time, if you have the Magic Keyboard.
Even the iPad Air now can charge and have a USB-C device plugged in at the same time, if you have the Magic Keyboard.
The same thing could happen with USB ports. People switch from USB-C to something else, while USB-A remains in use in some applications.
Everytime people say USB-A isn't relevant anymore, I show them this picture of the Xbox Series X without a single USB-C and all USB-A. Microsoft has done enough research and figured out that USB-A is far more in use than USB-C for accessories. USB-A isn't dying anytime soon.
Again, I wish Apple included USB-A. I'm still buying the new MBP regardless.
Again, I wish Apple included USB-A. I'm still buying the new MBP regardless.
Prefer mix of USB-C and USB-A ports. Definitely not going to trash my USB-A headset, WIFI packet capture/injection device, etc. and rather not deal with adapters.
USB-a. is not coming back to the mac ever. Its easier to buy a couple of Apple-made ones:
You can buy six Raspberry Pi USB-C to USB-A adapters for the price of one $19 Apple adapter.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/608173/raspberry-pi-usb-micro-b-to-usb-c-adapter-white
leave the “dongle” not attached to the mac but to the peripheral. Its like Canon came out with the new RF mount. I have a EF adapter on each of the EF lenses I have so that I don’t need a “dongle adapter mount on the camera.”
Time marches forward. If you’d lived as long as me you would know about this.