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No USB C to USB A Cable Supplied with New iPad Pro?
- Thread starter darkarn
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I don’t think USB-C (non-thunderbolt) can connect to a thunderbolt 2 port (even with the appropriate shaped cable/adapter)?
If it’s a device with thunderbolt 3 (using the USB-C connector) then it should work with the correct cable/adapter going to a thunderbolt 2 port.
For the iPad Pro with USB-C, I would just use a USB-C to USB-A cable to connect it to a 2014 5K iMac.
Well, you have an outdated device and since you’re on MacRumors I’m sure you’re very aware that Apple shows zero mercy regarding backward compartiblity.
I have a current MBP and I had to purchase a USB-C to lightning cable to connect my iPad to my Mac. I’m sure Apple would like to favor me with a current device than you with an older device. Sorry but that’s how the band plays.
This is why it’s illogical. I get that Apple wants to switch to USB-C, but they need to get themselves on board with the iPhone. They’re all “with USB-C on the iPad, you can charge your iPhone with the iPad!” Uh, no, I can’t, unless I go and buy a ridiculously priced cable. Wanna connect your brand new phone to your brand new Mac? Gotta buy a cable.
USB-C is only the standard if they use it across the board. And they’re not. They’re making their own pain points and dragging out the conversion.
The cable for macbooks is a charging cable with limited data lines. You essentially run USB 2.0 through the included cable. Most of this reason is because a charging cable needs to be long, and the thunderbolt 3 cables that do everything need to be about a meter long or shorter unless you add active hardware inside of it that increases the cost a lot.
The iPhone situation is a bit different. They’re shipping it with a USB-A cable and the old charger just to be evil and nickle-and-dime us so we buy the USB-C cable.
I went around this getting an $19 iPad charger (12W) for my iPhone. Charges it 90% as fast as the 30W, uses the original cable.
I think it is more to do with target audience.
Apple wants as many types of people as possible for iPhones, which is why they stuck with the still widely used Lightning and USB A ports
For iPad Pro, since these are usually used by people who are more well versed in tech and thus most probably willing and/or able to use newer connectors like USB C, Apple can afford to use USB C
Ew. Not my use case in particular but what would that mean for transferring directly from a high-end DSLR like demonstrated in the marketing video? Glacial transfer speeds or just fine?
Also I'm not anticipating a long cable. Remember how we got a nice long cable with the first iPad Pro? Ah, the good ol' days...
I wish they’d just specify this stuff in the specs. It just says a USB-C cable is in the box, not how long it is.
I find this thread funny.
First of all who actually connects their iPad to their computer? Everything is in the cloud.
I have a 2017 iMac and Macbook Pro both with USB-C/TB3 and I can't see any situation where I need to connect them.
The only thing I need is a USB-C to lightning cable so I can charge my phones (Android and iPhone), iPad and laptop from the same charger. So for me this is super useful .The thing left out is the iPhone.
First of all who actually connects their iPad to their computer? Everything is in the cloud.
I have a 2017 iMac and Macbook Pro both with USB-C/TB3 and I can't see any situation where I need to connect them.
The only thing I need is a USB-C to lightning cable so I can charge my phones (Android and iPhone), iPad and laptop from the same charger. So for me this is super useful .The thing left out is the iPhone.
I think it was a 2m cable (USB to Lightning) with the 1st Gen and then 1m after that. They did the same thing with the watch. I'm not too concerned about it. If I need a longer USB-C cable I'll go get one but if they are going to position this as a laptop replacement (and they are certainly as powerful as a MacBook Air) then maybe you ship the same 2m cable you do with those devices. iPad Pros and MacBooks of every tier share the same 10 hour estimated battery specs so it's conceivable you would use it in the same way and sometimes need to charge from a power outlet farther away than one meter. Not a complaint but just an observation.
And where's the thread where I complain that 'NOW I HAVE TO REPLACE ALL MY CABLES THANKS A LOT TIM COOK!!!'
There's gotta be one around here somewhere...
With USB-C becoming increasingly prevalent wherever you look in the Mac- and PC-world, isn't it actually rather the opposite? Every Mac that has been released in the last ~2 years comes with a USB-C port, and so do many PCs nowadays. But by far not every Mac comes with a USB-A port anymore – namely, none of the current-gen MacBook types do, which make up a huge part of the Mac marketshare (I believe portable Macs sell in significantly higher numbers than desktop Macs).
That means that if the new iPads were to come with a USB-C-to-USB-A cable and you own a mobile Mac released in the recent years, you wouldn't be able to connect it without purchasing additional cables. With USB-C? Not a problem.
Now sure, if you own an older machine like a MBP from ≤ 2015, then you have to buy additional adapters. But when comparing that to the alternative (namely, not using a port that is on all of the Macs released in recent times, and is the only port on many of them), then it seems absolutely reasonable to ship a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, instead of sticking to a port that is slowly being phased out everywhere you look. Besides, the cable that comes with the iPad Pros is freely interchangeable with the one you can use to charge a MacBook (or most Android phones), which is an additional advantage.
Personally I find it good that Apple went all-in with USB-C on the iPads instead of taking half-measures and putting a USB-C-to-USB-A cable (plus one of the old adapters instead of the new redesigned, higher-wattage one) into the box.
I would have preferred if they included both. The USB-C charger and c-to-c cable, and an a-to-c cable as well. Ideally both 2m. The cost to them to do this would have been tiny. But they take the savings and sell us the cable at a massive upcharge. It’s ugh.
I understand the movement to standard USB-C and the speed increase but...everything today has USB-A connections on the other end- Cars, airplanes, airports, home stuff, etc. As I look at the Apple site the only connector I saw was a USB-C to the female USB-A - so if you need to connect a USB-C device to one of these you'll need two cables. Non-Apple suppliers will probably have that cable but I wonder with these devices with USB-C only how many dongles/cables everyone will need.
I picked up a USB-A to female USB-C dongle on Amazon for about $10. However, I don’t know how well any of the built-in USB-A ports will charge the new IPP - it seems like they’ll trickle charge at best.
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Hmm... did you go online? I used the Apple store app on my phone. It didn’t say there.
im in the same dilemma. Everything is in the cloud except apple forces you to connect to your iTunes library to transfer music. No way around it. You can only use WiFi after it’s been initially connected and chosen as a preference.
I get the frustration with USB-A to USB-C for those that use older (sub 2016 MacBook Pro, etc) devices. It finally seems like Apple is rewarding me for spending too much money on new devices in the past year.
I’m personally glad they ditched USB-A across the line. Now if they would just get rid of lightning on the iPhone. Regardless, that one $20.00 usb-c to lightning cable will charge my phone, my Magic Keyboard, and my Magic Trackpad.
Of course I have to snag the usb-c Apple Watch charge cable and then I’ll only have to carry one power adapter with me when I travel for everything. I find that
Incredibly convenient.
I’m personally glad they ditched USB-A across the line. Now if they would just get rid of lightning on the iPhone. Regardless, that one $20.00 usb-c to lightning cable will charge my phone, my Magic Keyboard, and my Magic Trackpad.
Of course I have to snag the usb-c Apple Watch charge cable and then I’ll only have to carry one power adapter with me when I travel for everything. I find that
Incredibly convenient.
I just wish there was a nice multi-port USB-C charger to charge multiple devices at the same time. For several years I’ve been using a multi port USB-A charger at home and when travelling (for charging iPhone, Watch, iPad, etc). I actually haven’t been able to find a multi port USB-C charger at all.