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Not putting enough ports on devices is a crucial problem. Apple with their stupid single port is just idiotic. The best port selection with usb-c is on the 2015

• matthewmacleod 8y ago
  Apple with their stupid single port is just idiotic This is on a single specific device. The best port selection with usb-c is on the 2015 chrome pixel laptop. 2 usb-c, 2 usb-b You mean USB-A. Just having a single usb-c has caused endless pain, all so apple could sell stupid dongles. Nobody I know using MacBooks has a particular problem with this. A dongle would be required in most cases to connect to an external display in any case; it's not like Apple are selling more dongles.
  • reaperducer 8y ago
    Nobody I know using MacBooks has a particular problem with this. A dongle would be required in most cases to connect to an external display in any case; it's not like Apple are selling more dongles. Agreed. My wife has a MacBook with a single USB-C port. Having only one port has exactly zero impact on her. The only thing she uses it for is for charging, and very occasionally plugging in a tiny hard drive to look at her iPhoto library which is larger than the computer's built-in SSD. Everything else in her lifestyle is wireless. And that's where Apple has been going for a long time. She is Apple's target market for a single USB port device. If you're the kind of person whose lifestyle or workflow necessitates more than one port, you buy a computer with more than one port. Doesn't seem like rocket surgery. I don't understand why OC is so upset. As for Apple selling more dongles, I don't think that's what's behind it. Apple would probably rather have the shelf space for higher-margin in-house products than use the space for SKUs from another company. I doubt Apple is making bank on USB-C dongles.
    • camgunz 8y ago
      Apple's USB-C dongle is the least functional, most overpriced dongle there is. It has to have a huge margin.
      • reaperducer 8y ago
        Apple's USB-C dongle... Which dongle do you mean? Apple has about five different USB-C dongles, each for a specific purpose. Do you mean the $19 USB-C to old USB dongle? How is it less functional than any other USB-C to old USB dongle? It seems to achieve its stated purpose. What functionality do other USB-C to old USB dongles have that it lacks?
        • camgunz 8y ago
          I mean the first Google result when you lookup 'apple usb-c dongle' [1]. It's $70. [1]: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-a...
          • reaperducer 8y ago
            If you're on HN, you should know that Google results are tailored to the person, not the search query. The first Google result I got for the same query was the previously mentioned $19 dongle.
            • camgunz 8y ago
              > If you're on HN, you should know that Google results are tailored to the person, not the search query. Incognito FTW But they're all overpriced, because they cost $.80 to make. That's the essence of the whole dongle thing, the margins on them are gigantic. It's why Apple's iPhone connectors were proprietary for so long, it's why they're moving away from analog headphone jacks, it's why the MacBook only has one USB-C port. I honestly don't know how this is controversial at all.
    • 8y ago
  • pdpi 8y ago
    > A dongle would be required in most cases to connect to an external display in any case Is it? You'd need to be using a display that provides neither DisplayPort nor HDMI. HDMI tends to be available on even somewhat older displays, and most modern ones I've dealt with definitely have both.
    • MBCook 8y ago
      The equivalent Macs to the MacBook One would have had mini-DP. I don’t think they had HDMI. So you’d need an adapter.
      • pdpi 8y ago
        Even then, you often don't need any adaptors — the Dell U2415 I use at home has both DP and miniDP ports, and packed a miniDP to DP cable — I could use that out of the box both with my macbook (by using a DP port) or my desktop computer (by using the miniDP port)
  • Rebelgecko 8y ago
    OTOH literally everyone I know with the new MBP has this problem. They used to be able to use the HDMI port, but now they need a smattering of adapters for HDMI and minidisplayport. They also have trouble with the adapter not working when hotswapping ethernet cables
    • Milner08 8y ago
      I just have a Thunderbolt 3 hub and it connects everything I need to a single port. Its actually much more convenient than before.
      • Latteland 8y ago
        which one do you have? as reported in this discussion, it's not that uncommon to have problems.
        • Eugr 8y ago
          Not the GP, but I also have similar setup and I use CalDigit TS-3 at home and Kensington SD5200T at work - zero issues. I don't use 4K displays though, just 1080p.
      • Eugr 8y ago
        Same here. Now with a single connection I get 2 external displays, USB peripherals, Gigabit Ethernet connection, external speakers AND it also provides 85W of power to charge my MBP...
• theandrewbailey 8y ago
  USB-B? Do you mean USB-A? https://www.differencebtw.com/difference-between-usb-type-a-and-usb-type-b/ https://www.differencebtw.com/difference-between-usb-type-a-...
  • Latteland 8y ago
    yeah, sorry, fixed.
• rahoulb 8y ago
  My Macbook Pro has 4 USB-Cs and I have a dongle for ethernet (which is rare). If I'm using my external monitor I bought a DisplayPort to Thunderbolt/USB-C cable. If I'm out and about and need HDMI, I have another dongle (but that's no different to my previous Mac which needed a dongle for HDMI as well)
• orbitingpluto 8y ago
  Not having USB-C on my laptop doesn't even matter. The Google Pixels 1/2/C and Nexus 6P have USB-C, but they don't transfer data at that speed. I also don't want to fry my devices however and I'm scared of these poor quality miswired cables, so I am a steadfast advocate of buying my USB-C cables from Anker.
  • dmitrygr 8y ago
    Pixel 2 does actually do usb 3 speeds if you have a usb 3 host and cable.
    • orbitingpluto 8y ago
      I stand corrected.
• abritinthebay 8y ago
  > Apple with their stupid single port is just idiotic. Not really. The entry-grade MacBook is designed to be tiny and portable. One port that does everything fits with this philosophy (makes the laptop thinner and smaller and less complex - yes, it makes a surprisingly large difference). Want more? The MacBook Pro is for you then with 4 ports - all of which, as they are usb-c, are more multi-functional than usb-a (not b, that's like you see on printers). You may not be the target customer for a single port but it is a very intentional design choice and makes a lot of sense as most tech people use now supports wireless communication. In fact you can see you're not the target market - you want to plug in a mouse and keyboard to a damn laptop. Basically you're docking your laptop. Ok, so get a hub. You are an edge case. Products not making themselves worse for a tiny fringe of the market is a good thing.
  • Latteland 8y ago
    Sure, I may be an edge case. But I come to work, I need to plug my laptop into power and my work monitor is a 4k tv, so I need to plug that in. Often I like to close the screen and just that monitor. They could at least put two of them on there.
    • abritinthebay 8y ago
      And this is why socks & hubs exist. Sounds like you have a base station in all but name. Also there is nothing stopping that 4K TV from supporting both video AND power over USB-C.
  • pentae 8y ago
    Theres literally nothing preventing them from adding another port on the other side. It was a design decision not a technical limitation - there's plenty of ultralights the same size for a lot less money that have two USB-C's. It's been the single biggest complaint about the product. Calling it an edge case is a massive understatement.
    • abritinthebay 8y ago
      No, it’s literally an edge case. For the target market anyhow. Also it’s not just “adding another port”. It’s adding all the circuitry, changing the internal routing, changing the logic board, adding at least one more IC... etc. For what? An edge case.
• bluedino 8y ago
  This would be fine if there were good USB-C port expanders. They're all terrible, even the Apple one. If you just want power or video, you're fine. But nobody can build a working, stable USB 3.0 hub into one. So while you can charge your 12" MacBook at the same time that you're plugged into a 4k or 2560x1440 monitor, you can't use any damn external drives. They either run at turtle speeds or they randomly unmount or don't work at all.
  • danieldk 8y ago
    This would be fine if there were good USB-C port expanders. They're all terrible, even the Apple one. If you just want power or video, you're fine. But nobody can build a working, stable USB 3.0 hub into one. Don't get me started on the Apple one. I bought one early (for the MacBook 2015) and the earlier series have a USB 2.0 hub. They touted the USB-C connector and how it would carry USB 3.0 (now 3.1). And their adapters, which set me back 80 Euro each (needed both HDMI and VGA) were only USB 2.0. To add to the confusion, they apparently also started selling variants with a USB 3.0 hub, without any clear indication on the packaging. I still feel incredibly sour about buying a 1400 Euro MacBook with two 80 Euro cables, resulting in poor USB 2.0 speeds. And at the time there wasn't really any choice in adapters. Oh, and it doesn't support HDMI 2.0. So when I got a MacBook Pro later and a 4k screen, the cable was worthless and I had to get an USB-C <-> DisplayPort cable. I liked Apple computers and I would recommend them to family, friends, colleagues. But their USB-C debacle is one of the reasons (besides the keyboard) why I stopped recommending Apple. If they'd just added two USB-A ports... (I don't care about the few extra millimeters.)
  • munk-a 8y ago
    No, it wouldn't be fine... There is definitely a need for better hubs out there but apple also needs to put an acceptable number of ports on their machines. The laptop being all sleek and awesome loses a bit of that niceness when you're tethered to a jumble of daisy-chained wires. Also, usb-c is super small, just pop like 4 or so on and it won't even effect your design.
• chx 8y ago
  > usb-c is on the 2015 chrome pixel laptop. 2 usb-c, 2 usb-b. That'd be 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A and the 2018 ThinkPads have similar port selection. The 2017 X1 Carbon and Yoga already had.
• ct0 8y ago
  There are 2 usb-C ports on the X1 Carbon 6 as well
• AlexandrB 8y ago
  > Not putting enough ports on devices is a crucial problem. With USB-C the reality is you have to pick two of: cheap, supports every USB-C standard, and has lots of USB-C ports.
• usaphp 8y ago
  > all so apple could sell stupid dongles Do people really think that Apple is making any significant money on dongle sales, and that it was a main reason they decided to go with single type c ports? Most people who own new MacBooks I know purchase non Apple branded dongles anyway. And even those that apple sells are not really bringing that much money to Apple imo
• chipotle_coyote 8y ago
  "All so Apple could sell stupid dongles" I hear this charge a fair amount, but it seems really unlikely that Apple moved to USB-C solely to "sell stupid dongles," for the fairly obvious reason that you don't need to buy your dongles from Apple. USB-C is indeed still a mess, but it's a non-proprietary mess. As far as I know, Apple's 100% USB-C laptops are the first machines Apple has shipped in their history that don't have a single proprietary connector on them; there's something distinctly ironic about how annoyed we all are over it. I don't think going in on all USB-C was a great idea, but I think it's less of a problem with laptops than it is with phones; I think it would certainly be possible to label USB-C ports in some fashion to indicate their capabilities; and I think a laptop with 2 USB-C ports on each side, like several of Apple's MacBook Pros have, is really not going to create hardships for most users. (Although they should really have a micro-SD card slot on at least the 15" model. C'mon, Jony, get over yourself.) "Stupid single port" Well, again to be fair, there's only one laptop Apple sells with a single USB-C port on it, the 12" uber-thin MacBook. That machine is kind of a radical experiment in some ways, an attempt to build a laptop using the principles of the iPad. (That's not just a pet theory of mine; I've heard from more than one source in a position to know that there were internal prototypes of the single-port MacBook that used Apple's Lightning port.) I'm glad it exists, but I'm also glad I don't own one, and I'm not at all glad that Apple has infected the rest of its laptop line with that keyboard. (Again: get over yourself, Jony.)
  • aekotra 8y ago
    > I hear this charge a fair amount, but it seems really unlikely that Apple moved to USB-C solely to "sell stupid dongles," for the fairly obvious reason that you don't need to buy your dongles from Apple. This is classic techy naivety. When Apple marketing looks at what percentage of their customers almost certainly going to buy dongles exclusively from them, what number do you think they come up with? If you're under 50% you are WAY off. Tens of millions of dog-loyal Apple customers don't even suspect that using another company's dongle is even an option. And how insane is the markup on Apples dongles? Use your head, man.
    • chipotle_coyote 8y ago
• reality_czech 8y ago
  The mind boggles at how the dongle mongerers hobbled these Mac models. From every new Mac, a tangle of dongles hang at odd angles. What a boondoggle.