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I'm torn with USB-C. We're finally getting some cool additions to the most used standard (though I don't know If I like this one), but at the cost of fragmentin

I'm torn with USB-C. We're finally getting some cool additions to the most used standard (though I don't know If I like this one), but at the cost of fragmenting it to the point that it's not so much a standard anymore. USB-C inconsistency on the hardware side of things has been a meme by itself. With this addition sometimes when you plug a device in it might not work despite being the exact right device/port combination (which would be a miracle on it's own even in the current environment.) I don't know. Maybe in 5 years when we've glued on all the stuff we want from this connector things will be okay. In the meantime though it's chaos. Committee approved chaos.

holidaygoose 8y ago
I've heard a lot about fragmentation, but just anecdotally it doesn't seem to be an issue in practice. My family has USB-C headphones, phones, laptops, remotes, and then USB-C charging cables around the house. Everything can be charged anywhere and everything is swappable, with the only inconvenience of the laptops needing the larger charging bricks to charge fast (otherwise they charge slow). I connect my desktop to different phones via USB-C, my phone to my headphones, laptop to monitor, my headphones using my car charger, etc. and it all works. The charging bricks and cables are cheap on sale -- $30 for bricks that can charge laptops and about $4 a cable. We're a 100% USB-C household and will only buy electronics with USB-C or USB. I'm waiting for everything else to go USB-C: come on projectors, razors, speakers, and musical instruments.
- vuln 8y ago
  If you have Nintendo switch in your household ensure everyone understands to use the Nintendo branded USB-C or else your switch will be toast and warranty voided. Source: USB-C household with a 9 year old and a new switch.
  - holidaygoose 8y ago
    I'm not so familiar with the Switch, but this thread here https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6jnkl4/list_of_recommended_switch_usbc_chargers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6jnkl4/list... seems to indicate that using other USB-C chargers is okay?
  - wyldfire 8y ago
    Is that really the case?! Wow. I've used a USB-C car charger from Anker with the Switch and not given it a second thought. I recall reading that the Switch had odd or picky behavior but I didn't think that it could be damaged by non-Nintendo equipment.
    - pedrocx486 8y ago
      It's not. It's an issue with the Switch Docks and it's counterfeits. Chargers are okay.
  - dtech 8y ago
    What? I've charged my Switch with a dozen different cables and 5+ different chargers and it was not damaged, altough it does not charge with 1 charger. Was it a cheap USB A -> USB C Cable without a resistor? Those a well known to be dangerous [1] [1] https://www.howtogeek.com/353410/3-problems-with-usb-c-you-need-to-know/ https://www.howtogeek.com/353410/3-problems-with-usb-c-you-n...
  - minimaxir 8y ago
    It varies strongly. Handheld charging is typically fine, it's using unofficial docks which cause problems (since Nintendo didn't follow USB-C spec when it charges via that)
  - heartbreak 8y ago
    This is misinformation, and this particular strand of it seems to never die. There is an issue with unofficial 3rd party docks for Nintendo Switch causing issues. USB-C PD chargers work fine.
    - LeftTurnSignal 8y ago
      I had to buy a Nintendo USB C cable to use for my switch. None of the ones I got with my Pixel or other USB C devices worked. Granted, I only had 5 other cables to test at the time. The only unofficial thing I used was the cable itself. Once I bought their cable, the switch charges on everything I connect it to now. Not quite the same issue as burning up my switch (as of now), but issues nonetheless.
  - andy_ppp 8y ago
    This isn’t true, I’ve charged the switch at least 20 times with my MacBook Pro charger and it’s fine...
    - pedrocx486 8y ago
      And I use an Aukey charger on my Switch. I never even used the stock one, it still is in the box. OP is misleading everyone by mixing the dock problem (which counterfeits can brick the switch) with something he imagined.
      - vuln 8y ago
        Pretty sure I didn't -imagine- my son plugging his switch into my Google Pixel USB C charger. I did not -imagine- the device being bricked. I didn't -imagine- the hours wasted dealing with tech support and RMA'ing the device only to be told that we voided the warranty. I'd send you the correspondence between Nintendo and myself but I feel as if I've wasted enough time on you already.
  - cbdumas 8y ago
    I regularly charge my Switch with my Dell XPS 13 charger. Never had an issue.
  - pR0Ps 8y ago
    I have this rule too. While there are a bunch of people with anecdotes saying their Switch is fine with non-Nintendo power supplies, the fact that the dock and console are both ridiculously noncompliant[0] is enough to dissuade me from ever trying it. I'd rather eat the markup cost on a Nintendo-branded power supply than risk bricking an expensive piece of tech. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/87vmud/the_switch_is_not_usbc_compliant_and_overdraws/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/87vmud/the_...
- kiddico 8y ago
  In a USB-backed world things do seem to go pretty smoothly. I'm looking forward to that all USB-C world too :) Imagine never having to think about which way a plug should go! I suppose my biggest gripe is that things that aren't USB are able to use the USB-C form factor. For instance thunderbolt. My dock at work connects with thunderbolt over USB-C, and everything works fine minus the display port pass through. It's kinda cool that it works at all to be honest. Oddly enough the Ethernet jack and Dock sound card are run over USB so those work fine.
- chmars 8y ago
  My main issue is that sometimes my iPhone is charging my MacBook and not vice versa … In the end, my iPhone is empty in the morning.
  - scrumbledober 8y ago
    that's very much non ideal.
  - spiritcat 8y ago
    Mine was when laptop tried to charge screen and not vice-versa, using Amazon USB-c to display port. In the end, laptop gets new mother board. To be fair, OSX warned me something was drawing too much voltage, and I still tried it like 5 times after that, but the screen did flicker on a few times and work for a sec before it all went kaput.
jwr 8y ago
I've come to believe that USB-C is a mistake that we will all regret. USB-C enthusiasts are (from my experience) people who haven't really used it much and think that they will be able to get around with a single cable and a single connector standard. People who actually tried to use it for a number of things quickly realize that USB-C is just the name of the physical connector, which has nothing to do with what the device supports, which in turn has nothing to do with what the (unlabeled!) cable supports. There are no standards for labeling devices or cables, so you quickly end up in a world where you have a bunch of cables and devices all using a single plug, but you have no idea which device will work with what. I daresay this is a worse situation than having multiple types of plugs and cables, because at least then you could set reasonable expectations. Add to this the fact that there are no reliable hubs for USB-C connectors, so you're basically stuck with what your laptop/computer offers, unless you want to live in a world of crappy unreliable hardware (I don't).
- kiddico 8y ago
  You know I never even considered the cable itself in the whole usb-c equation. And labeling them is a hard problem to solve. Not technically, but aesthetically. We COULD just make different colors mean different things (But then you have to remember the colors...), but everyone wants a specific color(me included). Text labeling could work, but could get out of control, especially at the rate that the standard is changing. Would it need to list the specific features the cable supports? Or can I assume that a cable labeled with 'Thunderbolt' will be compatible with all future iterations of Thunderbolt? Maybe we can do something like resistor color codes with colored bands to make a rainbowed venn diagram of cable features. Surely that's a good idea which will only decrease complexity :P
  - marcosdumay 8y ago
    > Surely that's a good idea which will only decrease complexity :P Well, it's clearly less complex than letting the cables unlabeled...
  - JohnFen 8y ago
    > but everyone wants a specific color Not everyone! Personally, I couldn't care less what color my cables are (unless the color is telling me something important about the cable).
axaxs 8y ago
This is my biggest concern as well. The problem is, by the time it's consistent and has all the bells and whistles, it'll probably have to be renamed because all of the cables/devices in the past who implemented it incorrectly, at which point they'll think it's a good time to add new features while at it, and lead us back to square one.
- kiddico 8y ago
  I can totally see that happening too... There is an upside to that terrible timeline though: an opportunity to have the new name be USB-C++
  - axaxs 8y ago
    Is that the one that catches fire if you try to use it after it's already unplugged? :)
13415 8y ago
I've heard enough about USB-C when I heard a report of a fried motherboards due to a faulty cable. No consumer technology should work like that.
- sowbug 8y ago
  That had nothing to do with USB-C. Switching Vbus and GND would destroy many devices, regardless of what kind of cable it was. You're probably right that because USB-C is a newish standard, manufacturers might make idiotic newbie mistakes like the ones Surjtech made with that cable. That would argue in favor of waiting... though I'd estimate that you're more likely to be struck by lightning than encounter a retail USB-C cable with power and ground reversed.
JohnFen 8y ago
I'm not torn about USB C at all. All in all, it doesn't seem like a good thing to me, which is why I'm avoiding it so far. I know that eventually I'll have to give in, but that day isn't here yet.
MisterTea 8y ago
The headphone jack on my windows 10 powered Dell at work randomly stops "detecting" my headphones. I need to reinstall the drivers. Every week or so. And of course I don't because that's insane. Now we're to trust the same bottom scraping hardware/software makers with an already overly complex serial port.

holidaygoose 8y ago

I've heard a lot about fragmentation, but just anecdotally it doesn't seem to be an issue in practice. My family has USB-C headphones, phones, laptops, remotes, and then USB-C charging cables around the house. Everything can be charged anywhere and everything is swappable, with the only inconvenience of the laptops needing the larger charging bricks to charge fast (otherwise they charge slow). I connect my desktop to different phones via USB-C, my phone to my headphones, laptop to monitor, my headphones using my car charger, etc. and it all works. The charging bricks and cables are cheap on sale -- $30 for bricks that can charge laptops and about $4 a cable. We're a 100% USB-C household and will only buy electronics with USB-C or USB. I'm waiting for everything else to go USB-C: come on projectors, razors, speakers, and musical instruments.

vuln 8y ago
If you have Nintendo switch in your household ensure everyone understands to use the Nintendo branded USB-C or else your switch will be toast and warranty voided. Source: USB-C household with a 9 year old and a new switch.
- holidaygoose 8y ago
  I'm not so familiar with the Switch, but this thread here https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6jnkl4/list_of_recommended_switch_usbc_chargers/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/6jnkl4/list... seems to indicate that using other USB-C chargers is okay?
- wyldfire 8y ago
  Is that really the case?! Wow. I've used a USB-C car charger from Anker with the Switch and not given it a second thought. I recall reading that the Switch had odd or picky behavior but I didn't think that it could be damaged by non-Nintendo equipment.
  - pedrocx486 8y ago
    It's not. It's an issue with the Switch Docks and it's counterfeits. Chargers are okay.
- dtech 8y ago
  What? I've charged my Switch with a dozen different cables and 5+ different chargers and it was not damaged, altough it does not charge with 1 charger. Was it a cheap USB A -> USB C Cable without a resistor? Those a well known to be dangerous [1] [1] https://www.howtogeek.com/353410/3-problems-with-usb-c-you-need-to-know/ https://www.howtogeek.com/353410/3-problems-with-usb-c-you-n...
- minimaxir 8y ago
  It varies strongly. Handheld charging is typically fine, it's using unofficial docks which cause problems (since Nintendo didn't follow USB-C spec when it charges via that)
- heartbreak 8y ago
  This is misinformation, and this particular strand of it seems to never die. There is an issue with unofficial 3rd party docks for Nintendo Switch causing issues. USB-C PD chargers work fine.
  - LeftTurnSignal 8y ago
    I had to buy a Nintendo USB C cable to use for my switch. None of the ones I got with my Pixel or other USB C devices worked. Granted, I only had 5 other cables to test at the time. The only unofficial thing I used was the cable itself. Once I bought their cable, the switch charges on everything I connect it to now. Not quite the same issue as burning up my switch (as of now), but issues nonetheless.
- andy_ppp 8y ago
  This isn’t true, I’ve charged the switch at least 20 times with my MacBook Pro charger and it’s fine...
  - pedrocx486 8y ago
    And I use an Aukey charger on my Switch. I never even used the stock one, it still is in the box. OP is misleading everyone by mixing the dock problem (which counterfeits can brick the switch) with something he imagined.
    - vuln 8y ago
      Pretty sure I didn't -imagine- my son plugging his switch into my Google Pixel USB C charger. I did not -imagine- the device being bricked. I didn't -imagine- the hours wasted dealing with tech support and RMA'ing the device only to be told that we voided the warranty. I'd send you the correspondence between Nintendo and myself but I feel as if I've wasted enough time on you already.
- cbdumas 8y ago
  I regularly charge my Switch with my Dell XPS 13 charger. Never had an issue.
- pR0Ps 8y ago
  I have this rule too. While there are a bunch of people with anecdotes saying their Switch is fine with non-Nintendo power supplies, the fact that the dock and console are both ridiculously noncompliant[0] is enough to dissuade me from ever trying it. I'd rather eat the markup cost on a Nintendo-branded power supply than risk bricking an expensive piece of tech. [0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/87vmud/the_switch_is_not_usbc_compliant_and_overdraws/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/87vmud/the_...
kiddico 8y ago
In a USB-backed world things do seem to go pretty smoothly. I'm looking forward to that all USB-C world too :) Imagine never having to think about which way a plug should go! I suppose my biggest gripe is that things that aren't USB are able to use the USB-C form factor. For instance thunderbolt. My dock at work connects with thunderbolt over USB-C, and everything works fine minus the display port pass through. It's kinda cool that it works at all to be honest. Oddly enough the Ethernet jack and Dock sound card are run over USB so those work fine.
chmars 8y ago
My main issue is that sometimes my iPhone is charging my MacBook and not vice versa … In the end, my iPhone is empty in the morning.
- scrumbledober 8y ago
  that's very much non ideal.
- spiritcat 8y ago
  Mine was when laptop tried to charge screen and not vice-versa, using Amazon USB-c to display port. In the end, laptop gets new mother board. To be fair, OSX warned me something was drawing too much voltage, and I still tried it like 5 times after that, but the screen did flicker on a few times and work for a sec before it all went kaput.

jwr 8y ago

I've come to believe that USB-C is a mistake that we will all regret. USB-C enthusiasts are (from my experience) people who haven't really used it much and think that they will be able to get around with a single cable and a single connector standard. People who actually tried to use it for a number of things quickly realize that USB-C is just the name of the physical connector, which has nothing to do with what the device supports, which in turn has nothing to do with what the (unlabeled!) cable supports. There are no standards for labeling devices or cables, so you quickly end up in a world where you have a bunch of cables and devices all using a single plug, but you have no idea which device will work with what. I daresay this is a worse situation than having multiple types of plugs and cables, because at least then you could set reasonable expectations. Add to this the fact that there are no reliable hubs for USB-C connectors, so you're basically stuck with what your laptop/computer offers, unless you want to live in a world of crappy unreliable hardware (I don't).

kiddico 8y ago
You know I never even considered the cable itself in the whole usb-c equation. And labeling them is a hard problem to solve. Not technically, but aesthetically. We COULD just make different colors mean different things (But then you have to remember the colors...), but everyone wants a specific color(me included). Text labeling could work, but could get out of control, especially at the rate that the standard is changing. Would it need to list the specific features the cable supports? Or can I assume that a cable labeled with 'Thunderbolt' will be compatible with all future iterations of Thunderbolt? Maybe we can do something like resistor color codes with colored bands to make a rainbowed venn diagram of cable features. Surely that's a good idea which will only decrease complexity :P
- marcosdumay 8y ago
  > Surely that's a good idea which will only decrease complexity :P Well, it's clearly less complex than letting the cables unlabeled...
- JohnFen 8y ago
  > but everyone wants a specific color Not everyone! Personally, I couldn't care less what color my cables are (unless the color is telling me something important about the cable).

axaxs 8y ago

This is my biggest concern as well. The problem is, by the time it's consistent and has all the bells and whistles, it'll probably have to be renamed because all of the cables/devices in the past who implemented it incorrectly, at which point they'll think it's a good time to add new features while at it, and lead us back to square one.

kiddico 8y ago
I can totally see that happening too... There is an upside to that terrible timeline though: an opportunity to have the new name be USB-C++
- axaxs 8y ago
  Is that the one that catches fire if you try to use it after it's already unplugged? :)

13415 8y ago

I've heard enough about USB-C when I heard a report of a fried motherboards due to a faulty cable. No consumer technology should work like that.

sowbug 8y ago
That had nothing to do with USB-C. Switching Vbus and GND would destroy many devices, regardless of what kind of cable it was. You're probably right that because USB-C is a newish standard, manufacturers might make idiotic newbie mistakes like the ones Surjtech made with that cable. That would argue in favor of waiting... though I'd estimate that you're more likely to be struck by lightning than encounter a retail USB-C cable with power and ground reversed.

JohnFen 8y ago

I'm not torn about USB C at all. All in all, it doesn't seem like a good thing to me, which is why I'm avoiding it so far. I know that eventually I'll have to give in, but that day isn't here yet.

MisterTea 8y ago

The headphone jack on my windows 10 powered Dell at work randomly stops "detecting" my headphones. I need to reinstall the drivers. Every week or so. And of course I don't because that's insane. Now we're to trust the same bottom scraping hardware/software makers with an already overly complex serial port.