6 ms·

Just buy a USB-C to USB-A adapter and leave it permanently attached. USB-A is a legacy connector and needs to just die already.

bee_rider 5y ago
Like just constantly have a dongle hanging off the side of your laptop, waiting to get bent? Possibly damaging to port?
- chrischen 5y ago
  Then don't get the dongle. Just upgrade your accessory to use USB type C. Having a bulky USB A port just to appease the 1% of users who spend $2000 on a shiny new macbook but cheap out on a mouse they've been using from the 90s? I exaggerate, but if you really want to keep your old accessories then leave the dongle permanently attached to the accessory. You can get like a 10 pack for like $5 probably.
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard). Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.
    - macintux 5y ago
      How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house? I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.
      - bee_rider 5y ago
        I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing. For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck. I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.
    - obscuren 5y ago
      Just buy a couple of these [1] (can probably find them cheaper even) and leave them attached to the peripheral (not your Mac) - [1] https://satechi.net/products/aluminum-usb-c-to-usb-a-adapter?variant=27300143369 https://satechi.net/products/aluminum-usb-c-to-usb-a-adapter...
      - bee_rider 5y ago
        It is clearly possible to find workaround, but it seems weird to need one on a $2000 laptop when other companies manage to fit it on cheaper, thinner laptops.
        chrischen 5y ago
        Your requirement of a USB Aport to satisfy an esoteric accessory is a niche use case. They are not going to include A USB A just like why they won’t add a firewire port to satisfy that 1%. Pretty much all new keyboards, even niche ones, now come with Type C standard. Plus you are making a huge deal out of the graceful degradation of attaching an adapter to your keyboard. If we’re going to permanently retrofit something its going to be your keyboard—not the macbook. I upgrade my gear regularly. And because of that I pretty much never use USB A. Apple designs their products for people who upgrade their gear. If they add a USB A to my shiny new laptop it’d be quite annoying because it is 1 extra port that I will never use that is probably there at the expense of another Type C port.
        bee_rider 5y ago
        I think we might just be posting from different universes or something. Where I'm at USB-A is not really a niche interface. I don't know what to tell you.
        chrischen 5y ago
        If you upgrade the minor peripherals to the newest versions you’ll find USB A is not really used anymore.
  - goosedragons 5y ago
    Find a new wired mouse with a USB C connector. USB A isn't dead just yet. Also doesn't really help in the scenario where maybe you need to grab files off a client or colleague's flash drive...
    - bombcar 5y ago
      https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyboards-and-mice/mice/4y51d20850 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb... They’re out there. Would a USB A be nice? Probably.
      - goosedragons 5y ago
        They're out there but not commonplace. Walk into a Staples or Best Buy and they're either USB A corded or USB A wireless dongles with a dash of Bluetooth.
    - threeseed 5y ago
      That's because no one even makes them anymore e.g. Logitech has ZERO normal wired mice. So of course you're seeing USB-A mice because they are probably old models from the 2000s.
      - tzs 5y ago
        > That's because no one even makes them anymore e.g. Logitech has ZERO normal wired mice They have two USB-A mice and one mouse that has USB-C, Bluetooth, and their own wireless interface. Depending on what you mean by "normal" that is either 3 or 2 normal wired mice. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice.html?filters=corded https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice.html?filters=co...
      - goosedragons 5y ago
        I mean Razer released a new wired Deathadder in 2020 with USB A. All of Logitechs non-Bluetooth wireless mice come with receivers that use USB A. Logitech doesn't even sell a USB C wireless receiver yet as an option, just an adapter.
- leipert 5y ago
  More like: constantly attached to the cable. Only USB-A device I use is a printer and I have an adapter permanently attached to the cable.
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    That's a solution I guess. It could result in an annoying edge case if you wanted to for example bring your laptop somewhere else, and borrow a peripheral there. (I'm sure someone will be along to correct me, with the information that using a laptop as a portable device is some niche use-case that Apple shouldn't care about).
    - dfinninger 5y ago
      I keep one of these in my laptop case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8QWGX41H89213Q71GS2Q https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8Q... It’s worked great for years.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
moralestapia 5y ago
o-rly? Aside from my phone, every single thing I have in my home is using USB-A.
mattl 5y ago
Why does it need to die?
- ghaff 5y ago
  The argument is that it's legacy and it will die because USB-C is better is a variety of ways. And in true Apple fashion, Apple is killing it somewhat aggressively. Though it's not just Apple. Something like a Google Pixelbook is USB-C only as well.
  - rnk 5y ago
    The same thing can be said for the unnecessary apple lightning plug - it serves no purpose other than apple selling adapters and blocking usb-c use. Yet it keeps being used. Lots of companies have things with only usb-c but the real problem is not new use, it's the billions of devices with usb-a plugs on them. In my house there are probably 10 usb-c plugs across several computers and 100 usb-a things to plug in.
    - ghaff 5y ago
      The main purpose lightning serves is that it removes a barrier to Apple customers upgrading to the next iPhone. Apple will get to USB-C--probably sooner rather than later; I wouldn't bet against this year--but that's actually a case of getting onto a standard even though there's no real advantage right now for Apple customers and some pain.
      - threeseed 5y ago
        Apple won't move to USB-C for the iPhone. They are actively looking at how to transmit data over the Magsafe adapter. Once that happens there will be no ports.
    - tinus_hn 5y ago
      The Lightning connector was introduced in 2012 while USB-C was introduced in 2014. My theory is that Apple made commitments to keep supporting the Lightning connector on their phones for a number of years to get manufacturers to create devices with it. Say whatever you want, when it was introduced it was clearly a big improvement over the micro USB connectors everyone else was using. By now it’s holding them back though.
toraway1234 5y ago

bee_rider 5y ago

Like just constantly have a dongle hanging off the side of your laptop, waiting to get bent? Possibly damaging to port?

chrischen 5y ago
Then don't get the dongle. Just upgrade your accessory to use USB type C. Having a bulky USB A port just to appease the 1% of users who spend $2000 on a shiny new macbook but cheap out on a mouse they've been using from the 90s? I exaggerate, but if you really want to keep your old accessories then leave the dongle permanently attached to the accessory. You can get like a 10 pack for like $5 probably.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard). Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.
  - macintux 5y ago
    How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house? I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.
    - bee_rider 5y ago
      I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing. For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck. I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.
  - obscuren 5y ago
    Just buy a couple of these [1] (can probably find them cheaper even) and leave them attached to the peripheral (not your Mac) - [1] https://satechi.net/products/aluminum-usb-c-to-usb-a-adapter?variant=27300143369 https://satechi.net/products/aluminum-usb-c-to-usb-a-adapter...
    - bee_rider 5y ago
      It is clearly possible to find workaround, but it seems weird to need one on a $2000 laptop when other companies manage to fit it on cheaper, thinner laptops.
      - chrischen 5y ago
        Your requirement of a USB Aport to satisfy an esoteric accessory is a niche use case. They are not going to include A USB A just like why they won’t add a firewire port to satisfy that 1%. Pretty much all new keyboards, even niche ones, now come with Type C standard. Plus you are making a huge deal out of the graceful degradation of attaching an adapter to your keyboard. If we’re going to permanently retrofit something its going to be your keyboard—not the macbook. I upgrade my gear regularly. And because of that I pretty much never use USB A. Apple designs their products for people who upgrade their gear. If they add a USB A to my shiny new laptop it’d be quite annoying because it is 1 extra port that I will never use that is probably there at the expense of another Type C port.
        bee_rider 5y ago
        I think we might just be posting from different universes or something. Where I'm at USB-A is not really a niche interface. I don't know what to tell you.
        chrischen 5y ago
        If you upgrade the minor peripherals to the newest versions you’ll find USB A is not really used anymore.
- goosedragons 5y ago
  Find a new wired mouse with a USB C connector. USB A isn't dead just yet. Also doesn't really help in the scenario where maybe you need to grab files off a client or colleague's flash drive...
  - bombcar 5y ago
    https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyboards-and-mice/mice/4y51d20850 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb... They’re out there. Would a USB A be nice? Probably.
    - goosedragons 5y ago
      They're out there but not commonplace. Walk into a Staples or Best Buy and they're either USB A corded or USB A wireless dongles with a dash of Bluetooth.
  - threeseed 5y ago
    That's because no one even makes them anymore e.g. Logitech has ZERO normal wired mice. So of course you're seeing USB-A mice because they are probably old models from the 2000s.
    - tzs 5y ago
      > That's because no one even makes them anymore e.g. Logitech has ZERO normal wired mice They have two USB-A mice and one mouse that has USB-C, Bluetooth, and their own wireless interface. Depending on what you mean by "normal" that is either 3 or 2 normal wired mice. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice.html?filters=corded https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice.html?filters=co...
    - goosedragons 5y ago
      I mean Razer released a new wired Deathadder in 2020 with USB A. All of Logitechs non-Bluetooth wireless mice come with receivers that use USB A. Logitech doesn't even sell a USB C wireless receiver yet as an option, just an adapter.
leipert 5y ago
More like: constantly attached to the cable. Only USB-A device I use is a printer and I have an adapter permanently attached to the cable.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  That's a solution I guess. It could result in an annoying edge case if you wanted to for example bring your laptop somewhere else, and borrow a peripheral there. (I'm sure someone will be along to correct me, with the information that using a laptop as a portable device is some niche use-case that Apple shouldn't care about).
  - dfinninger 5y ago
    I keep one of these in my laptop case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8QWGX41H89213Q71GS2Q https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8Q... It’s worked great for years.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

moralestapia 5y ago

o-rly? Aside from my phone, every single thing I have in my home is using USB-A.

mattl 5y ago

Why does it need to die?

ghaff 5y ago
The argument is that it's legacy and it will die because USB-C is better is a variety of ways. And in true Apple fashion, Apple is killing it somewhat aggressively. Though it's not just Apple. Something like a Google Pixelbook is USB-C only as well.
- rnk 5y ago
  The same thing can be said for the unnecessary apple lightning plug - it serves no purpose other than apple selling adapters and blocking usb-c use. Yet it keeps being used. Lots of companies have things with only usb-c but the real problem is not new use, it's the billions of devices with usb-a plugs on them. In my house there are probably 10 usb-c plugs across several computers and 100 usb-a things to plug in.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    The main purpose lightning serves is that it removes a barrier to Apple customers upgrading to the next iPhone. Apple will get to USB-C--probably sooner rather than later; I wouldn't bet against this year--but that's actually a case of getting onto a standard even though there's no real advantage right now for Apple customers and some pain.
    - threeseed 5y ago
      Apple won't move to USB-C for the iPhone. They are actively looking at how to transmit data over the Magsafe adapter. Once that happens there will be no ports.
  - tinus_hn 5y ago
    The Lightning connector was introduced in 2012 while USB-C was introduced in 2014. My theory is that Apple made commitments to keep supporting the Lightning connector on their phones for a number of years to get manufacturers to create devices with it. Say whatever you want, when it was introduced it was clearly a big improvement over the micro USB connectors everyone else was using. By now it’s holding them back though.

toraway1234 5y ago