5 ms·

Don't, in my experience (and that of everyone around me), USB-C is very sturdy. My wife had a MB Pro (last Intel, with USB-C) and recently upgraded to the lates

by ezst 2y ago

Don't, in my experience (and that of everyone around me), USB-C is very sturdy. My wife had a MB Pro (last Intel, with USB-C) and recently upgraded to the latest gen with the magnetic connector. It's really annoying that we can't use it on anything but her laptop, it really feels like going backwards and as a result we don't carry it. And for what? So that it gives when you pull it gently? That's also pretty much defining USB-C on all my devices... Apple just really likes their dongles and that's all there is to it, I believe.

imiric 2y ago
> in my experience (and that of everyone around me), USB-C is very sturdy That might be due to Apple's build quality, but the USB-C connector has been anything but sturdy in most machines I've used. The connection becomes wobbly after just a few months of very careful usage, and tends to cut out if the cable is pulled in a certain direction. Connecting an external disk drive is a plug-and-pray situation. I've even had the connector dislodge entirely on one machine. USB-C may have given us reversibility, but USB-A had a much sturdier connection. To say nothing of the uncertainty of which protocol is supported and which power profile will be negotiated by the combination of cable and devices. It's a UX mess.
- fragmede 2y ago
  the fact that I can have a usb-c cable that is directional because I used a usb-a -> usb-c adapter on one end of a usb-c to usb-a cable still weirds me out. I'm not evil enough to release cables that look normal but only work on in one direction, but someone could.
- Tade0 2y ago
  I can't agree on the sturdiness of USB-A. I used to buy laptops with at least four USB ports specifically so that they wouldn't all wear out before it was time to upgrade. Meanwhile my previous phone from 2017, which had USB-C, served for six years without issue except for the accumulation of dust and grime in the receptacle, which caused the behaviour you're describing, but once I dealt with that it was fine. In USB-C the leaf spring holding the plug in place was moved to the plug, so typically it's the cable that's the source of the problem.
  - imiric 2y ago
    That hasn't been my experience. Dust and wear out are common issues with both connectors, but I'm specifically referring to the quality of the connection. USB-A being larger and rectangular simply achieves a better physical coupling than USB-C. Cables are a source of problems as well, but I've specifically had failures of the female ports and not any individual cable. More so on laptops than mobile devices, to be fair, but I never had these issues with USB-A.
dagmx 2y ago
Your rationale doesn’t make sense since every single usb port on the device can also charge it. The reasons for MagSafe are likely - people on average prefer a connector they don’t need to guide in or worry about pulling their laptop down with. This is borne out in the reactions even on HN when it was reintroduced. - it frees up the USB-C ports for actual data use. If people are often dedicating one port for charging, it’s almost a waste to run data lines to it. - MagSafe came out at a time when USB-C couldn’t carry as much power as the MagSafe connector could.
- ezst 2y ago
  > Your rationale doesn’t make sense since every single usb port on the device can also charge it. It does, because as I said, we now have a charger that basically amounts to e-waste. As the result of its supposed benefits being very weak and its downsides very real.
  - mrkstu 2y ago
    The charger is still USB C- one end of the unattached cable is MagSafe, the brick side is USB C, and can charge other USB C devices using a C to C cable - I often use it to quickly charge my iPad Pro.
  - dagmx 2y ago
    The only part that is single purpose is the cable. Your charger can be used for standard usb-C. The supposed benefits are very real whether you appreciate them or not, as I listed in my comment. , whereas the downsides are that you have one extra cable that you can choose not to use. It feels like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill
satvikpendem 2y ago
This has been my experience as well, I don't carry the MagSafe cable anymore either as my one USB C to USB C cable and charger work just fine everywhere. Rarely am I charging two or more devices at once, something that helps when the Apple Silicon Macs have such long battery life, combined with the fast charging on both my MacBook and phone.

by ezst 2y ago

imiric 2y ago

> in my experience (and that of everyone around me), USB-C is very sturdy That might be due to Apple's build quality, but the USB-C connector has been anything but sturdy in most machines I've used. The connection becomes wobbly after just a few months of very careful usage, and tends to cut out if the cable is pulled in a certain direction. Connecting an external disk drive is a plug-and-pray situation. I've even had the connector dislodge entirely on one machine. USB-C may have given us reversibility, but USB-A had a much sturdier connection. To say nothing of the uncertainty of which protocol is supported and which power profile will be negotiated by the combination of cable and devices. It's a UX mess.

fragmede 2y ago
the fact that I can have a usb-c cable that is directional because I used a usb-a -> usb-c adapter on one end of a usb-c to usb-a cable still weirds me out. I'm not evil enough to release cables that look normal but only work on in one direction, but someone could.
Tade0 2y ago
I can't agree on the sturdiness of USB-A. I used to buy laptops with at least four USB ports specifically so that they wouldn't all wear out before it was time to upgrade. Meanwhile my previous phone from 2017, which had USB-C, served for six years without issue except for the accumulation of dust and grime in the receptacle, which caused the behaviour you're describing, but once I dealt with that it was fine. In USB-C the leaf spring holding the plug in place was moved to the plug, so typically it's the cable that's the source of the problem.
- imiric 2y ago
  That hasn't been my experience. Dust and wear out are common issues with both connectors, but I'm specifically referring to the quality of the connection. USB-A being larger and rectangular simply achieves a better physical coupling than USB-C. Cables are a source of problems as well, but I've specifically had failures of the female ports and not any individual cable. More so on laptops than mobile devices, to be fair, but I never had these issues with USB-A.

dagmx 2y ago

Your rationale doesn’t make sense since every single usb port on the device can also charge it. The reasons for MagSafe are likely - people on average prefer a connector they don’t need to guide in or worry about pulling their laptop down with. This is borne out in the reactions even on HN when it was reintroduced. - it frees up the USB-C ports for actual data use. If people are often dedicating one port for charging, it’s almost a waste to run data lines to it. - MagSafe came out at a time when USB-C couldn’t carry as much power as the MagSafe connector could.

ezst 2y ago
> Your rationale doesn’t make sense since every single usb port on the device can also charge it. It does, because as I said, we now have a charger that basically amounts to e-waste. As the result of its supposed benefits being very weak and its downsides very real.
- mrkstu 2y ago
  The charger is still USB C- one end of the unattached cable is MagSafe, the brick side is USB C, and can charge other USB C devices using a C to C cable - I often use it to quickly charge my iPad Pro.
- dagmx 2y ago
  The only part that is single purpose is the cable. Your charger can be used for standard usb-C. The supposed benefits are very real whether you appreciate them or not, as I listed in my comment. , whereas the downsides are that you have one extra cable that you can choose not to use. It feels like you’re making a mountain out of a molehill

satvikpendem 2y ago

This has been my experience as well, I don't carry the MagSafe cable anymore either as my one USB C to USB C cable and charger work just fine everywhere. Rarely am I charging two or more devices at once, something that helps when the Apple Silicon Macs have such long battery life, combined with the fast charging on both my MacBook and phone.