USB-C port Concern

my main issue is that having one port doesn't allow you to charge your laptop and your phone.

when you are on the go, charging outlets always seem to be in short supply and it would be nice not to have to hunt for or hog two outlets to charge two devices.

tresmith said:

my main issue is that having one port doesn't allow you to charge your laptop and your phone.

when you are on the go, charging outlets always seem to be in short supply and it would be nice not to have to hunt for or hog two outlets to charge two devices.

Click to expand...

Should work fine with the three-way dongle. Plug the dongle into the rMB, plug the rMB charger into the USB C port on the dongle and plug a USB A to Lightning cord into the USB A port on the dongle.

If you can't put up with the dongle, that's a different problem.

newellj said:

Should work fine with the three-way dongle. Plug the dongle into the rMB, plug the rMB charger into the USB C port on the dongle and plug a USB A to Lightning cord into the USB A port on the dongle.

If you can't put up with the dongle, that's a different problem.

Click to expand...

yeah but I should have to.

tresmith said:

yeah but I should have to.

Click to expand...

I think you mean "shouldn't"?

If you don't want to, you really need a different computer, and there are plenty to choose from. Or you can wait a year or two and see if the rMB gets expanded connectivity in a future revision. "Should" and "shouldn't" don't apply here: it is what it is. If it doesn't work, there are others to choose. I'm not trying to be snarky - it was built to be ultra-light and ultra-compact, and there are compromises that go with that.

MH01 said:

Like on the current laptops, that port will become useless . So, yes, your laptop will be dead until it is fixed.

I have never broken a USB port, and the USB-c seems like a better design

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Every laptop I have owned in the end has died because the receptacle has broken connections with the motherboard. And taking the laptop apart to fix it invariable ended up with it not going back together again. Fortunately, Apple laptops with the all metal chassis are easy to disassemble and reassemble, so maybe if this is a failure point it will be easier to repair.

We have a samsung tab S 10.5" tablet that using a micro-usb port. That tablet is not going to last as long as the iPad it replaced (which after 4 years is still going strong)... the micro-usb port is the weak spot, and its days are numbered.

Hopefully the usb-c receptacle is better constructed.

still, I mourn the passing of the magsafe connection, which was an awesome invention. I have a 4 yo MBA and a 3 yo MBA, both still going strong.

newellj said:

There is a dongle that has USB-C for charging, USB-A for attaching drives, etc., and HDMI for video out. If you're like me and sometimes have two or more external HDDs hooked up, hopefully attaching a hub to the dongle will work.

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It's included? I can't finf the answer.

Jumpie said:

It's included? I can't finf the answer.

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No, it's sold separately ($80)

Mildredop said:

When my new MacBook arrives, from where can I get the necessary cables to make use of the USB-C port?

I'll need a USB-C to USB3 (?) cable in order to use my external HDD, and USB-C to micro USB to charge my phone.

Looking on Amazon, I can't find anything.

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Why do that? Get the adapter to USB 3, then a small hub to plug your usual USB cables into. I'd avoid buying several variations of apple's expensive converters.

You could likely plug your current USB to micro usb cable into a hub in the same way you connect it to your USB port currently.

I think it's funny how people try to use every possible scenario to show how Apple's idea of going to a single port is "wrong". I can't [easily] charge the laptop and my phone at the same time, or can't connect to my work's network, while charging the MacBook and my iPhone at the same time.

Sure, you'll have one case where you've been on an overseas flight and were using your MacBook the whole 8+ hours, then you get to the office and need to connect to a wired network, requiring a usb-c to network connector and may not be able to charge your computer. But a scenario like this is not going to be a daily issue.

There will always be some situation where you can't do what you want to do, because Apple forced the issue, but making the single port out to be a negative before living with it, is silly.

And if you just absolutely have to have a bunch of ports in use, because that's how you currently roll, then the new MacBook is not for you. I used to think I needed at least 2 usb ports, so I could have my printer (at work) plugged in along with keeping my iPhone plugged in, but we now have 2 wifi networked printers and I have little need to keep my iPhone 6+ or iPad Air plugged in during the day, so I'm generally plug free, or just running power to my 15" rMBP.

I can certainly see getting a new MacBook for traveling as I'm today taking my iPad and a keyboard, which then requires figuring out a way to prop the iPad up to do work where a keyboard is really necessary. Sure, I could get a keyboard case to solve some of that, but I also prefer a larger screen size and don't really need the benefits of a tablet.