How long did did it take to get used to new macbook/usbc dongle?

[kofman13]

Im on a rMBP 2015 right now with all the original ports like usb, sd card, hdmi etc. One day eventualyl ill upgrade and im thinking how i will have to carry a little dongle with usb-A/sd card/ etc all the time in my bag. I guess its not a big deal i could adjust.

to people who went from old traditional macbook to USB C only macbook, how long did it take you to get used to using a dongle and not caring about it anymore?

 

[chabig]

About 2 seconds.

 

[maflynn]

I never considered using a dongle something that you get used too. You either used adapters or you don't. With the new MBP you need to use them. I prefer avoiding the use, but its not something that request acclimation.

 

[revmacian]

It took me a few seconds. I feel that if a dongle is necessary.. then a dongle is necessary. I felt I could either make changes to acclimate or I could waste time complaining about something that isn't going to change on my device.

 

[leman]

No time at all, since the only real change was the gained ability to plug all my peripherals and power via the same cable.

For external drives I got proper usb cables, and for video output I was already used to dingles, since every single MBP required one.

 

[canuckRus]

Im on a rMBP 2015 right now with all the original ports like usb, sd card, hdmi etc. One day eventualyl ill upgrade and im thinking how i will have to carry a little dongle with usb-A/sd card/ etc all the time in my bag. I guess its not a big deal i could adjust.

to people who went from old traditional macbook to USB C only macbook, how long did it take you to get used to using a dongle and not caring about it anymore?

One option for a USB C connecter other than a dongle is a Nonda adaptor (Amazon).

 

[dwig]

The only learning curve is learning to carry the dongle with you when you pack up to travel.

I moved to a device with a single do-everything port over 5 years ago. It was a Windows tablet that replaced my aging notebook. It used a new-to-me microUSB/OTG port and I had to acquire a few appropriate cables and a hub.

I now have a Surface Go and use it with a USB-C hub, when on my desk at home, that provides power, data, and second monitor video. The Surface charger, a non-PD hub/card reader, and a few cables stay in my travel bag for use only in the field or at work. My only learning curve has been to remember (a very hard thing for old codgers like me) to diable my desktop machine's mouse before connecting the Go since the monitor is set to auto-select input source. If I wake-the-sleeping-dragon (read: destop machine) by bumping the mouse as I settle in and connect the Go, the monitor connects to the desktop machine and I have to put the "dragon" back to sleep before re-connecting the Go to the hub.

The bottom line is that even with the Go's 5 ports (Surface power, BT data, WiFi (data & insternet) & HID, 3.5mm audio I/O, and USB-C (data, video, PD), I'm quite comfortable using only the BT (headphones & keyboard), WiFi and USB-C on my desk at home. I find the single wired connection (USB-C) an improvement over the multiple wired connections my antique notebook required.

 

[jerryk]

Very quickly.

I have one permanently on my desk as a mini dock. It connects my MBP to an ethernet cable, 27 inch monitor, charger, keyboard, and mouse with the single USB-C connection. Love it.

I also carry a second dongle that has 2 USB-A, SD, microSD, and HDMI ports in my computer bag.

 

[Pupi]

For external drives I got proper usb cables, and for video output I was already used to dingles, since every single MBP required one.

That you owned, maybe. MacBook Pro retina 2012-2015 had HDMI.

 

[Cashmonee]

Well, since I had to carry around a Display Port to VGA dongle for years (and DVI to VGA before that), it does not really bother me that I need to have USB-C to HDMI. Heck my 2015 MBA needed an HDMI dongle. Anyone who has been at this a while has always had to use dongles for things. The one area that this would have hurt more would have been thumb drives, but I don't really know anyone that still uses those. On the plus side, USB-C allows for Macs to finally have docking stations and as things progress, eventually everything will be on this connector. I think the dongle issue is overblown like many other things.

 

[leman]

That you owned, maybe. MacBook Pro retina 2012-2015 had HDMI.

And yet I also had to carry a VGA adapter since some beakers at universities still had no hdmi. As a matter of fact, I was also carrying an HDMI adapter with me because the built-in one sometimes didn’t work.
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The one area that this would have hurt more would have been thumb drives, but I don't really know anyone that still uses those.

There are plenty of thumb drives with both usb-a and usb-c connectors, so this is a non-issue as well.

 

[goslowjoe]

I do not even have a new style MacBook Pro without "ports" yet but I also use a dongle - the 2014 MacBook Pro does not have an ethernet port and so I had to purchase an ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. Fortunately my MacBook Pro is mostly on my desk and I don't really have to carry around the dongle with me. But one day I took the MacBook Pro to the office and forgot to take the dongle along. My office does not have good wifi reception. It was a real pain to get anything done...

 

[KUKitch]

It took absolutely zero time at all... however I've been primarily download-via-internet based for some years now and haven't really had a need for a disk drive or USB in a similar length of time - except in rare circumstances. It does help to have a dongle, and I have one and it's come in handy in a couple of instances. That said, USB-C is fantastic and I would NOT want to go back... reversible, charge from any port, etc - worth the (extremely) rare inconvenience.

 

[Sterkenburg]

I do consider dongles a slight annoyance, but you don't really need to "get used" to them. Rather, you have to learn not to forget to bring the ones you need with you
I personally use a multi-purpose hub with all the ports I need (HDMI, SD, USB-A, Ethernet) and always keep it in my backpack, so that I only need to carry 1 item and have it ready anytime.

 

[dk001]

Im on a rMBP 2015 right now with all the original ports like usb, sd card, hdmi etc. One day eventualyl ill upgrade and im thinking how i will have to carry a little dongle with usb-A/sd card/ etc all the time in my bag. I guess its not a big deal i could adjust.

to people who went from old traditional macbook to USB C only macbook, how long did it take you to get used to using a dongle and not caring about it anymore?

Using the rMB 2015 with the single USB-C port.
Tried and tried and still have not gotten used to it. Every time I get close something else pops up where it becomes an impediment. Or an update jinx's or breaks something on the cordless side.
Won't do this again.

 

[PROFESS0R]

The only time it took was the time to order and unpack the dongle. Really... this is not rocket science.

 

[EEzycade]

Unboxed. Then plugged in peripherals. Done.

 

[ascender]

For as long as I've had a laptop I've had at least one laptop bag and in the bag I've carried around various cables and adapters so that I'm never caught out. All that's changed is that I've swapped out some of them for new usb-c ones.

Alternatively, if I'm going somewhere for the day and know I'm just going to be working off my laptop and don't need anything at all, I may just grab the laptop in a sleeve.

If anybody remembers the early days of usb and the PITA that was when trying to find any device which had a USB plug on it and also a working driver for either Windows or Mac, they're probably like me and don't see what all the fuss is about with usb-c.

 

[dk001]

For as long as I've had a laptop I've had at least one laptop bag and in the bag I've carried around various cables and adapters so that I'm never caught out. All that's changed is that I've swapped out some of them for new usb-c ones.

Alternatively, if I'm going somewhere for the day and know I'm just going to be working off my laptop and don't need anything at all, I may just grab the laptop in a sleeve.

If anybody remembers the early days of usb and the PITA that was when trying to find any device which had a USB plug on it and also a working driver for either Windows or Mac, they're probably like me and don't see what all the fuss is about with usb-c.

I remember and we are apparently, for Apple, heading back there.
My work laptop (Lenovo) I have one cable
My rMB I have a few

 

[Cashmonee]

I remember and we are apparently, for Apple, heading back there.
My work laptop (Lenovo) I have one cable
My rMB I have a few

What is the one cable you have for the Lenovo that requires a few to accomplish the same task?

 

[PhilMacbook]

I don't need an SD card reader so I bought a few low cost adapters and fitted them to my existing USB leads. There was no need for a dongle and no time to get used to it.

I am fully converted now (forgive the pun) and I like the 4 USB-C ports. I don't miss Magsafe at all. It's actually nice to have a power lead that doesn't fall out regularly. I may change that last view if I ever trip over the power lead causing my Macbook to go flying.

 

[ascender]

I remember and we are apparently, for Apple, heading back there.
My work laptop (Lenovo) I have one cable
My rMB I have a few

But the rMB is the one Apple laptop designed with portability being prioritised over everything else, hence the single port to help make the body as thin as possible. Does a simple hub or cable like the Apple one not cover a lot of use-cases?

I know everybody's workflow and use cases are different, but I bought some new cables and peripherals when usb-c started to go across the Apple range and its been fine. I honestly don't find it a pain to have to put a usb-c card reader in my bag instead of having an inbuilt slot.

 

[dk001]

But the rMB is the one Apple laptop designed with portability being prioritised over everything else, hence the single port to help make the body as thin as possible. Does a simple hub or cable like the Apple one not cover a lot of use-cases?

I know everybody's workflow and use cases are different, but I bought some new cables and peripherals when usb-c started to go across the Apple range and its been fine. I honestly don't find it a pain to have to put a usb-c card reader in my bag instead of having an inbuilt slot.

I have a multi hub for that but don't have a one that fits all. As a result I ended up getting a few Apple dongles. Not cheap either.
4 in 1
HDMI
Ethernet Adapter

One big issue has been that the "wireless" connectivity has not been as robust as advertised. Every update seems to bring new or resurfacing old issues.

 

[Painter2002]

Im on a rMBP 2015 right now with all the original ports like usb, sd card, hdmi etc. One day eventualyl ill upgrade and im thinking how i will have to carry a little dongle with usb-A/sd card/ etc all the time in my bag. I guess its not a big deal i could adjust.

to people who went from old traditional macbook to USB C only macbook, how long did it take you to get used to using a dongle and not caring about it anymore?

It took me all of about 1 week, which was about how long it took me to order new cables and peripherals that use USB-C. I do have one dongle, but I never use it.

I have a dock that any legacy peripherals are plugged into (which currently is only my TimeMachine Harddrive and two monitors, both of which I have spare cables that can use USB-C directly if need be), but honestly besides that for me personally #donglelife has never been a thing for me.

 

[dk001]

What is the one cable you have for the Lenovo that requires a few to accomplish the same task?

One for ethernet. The Yoga has several ports and comes with everything else I need.