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Mac Mini to Lose Its USB-A Ports Later This Year
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This entire thread all 18 pages is about the damn ports. The more important question is, what will ram and ssd be and the price point if that changes
Until those legacy ports are removed completely from all the most popular computers, many manufacturers will keep producing devices with these old "standards" and we'll be stuck in a timewarp.
It's going on 10 years since USB-C was introduced on the first MacBooks. It's time to say goodbye for good to these ports. We shouldn't still be seeing any brand new equipment still being sold with USB-A/B ports at this point.
Manufacturers and legacy users need a hard shove at this point to wholly adopt it. Heck, get the EU to come up with some ruling to disallow USB-A on any new devices sold in the EU if it will speed things up (something useful for a change).
Hell it's not like USB-C is not compatible, it's just a different port. Docks exist, conversion cables exist. If you are stuck on these old standards, you're the one who should be adapting, upgrading old cables or equipment (or just buy adaptors).
It's simple, and cheap to get compatible dongles or docks (unlike the lightning ones which needed to be Apple manufactured for certain functions).
I have a third party dock here for my MacBook that has 2xUSB-A, 2xUSB-C, HDMI, Gigabit Lan, SD and Micro SD....It was under $25!
Why would you buy an Apple specific adapter when you can buy adapters or cables from literally anywhere for a couple of dollars a piece? Thats one of the beauty's of USB-C, it's cross compatible.
3+2 USB-C would be fine for me since I'd also need a card reader and those can be gotten as a hub with USB-A ports. The only downside is that such a configuration (with USB-A) will add to the desktop clutter.
As I said a few weeks ago I'd really like to see Apple add a card reader to the Mac mini, preferably a fast CFexpress type-B port although I still use SD for some of my cameras. A dual SD/CFexpress card arrangement would be even better but Apple would never do something like that (i.e. too good to be true and right now only a small percentage of people are using CFexpress).
As I said a few weeks ago I'd really like to see Apple add a card reader to the Mac mini, preferably a fast CFexpress type-B port although I still use SD for some of my cameras. A dual SD/CFexpress card arrangement would be even better but Apple would never do something like that (i.e. too good to be true and right now only a small percentage of people are using CFexpress).
Witness the American 3-prong dryer connection: Unsafe, illegal for new wiring installs for decades, and still supported by appliance manufacturers.
If we can't bury something that's killed people, imagine a mere annoyance like a serial port standard...
What's wrong with wanting more ports on the back? It's better than having a dock lying around on the desk. Apple has always also been about aesthetics and less clutter instead of more.
Lightning's days were numbered anyway. The iPhone was the only device still using it. iPad transitioned already years ago.
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$150 for an USB to SCSI adaptor... or USB Zip drive for $20
USB-A ports are about 10x the volume size of usb on the board.
USB4 2.0* requires the USB-C socket and cable ( as does thunderbolt )
80 Gbit/s Symmetric
120/40 Gbit/s asymmetric
USB3.2 with the older ports maxed out at 20Gbit/s
*USB naming is so stupid an confusing.
Would leaving a single USB-A port really upset the rotation of the Earth?
You mentioned good points, especially on the single port devices and charging side of things, but might have (due to my angle and opinions on trying to understand what’s all the chaos about) misunderstood how much or little I do care about this.
Myself I’m not emotionally invested in USB-A or C or anything, just paying attention about the way forward.
I don’t think nor say USB-A is obsolete, but not blind to the writing on the wall.
I vote for “the everything port” to gain more ground, it’s the more flexible and brings more choices for more users.
And yes, it’s potentially “now only five”, but it can split and multiply… could make that potentially 20+ total if all of them happen to be Thunderbolt compliant. Or daisy chain them for supporting gadgets.
So, sure, USB-A SSDs enclosures are still a thing, and yesteryears CPUs are still being sold, and cars with ancient tech are still offered, but I keep away from them: haven’t bought an external USB-A SSD (or any Lightning gadget for that matter) in some years now.
That’s why this piece of article, while a nice PSA of sorts, doesn’t rock the boat. The reactions seem to be off charts though from where I’m sitting.
Have to be careful with some of these dongles though. Some manufacturers decide to make them a bit large and cover other ports. You can replace the cables themselves. There generally close to spec.
The mini is generally a desktop unit so a female USB A to male USB C adapter shouldn't be an issue.
As an example, these are $6.00 for three adapters.
USB C to USB Adapter 3-Pack USB C Male to USB 3.0 Female Adapter Compatibllity for iMac 2021 for iPad Pro 2021 for MacBook Pro 2020 for MacBook Air 2020 and Other Type C or Thunderbolt 3 Devices gray
This USB C to USB adapter is compatible with any laptop/tablet/smartphone with a Type-C port. The Adapter lets you connect standard USB accessories/cables to a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 device. No interference with the Wifi signal. This tiny adapter is a combination of exquisitenes...www.amazon.com
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Apple's 1 billion active (and repeat) customers who own Apple desktop and laptop computers would disagree.
I don’t know if anyone here already thought this up but I had an idea some time ago:
What if Apple produced a Power Supply much like the one that accompanies the MacBookPro 16” but that suplies the maximum USB PD3.1 spec allows of power (240W) and at the same time contains a gigabit/2.5GB/10GB ethernet connection much alike the power supply that is optional with the iMac24”.
The same USB-C cable connected to the power supply would carry power (up to 240W) and data (the maximum speed allowed by Thunderbolt standard, at least 20-40GB) to the computer that used that Power Supply!
Any Apple Computer that doesn’t need more than 240W to work would benefit a lot (like the new MacMini, iMac24”, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro,…) and only one cable would go to the computer! We could have this as an option when buying a new Apple computer and sold also as an acessory!
What do you think?
What if Apple produced a Power Supply much like the one that accompanies the MacBookPro 16” but that suplies the maximum USB PD3.1 spec allows of power (240W) and at the same time contains a gigabit/2.5GB/10GB ethernet connection much alike the power supply that is optional with the iMac24”.
The same USB-C cable connected to the power supply would carry power (up to 240W) and data (the maximum speed allowed by Thunderbolt standard, at least 20-40GB) to the computer that used that Power Supply!
Any Apple Computer that doesn’t need more than 240W to work would benefit a lot (like the new MacMini, iMac24”, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro,…) and only one cable would go to the computer! We could have this as an option when buying a new Apple computer and sold also as an acessory!
What do you think?
Just when I had hoped that the USB-A ports will get 4x faster via USB3.2-speed USB-A (20Gbit/s) aka same speed of Thunderbolt 2 / half the speed of Thunderbolt 3 & 4, (with the M4 series of chips: M4 Pro, M4 Max etc.), this (hopefully incorrect) rumor comes up. When will Apple learn that getting rid of ports is never a good idea!
Apple's redesigned Mac mini will not have any USB-A ports, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
The current Mac mini with the M2 chip features two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, while the M2 Pro variant has four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. Writing in his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that the new Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip will have a total of five USB-C ports, but no USB-A ports. Three USB-C ports will be located on the back, while two will be present on the front of the machine, similar to the Mac Studio. There will continue to be ports for ethernet, HDMI, and 3.5mm audio. The power supply will apparently continue to be internal.
Last month, Gurman reported that the next-generation Mac mini with the M4 and M4 Pro chips will feature the first major design change to the machine since 2010. The new Mac mini will apparently approach the size of an Apple TV, but it may be slightly taller than the current model, which is 1.4 inches high. It will continue to feature an aluminum shell. Individuals working on the new device apparently say that it is "essentially an iPad Pro in a small box."
Gurman says that suppliers in China are scheduled to begin shipping the new Mac mini models with the M4 chip in early September. The M4 Pro model will not begin shipping until October. The M4 generation of Apple silicon will purportedly be the first time that Apple has used the same chip generation across all of its Macs, with refreshes to add the M4 chip to the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro planned to take place over the next year.
Article Link: Mac Mini to Lose Its USB-A Ports Later This Year
(Clears Throat: 2021 Redesigned MacBook Pro with HDMI, SDXC, regressing from the 2016 MacBook Pro era.
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You’ve missed the point. You have a laptop and dock it on your desk and your connections are temporary. A Mac mini is a desktop computer and is always in one place, usually left plugged in and running maybe as long as Apple keeps updating it. In that situation your cheap dongle would fail or not work properly if you loaded up all the ports.
I started my Mac journey with the original 2006 Intel mini. Needed a USB hub to supplement the 4 USB-A ports. Upgraded a couple of times until the "Great Mini Drought" and finally broke down to get a 2017 iMac 27". Still needed a USB hub to supplement the 4 USB-A and 2 USB-C ports. Was hesitant to go to Apple Silicon until I got my work MacBook Pro. Now I am ready to leave the all-in-one world that I never really wanted to be in and will use one of my USB-A to USB-C adapters to plug the hub into the mini.
If you were talking about having less USB-C connectors and more USB-A, I could follow.
Omitting USB-A ports in favour of USB-C ports isn’t about cutting costs however.
USB-C are more costly than USB-A ones - particularly if they all support the same functionality (higher power output, higher data rates, display output), as the average Apple users expect.
It would be a case of Apple a higher BOM for more advanced ports.
And I enjoy most of my music more when the sun is shining.
That does’t mean that the shine of the sun makes my audio components put out higher quality sound.
Analog components and signal processing impact sound quality, sometimes grounding (where, maye, occasionally, a cable makes a difference). Cables transmitting digital streams don’t. Don’t pseudo-science and/or psychology.
No.
That said, Apple isn’t known for offering newer ports alongside their older, less capable predecessors on the same machine. They usually prefer to standardise on the newer port version, especially when it’s backward-compatibl.
Sure, HDMI can be considered a somewhat notable exception - and concession to the status quo of preinstalled cabling in classrooms and conference rooms.
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