An internal power supply with a small device is a surprise. I guess without a battery it's logical.
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Mac Mini to Lose Its USB-A Ports Later This Year
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If true, 5 ports would be great. I would need to purchase one USB-C hub to replace an old USB-A hub. No big deal at all.
Surprised by this:
The power supply will apparently continue to be internal.
- Removing the power supply from the internals would remove a source of heat, leave more space for heatsinks or allow an even smaller case
- Apple already make suitable external power supplies (e.g. that come with a MacBook Pro)
- It would allow for USB-C power delivery, meaning a one cable link to a Studio Display etc (althouh perhaps needing a 140 W supply which may require a new Studio/XDR display)
You’ll probably want a dock anyway to expand ports and HD capacity so NBD.
Can not happen since by EU law everything must support USB-C until the law is changed. 😊
Yeah, because in 2025 who on earth uses keyboard and mouse on a desktop compter!
Nice. Hopefully Apple can push vendors to stop making usb-A.
I always carry an adapter when flying or renting a car.
I always carry an adapter when flying or renting a car.
Maybe Tim is in a generous mood and tosses in a UBC to A mini dongle adaptor along with the stickers!
Yeah exactly, I’m not getting the cadence of rage and complaints here on MR.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
During the whole conundrum on lightning ports (which I find still great, easier to plug/unplug and lighter than the considerably bulkier by comparison USB-C) was that they were an old thing and people wanted to get rid of lightning things.
Well, USB-A is way older, so now’s the chance to get rid of all that once and for all. And by the way, USB-C specifications are already a decade old for that matter, people should have pushed for full on thunderbolt compliance instead! Now we are stuck by law to the lesser denominator.
Thunderbolts (USB-C) are an EVERYTHING port, it can become card reader, screen output, dvd player, storage expansion, the beloved USB-A for some here, etc.
Heck even HDMI, a $5 dongle can make it be an HDMI output or even also an HDMI capture input for $10 for those that need it.
For example, nothing I have even uses HDMI anymore just straight up thunderbolt that happens to display 5K+ resolution, daisy chain to many more thunderbolts, charge the devices, etc ALL AT THE SAME TIME… something other ports can’t dream on doing.
And again, those using the exact same lightning rationalizations, HDMI is also a many decades old port too.
Now, I get it, I’m not convincing anyone here, this is not about congruency or rational thinking, this is about “I got a many years old wired mouse that I love to use so I want to impose decades old ports on everyone else’s computers”.
At least it’s a good thing that just a few things here and there have been carried on… or our computers would still have floppy, Zip/CD/DVD drives and who knows what else.
So, a middle ground, kudos to HDMI, audio jack, SD card… but maybe let’s treat USB-A the way lightning did. Time to let go?
My .00002 opinionated cents
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If you can afford a Mac, you can afford less than $10 for some quality adapters.
Yes, and maybe a cleaning cloth as well! And maybe they’ll make the RAM and SSD user-upgradable! And maybe flying pink elephants will personally deliver each order!
Yeah okay, I admit, the free cleaning cloth is probably unlikely.
Woah didn’t think deeper on this myself, plus that third point is quite a banger, would be great for that to happen one day.
This is highly unlikely to be the reason for the change. It's not a size constraint.
Using a usb-c port for powering the non-pro version would be interesting but reduces the available ports. A nice alternative could be power over ethernet.
No room for USB-A but always some room for courage.
Yes, about time they ditch USB-A for more useful ports.
How long ago was it that it was “controversial” for them to eliminate them on MacBook? 2015, 2016?
…and would also work on third-party displays with USB-C power delivery. Makes for an incredibly clean - and portable - computer, when the display has Ethernet and a few USB ports integrated as well.
For charging. One port is enough.
You can still have all of the VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, HDMI, FireWire, Lightning, MagSafe ports you desire.
Yep! I would order an M4 Pro Mac Mini with 10gbe day one no questions asked.
I can’t wait for USB A to finally disappear. There are still new cars and RVs that only have USB A ports. Almost all hotels I stay in only have USB A ports.
Not only should everyone switch to USB C by now, those ports used for charging should also have enough power to power a laptop.
I still have to bring USB A to USB C cables in case I rent a car or stay in a hotel that does not have USB c. Hopefully Apple can convince people to move on some day.
Not only should everyone switch to USB C by now, those ports used for charging should also have enough power to power a laptop.
I still have to bring USB A to USB C cables in case I rent a car or stay in a hotel that does not have USB c. Hopefully Apple can convince people to move on some day.
they should have left 1 usb a port if they’re gonna give us hdmi and sd card slot
Yes, why exactly aren't all the "get rid of the USB-A ports" folks advocating for only USB-C/TB ports?
Dongle$ for EVERYTHING!
Looking forward to the M4 Pro version. This plus the 27” 5K Apple monitor will be replacing my 2017 27” 5K Intel iMac. I was surprised how much I liked the all-in one design but as soon as I found out the 27” line was discontinued I remembered exactly why I never went for an all-in-one previously. With no ability to reuse the monitor what’s the point if Apple is going to play games and discontinue the larger display version so there’s no upgrade path to a newer model? There isn’t one so now every penny I spent on it feels like I totally wasted it. Not exactly a great way to give your customers warm, fuzzy feelings. I’ll never do an all-in-one again as a result. It’s a separate monitor and computer for me and the wires that go with it from here on out. Apple doesnt want my money for an expensive $3,000 iMac? Cool I guess ….
USB-C is a confusing standard which has hindered its adoption and kept USB-A around for longer. People think that just because it fits it will work and this isn’t the case at all.
For example, the cable that came with your phone can’t be used to charge your laptop or drive your external display. I ended up having to do a lot of research just to buy a USB-C cable that could do everything I needed, and it was an expensive cable.
Meanwhile, a PC with a dedicated graphics card may simply not be able to provide any sort of video out via the USB-C ports. The ability to do this depends on the device you’re using, which people in the Apple ecosystem take for granted. I wish motherboards would come with more USB-C than they currently do, even if there’s no technical benefit to just changing the physical connector, but I understand why they don’t see the need to do so.