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Mac Mini to Lose Its USB-A Ports Later This Year

HuskerNKS said:
This is not surprising. They did this with the iMac and that is in the same category as Mac Mini. Entry level users connect the keyboard and mouse and use the computer for browsing, email, photos, etc. Not 100%, but those of us with tons of accessories and a willingness to argue on a Mac specific forum are not the majority of entry level computer users IMO.
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I think this is right on. They are making the Mac Mini for the same demographic as the iMac. The iMac doesn’t have any USB-A ports either. iMac users are using the included wireless keyboard and mouse and probably don’t connect anything else to it except for maybe a Time Machine drive.

Apple is saying to us that they think the Mac Mini is for people who don’t want or can’t afford an iMac. They assume they’ll either buy / have a wireless keyboard and mouse or pony up $6 for some USB-A -> USB-C adapters.
 
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asdfjkl; said:
I think this is right on. They are making the Mac Mini for the same demographic as the iMac. The iMac doesn’t have any USB-A ports either. iMac users are using the included wireless keyboard and mouse and probably don’t connect anything else to it except for maybe a Time Machine drive.

Apple is saying to us that they think the Mac Mini is for people who don’t want or can’t afford an iMac. They assume they’ll either buy / have a wireless keyboard and mouse or pony up $6 for some USB-A -> USB-C adapters.
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Didn't they claim the iMac was just too thin for USB-A ports? I don't think iMacs, especially the current iMac, is designed for the same demographic as the MacMini. Maybe half of all buyers (or more) primarily want an iMac because it looks cool and looks trendy- people buy a Mac Mini because they want to use MacOS.
 
Zeke92 said:
Anyone complaining about this needs to get with the times. Laptops having USB A is holding up adoption..
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How? Only a fraction of the USB-C peripherals on the market actually take advantage of the faster protocols that won’t work just as well on USB-A. Nobody is asking for Macs with no Thunderbolt/USB4 - but very few people need 5 40Gbps ports (and the CPU won’t deliver that anyway) - but because full USB-C is more expensive and needs more CPU resources we’re ending up with fewer USB and other useful ports.

USB-C has been slow to take off because in the majority of use cases it offers negligible advantages over the so-called “legacy” ports - often using the exact same protocols, sometimes not even the latest version.

The market is flooded with USB-C-to-legacy dongles and hubs - rather than exciting new USB-C products - because that’s what many people still actually need and use.

USB-C had one job to do - replace the awful microUSB and proprietary Lightning adapters on small peripherals and phones where there is no space for proper connectors. For some bizarre reason that’s been the last thing that Apple have used it for.
 
Stromos said:
support.logi.com

Do Logitech wireless non-gaming keyboards and mice have USB-C receivers?

Today, Logitech’s wireless keyboard and mice mainly use USB-A receivers. However, many of our wireless keyboards and mice also connect via Bluetooth® Low Energy technology. Starting in Sept 2021, t...
support.logi.com support.logi.com

Yes everything is USB C.
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Thanks for finding a link to what I’ve been repeatedly saying - USB-C mouse dongles are a downgrade from low-profile USB-A ones with all the gubbins in the plug.
 
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mcs37 said:
Yeah I agree, I tried to find a 100% USB-C hub and the max I can find are like 4 ports. I can't find a 16-port USB-C hub anywhere!
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ladagogo.com

16 Ports Type C Charge & Sync Hub

Model: TH-16 (customization) Supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 rates up to 10 Gbps to ensure super-fast data transfers; Charges Up to 16 Tablets, Smartphones and Other Type C Devices; Compatible devices include iPad, iPod, iPhone and Android tablets and smartphones; Provides up to 5V, 2.4A (12W) of...
ladagogo.com
It exists, not so slim and cheap yet, but existing
 
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If anyone needs USB-A adapters are about $3 apiece or less and small. I use two of them on my Mac Studio and they cause no issues.
 
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Edgecrusherr said:
No USB A ports:
BOOO! That sucks. So much stuff is still USB A. USB C is obviously so much better, but it’s so inconvenient to not have USB A, especially on a desktop, and even more so for a desktop that you’re supposed to “bring your own keyboard and mouse”. Apple isn’t doing anyone a favor here, just guaranteeing many of their users will get stuck having to buy adapters and hubs, which for non-tech people, is almost always a struggle. Apple’s hubris condemns us to dongle hell.

For the front USB C:
That’s great. I think every desktop needs front USB. I wish my Mac Studio had 4 front USB ports (2x C and 2x A preferably).
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I tend to agree though I don't have too much use for USB A ports. However, there are some nice adapters out there for A to C and C to A.
 
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SpotOnT said:
And with Apple’s HUGE market share in the desktop space - they are just the ones to do it!!!
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Not something they’re going to do to the Mini in isolation though is it? In fact haven’t they already removed As from the MacBooks? Does the Pro still have any?
 
By the time USB A dies off, USB C will be ready to be replaced. It’s just painful. It’s like DVDs still sold in 2024.
 
Was wondering how small they could go, when you think of it, they could make the tiniest most powerful wee computer ever.

Still think internal power is a must though so about half the size of a current Mac Mini?
 
Poisednoise said:
I’m not arguing that you’re completely wrong here: one USB A for flash drives etc would be convenient. However Apple has never waited: looking at your iMac example, what about the ditching of the parallel port for USB A in 1998? That wasn’t something you could fix with a dongle. and a LOT of people ended up having to buy a completely new printer for their iMac as a result. For better or worse, Apple has previous form here, and this is a very minor change which can be fixed with a dongle, unlike many of the other changes people have mentioned above (loss of 3.5mm jack from iPhones, dropping support for Flash, ditching Hypercard, dumping SCSI etc).
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Which Mac had a parallel port? Did you mean a SCSI port. In their day, parallel port printer were common on PC but they were not common on Mac. Most old time Apple printers used a serial port (that you can get to work with USB). There were a few SCSI port printers but that was uncommon. There was a common complaint when people would try to hook up a parallel port printer from a PC to a Mac SCSI port and then did not understand why it didn’t work. There was also a common complaint why McIntosh computers didn’t ship with parallel ports. There were a few parallel port adapters available, but this was also fairly uncommon adapter. Although, if you go even further back, there was a parallel port card you could add to an Apple ][, ][+ or //e so it attached to a parallel port printer
 
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akbarali.ch said:
Going all the USBC is really good. no matter what port the world decides, just follow one.
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I disagree, because the world is not deciding, some EU bureaucrats are deciding. Imagine if they had decided on some parallel port circa 1990, or on some SCSI flavor. EU forcing USB-C potentially prevents some future improvement from evolving.
 
Allen_Wentz said:
I disagree, because the world is not deciding, some EU bureaucrats are deciding. Imagine if they had decided on some parallel port circa 1990, or on some SCSI flavor. EU forcing USB-C potentially prevents some future improvement from evolving.
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The EU has nothing to do with Apple going to only USB-C on the new Mac Mini
 
theluggage said:
As I said, I'm not particularly concerned if USB-A and other "legacy" ports get swapped out for the same number of USB-C ports - the problem is when USB-A, Ethernet, HDMI, power etc. ports just disappear and everything that used to have a dedicated port has to go through a handful of USB-C ports,
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It's mostly a non-issue for consumers or office users - the target demographic of the Mini.

I'd say it's in fact a great feature, especially on notebooks: Just need to buy a decent display - they aren't expensive anymore. Or have have a docking station. Connect one cable - get power, mouse, keyboard, display, audio, headset, webcam and possibly Ethernet or a Time Machine backup volume connected with a single cable.

Disconnect the one cable, put the notebook in your backpack/case and off you go. It couldn't be easier. Somewhat less but similar benefits with the Mac mini.

5 Gbps of USB (plus the video output) is enough for that. Will an external SSD be able to operate at full bandwidth? Maybe not - but again, it's a non-issue for most (non-enthusiast) people.
 
Allen_Wentz said:
I disagree, because the world is not deciding, some EU bureaucrats are deciding. Imagine if they had decided on some parallel port circa 1990, or on some SCSI flavor.
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But the EU didn't decide on parallel ports or SCSI.
In fact, they didn't decide on ports for data transfer at all.

They regulated charging ports/connectors only - and they made a sensible decision at that. Cause USB-C is here to stay for upcoming decades, with or without regulation.

Apple's Lightning connector getting supplanted is just collateral damage. Which - even when you look at its data transmission capabilities - wasn't promoting but holding back innovation in the development of smartphone accessories for the last few years. Due to the high costs and limited customer base. Take Lightning card readers: Slow, not widely available and slow.

EU forcing USB-C potentially prevents some future improvement from evolving.
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Hardware manufacturers can implement any data transfer port or protocol they want.
Doesn't have to be USB or Thunderbolt at all.

The correct way to look at is isn't: "Oh, but it's holding back development of new innovation in connector technology for data transfers". It's getting rid of barrel jacks and proprietary connectors for charging devices - which suck.
 
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Frantisekj said:
Exactly. That is one way how electronic waste is created.
I do not think we are at such hurry and space constrain they need to do it now.
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1. The longer we wait to make the inevitable change, the more waste that Would be accumulated.

2. As others have stated repeatedly, it is not waste if you just use a dongle. It is wasteful to discourage dongles.
 
Chuckeee said:
1. The longer we wait to make the inevitable change, the more waste that Would be accumulated.

2. As others have stated repeatedly, it is not waste if you just use a dongle. It is wasteful to discourage dongles.
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Spot-on. People just love throwing the dongle word around. Apparently it helps establish forum cred.

Bonus points can be collected by using the phrase "It's dongle mania!!!"

So silly.
 
Why keep the HDMI port? Just make it another USB-C/TB port. If someone needs HDMI there are multiple USB-C/HDMI adapter cables.

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IMG_7552.jpeg
 
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