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

[Stromos]

Good riddance USB-A. Give me more Thunderbolt ports. We can all buy a 4 or 8 port USB-C to USB-A hub for next to nothing. I don't want Mac to turn into Windows where we have to accommodate outdated tech for generations.

Yes buying a hub is not accommodating at all.

I really want anyone who has to deal with this never post a picture of the Mac Mini by itself post pictures with all the dongles and adapter hooked up make it look like a complete mess of wires with a brick in the middle and post that. Keep doing it and make Apple the joke it is.

 

[Jamie0003]

Me.

Hubs are ridiculous and unnecessary for well-designed desktop computers.

Who needs a small computer when the hub hooked up to it has to be bigger than the computer?

Buy a monitor with a built in hub. Or upgrade your type A devices. Or just buy a studio, I dbout you’re the target demographic for the mini anyway

 

[Stromos]

Buy a monitor with a built in hub. Or upgrade your type A devices. Or just buy a studio, I dbout you’re the target demographic for the mini anyway

Show me the Logitech type C Bolt dongle. I’ll wait. Bluetooth is not encrypted.

Who is the demographic for the mini? It’s supposed to be the cheapest option if you need a Mac. Now out the box it requires a bunch of adapters to even hook up a keyboard and mouse.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

Comparisons with serial ports and floppy drives are dishonest and mockery is not an argument.

By the time Apple removed floppy, barely anyone was using it any more. USB-A devices are still commonality and are still being made. It’s premature decision.

I installed a LOT of USB floppy drives in the late '90s/early 2000s. Lots of people were still using it, Apple dropped the floppy about 5 years too soon.

 

[Jamie0003]

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.

Did you know alternative desktop computers exist? Crazy I know

 

[krspkbl]

Who cares. USB C is all you need these days.

 

[P-DogNC]

We should not be accepting this on a desktop computer!

What are we doin' here!?

Here is a simple solution for you so that your legacy gear doesn't have to hold up the technological advancement of all of our computers (only $5.99 for three):

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​

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
www.amazon.com

 

[deconstruct60]

Forcing Mac users to buy adapters and hubs and such goes against Apple's environmental mission.

...

Environmental health and safety policy statement


We recognize that by integrating sound environmental, health, and safety management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations.

That is a narrow view. The huge presumption there is that most folks want to use a USB A slot. Lots of folks would plug next to nothing into their system. 'Extra' USB-A slots that go unused is also a waste.

Apple's keyboard and mouse options .. wireless.
Apple handoff ... wireless data transfer. ( USB-A flash drive 'sneaker net' )
Apple screen casting ... wireless default.
Plug in USB-C phone charging cable ... USB-A is actually a mismatch.


Those who need USB-A buy one. There is no 'conservation' need there because they had the need.

Yes, there are sizable number of folks who plug-in > 2 and < 5 things and have larger stacks of legacy USB-A peripherals... but is that the majority of users? Are most users using it as a 'headless' laptop (which do OK with no USB-A) or as mini-full tower replacement box? Pretty likely this " lots of other legacy stuff" isn't the majority of users.

Folks who have > 2 USB-A device to plug up are going to need a dock of some kind anyway. If needed a dock anyway it doesn't really change much. Still need the dock. If this new chassis is lacking SD card like slot(s) then in similar issue. Needed 2nd Ethernet ... same boat as a deduction from the 'need' class. The 'outer fringe' tower replacement class that Apple is supposedly missing was largely in 'dock' status anyway.

Rack/server deployments ... classic USB-A keyboard and USB-A mouse needed all the time? Probably not. Need to do maintenance physically hooked to the box... plug in a dock with monitor , keyboard , mouse. Do the need .. move on to next with the same dock. Conservation, you only needed one set of ports that you move from box to box. There are many 10's of thousands of mini's deployed this way.


If Apple shrinks the Aluminum chassis to a smaller amount of metal that is a conservation also. The smaller the case the fewer the ports. Taken to the fanatical phase, the 7.7" square footprint of the classic Mini isn't as conservative as it could be. Less fuel burnt moving something around that weights less. etc.

 

[The Apple Bitch]

Let's go!!

Adaptation to the latest and greatest.
This is how you remain a pioner in a field when inventing something better is of the table.

This is 'forward compatibility'!

 

[krspkbl]

People want to drop £1000+ on a modern new computer but don’t want to buy a £5 adapter for the rare cases you actually need it.

I’m glad Apple is forcing change. Otherwise we’d be forever stuck in the past. USB C is the standard now and it’s the future.

 

[Daul]

They should have done this years ago.
I think USB C will be around a long time as the physical connector standard.

Comparisons with serial ports and floppy drives are dishonest and mockery is not an argument.

By the time Apple removed floppy, barely anyone was using it any more. USB-A devices are still commonality and are still being made. It’s premature decision.

It’s not a premature decision. Accessory makers are dragging their feet. They shouldn’t still be making these accessories with USB A.
For accessories you already have, adapters are cheap.

 

[toobravetosave]

Shame, isn't it? People talk about Apple being behind, yet when they try to embrace usb-c, you all instead choose to dig in your heels and stick with existing connectors instead of hopping on board.

not sure how asking for 1 port is digging my heels in when lots of legacy peripherals exist and some actually continue to use usb a anyway lol

you sound hysterical

 

[azentropy]

Me.

Hubs are ridiculous and unnecessary for well-designed desktop computers.

Who needs a small computer when the hub hooked up to it has to be bigger than the computer?

Because most people don't need the ports any longer. So the better question is why do people need to buy a bigger computer with ports at a higher cost they no longer need? The small minority of people who still need the ports can use an adapter (like $2), a different cable or yes a hub that may still allow the overall package to be smaller than the older systems.

 

[koil]

Nice. In a way, I kinda missed the Apple of old who was not afraid to make controversial design decisions like going all in on usb c with their Macs.

Not that hard to work around this. One usb-c for a dock or adaptor, Bluetooth everything else, 5 is actually a luxury.

I believe it was called "courage".

Apparently courage is when useful ports are replaced with eventually useful ports.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

It's never how long Apple has had things... it's how long it takes for the OTHER stuff to connect to such ports to adopt the new standard. How long were we at Lightning and counting? 30 pin? Firewire 800? Rhetorical: Lighting was introduced in 2012, so it's had 3 more years than USB-C. Apple didn't even put it on their own Macs. Who owns a Lightning-based printer? Who ever owned a Firewire 1600 printer?

USB-A is still THE fundamental standard. It's cheap to use and "just works" for all kinds of things people want to connect to a computer. New PCs are rolling off the lines every day with USB-A ports. It's not "of the past" or "antiquated" at all. It's many years from being SCSI and similar.

Yes, I'd rather the world immediately jump to USB-C everything as it is superior in many ways to the old "A." But the world hasn't jumped yet and likely won't jump any faster because Apple kills some USB-A ports on a new format Mini. Instead- as you say- add $50 to the purchase to buy back utility being dumped. Put that hub next to that new smaller Mini on the desktop to likely take up at least as much physical space as the existing form factor with the "hub" baked INSIDE it. And feel like you accomplished something beyond only further emptying a wallet.

I actually did have a FireWire printer. I think it was FireWire 400, and I don't remember exactly what kind of printer it was. But the USB of the day wasn't fast enough for it. I've still got FireWire scanners, and I use ThunderBolt to FireWire adapters pretty frequently for old external hard drives.

Lightning was just idiotic. It's USB 2.0 with a proprietary plug because Apple wanted to collect royalties on every cable.

 

[toobravetosave]

Shame, isn't it? People talk about Apple being behind, yet when they try to embrace usb-c, you all instead choose to dig in your heels and stick with existing connectors instead of hopping on board.

let’s also add some additional ironic context which was apple guarding lightning to milk pennies on mifi certificates

where do you get off lol

 

[chetzar]

Tech moved on some time ago. Get a cheap adapter and call it a day.

Tech didn’t move on though.
Go search for USB Flash drives, the majority of them are still USB type A.

Go find me a low profile USB-C thumb drive that I can pop into my MacBook and it’s no bigger than a wireless keyboard adapter….oh wait, you can’t.

Yes, a lot of stuff is avail in USB-C, but USB-A has been around for 25+ years, it’s not going away anytime soon (probably another 5-10 years).

And when I travel, having to ensure I’m bringing along “dongles” and “adapters” makes my MacBook a LOT less portable.

Now you get to have all that **** hanging out in your desk, dumb.

 

[toobravetosave]

Because most people don't need the ports any longer. So the better question is why do people need to buy a bigger computer with ports at a higher cost they no longer need? The small minority of people who still need the ports can use an adapter (like $2), a different cable or yes a hub that may still allow the overall package to be smaller than the older systems.

why don’t you just say

“im making all this up and have 0 facts or statistics”

 

[P-DogNC]

Actually, PC makers would be the ones to "force" such a change. Mac is just a fraction of the whole. There's a little influence from our little slice of that pie... but unless PC goes wherever Apple wants to go... the general remedy for us is buy adapters/hubs/dongles to connect with most stuff... OR pay way up for select accessories that supports where Apple has decided things should go now.

See for example lightning/30-pin/firewire 800/firewire 400, etc (or even EVERY generation of Thunderbolt). If PC makers had mass adopted them too in their time, then peripheral makers would have jumped on in volume. Instead, mostly just Apple adopted them and only Apple peripheral makers sometimes adopted them (at premium prices of course to support a standard for a slice of a much smaller market).

USB-C already has some PC adoption but PCs still generally ship with some USB-A too (particularly USB 4 and USB 3.2 gen 2). While they do, Apple trying to "force" any port is just another case of Apple being Apple... as we've seen many times before.

And the Defenders slinging hubs is exactly the same answer: "SPEND MORE MONEY" to buy hubs/dongles/adapters to replace what Apple is choosing to take away." That remedy fits ANY such choice... such as if they decided to go Lightning 2 Pro Max or a USB-8 Mach 3, etc.

The Defenders are right that throwing more money at hubs/dongles/etc will address the problem being created by a rumored CHOICE... but it costs their fellow consumers (and themselves?) more money (because removal of on-board utility never seems to translate into a lower price from Apple Inc) AND clutters up the desk top (in this case) with additional hardware and cables.

For what purpose? We "spin" to "force adoption of 'the future'"... a 'the future' Apple just resisted adopting in iPhone until a GOV entity had to "force" adoption, with Apple kicking & screaming all the way... and the Defenders joining that chorus with rationalizations like "wobbly", "broken tongues" and "lint magnet." I guess none of that applies here. Now that Apple fully likes USB-C, "we" fully like it too. 🤪 Bring on the "wobbly!"... bring on the "broken tongues!"... bring on the extra expense in hubs/dongles to buy back fundamental utility being ejected from a desktop not really needing to be "more portable" or "thinner" or "lighter" for possibly anyone.

My guess is all thunderbolt ports... and don't we all just love thunderbolt 4 hub pricing??? But we can save a lot of money by stepping down that Thunderbolt power by treating it like only a USB-C port with a cheap USB-C hub. And that's better somehow than just leaving a few USB-A ports in for the peripherals that we already own that still connect that way. Why? Because Apple says so. You will comply. Resistance is futile.

Nice long post, but here's the extremely inexpensive solution ($5.99 for three), so that your gear doesn't hold back our technology:

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​

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
www.amazon.com

 

[toobravetosave]

Here's the extremely inexpensive solution ($5.99 for three), so that your gear doesn't hold back our technology:

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​

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
www.amazon.com

i have a lot of these

thanks for the additional e-waste apple

ONE usb a port would go such a long way lol

 

[klasma]

If Apple had not made USB-C the sole port on MacBooks starting in 2015, android phones would still be using micro USB or something proprietary and awful to charge their devices, and it would be more difficult and more expensive to find the USB-C & thunderbolt accessories we currently have.

The reason Android switched to USB-C is because the EU asked the industry to settle on a single common charging connector. It’s Apple who had to be dragged to drop Lightning on the iPhones, by the EU having to formally mandate USB-C, after Android manufacturers had already migrated. The Android adoption of USB-C had nothing to do with MacBook ports.

 

[Shirasaki]

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.

I think the core problem is when USB-C standard was introduced, the consortium didn’t enforce a much higher standard as a minimum. Like, what’s the whole point of USB-C port at USB2 speed ONLY? I don’t know why they refuse to keep the standard high, but here we are. The only thing USB-C change is they have unified the physical port shape, and virtually nothing else, which actually makes the port situation much worse since customers can no longer identify different flavour of USB cables and ports by looking at it.

A rather shocking example of USB-C cable madness is I have a shave that can ONLY use the USB-C cable they supply to charge. No other cable, no matter how good they are, can charge the shave. Same port, but nope.

At the very least, USB-A port gives customer some expectation that this port is not for fast speed Transfer. But USB-C removes that expectation, even though not all USB-C cables are built equally, and I sometimes can see it from the port itself and have an idea how many wires that cable might have. I call it a major misstep by the consortium.

 

[klasma]

Better question: who needs outdated ports on a desktop computer when hubs are a thing?

To not require a hub wasting space on your desk in addition to the computer.

 

[iCyprus]

What about the Ram and storage???

 

[The Apple Bitch]

Forcing Mac users to buy adapters and hubs and such goes against Apple's environmental mission.

It's called forward compatibility, some compromises will always be made. I would argue that this is a better economic choice for both user, company, climate and that it's inline with Apple's environmental goals.

The user gets a better computer to a lower price. If a user would need USB-A they could buy a port for $2.

The company saves money meanwhile producing a better product. Apple also asserts itself as an industry pioner.

As for the environment, emissions from unused USB-A ports would probably be larger than the cost of adapters. Remember that a very capable official company with an environmental agenda and past knowledge made this decision; maybe they did the best thing?

And remember, you are not forced to buy a Mac if it doesn't fit your needs 😉