Microsoft has shunned USB-C from its new laptop, what does that mean for the future and for MacBook?

[turbineseaplane]

One port can easily become 4 legacy ports. No "major hassles" here: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Device...IMWY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1495127193&sr=8-3

It is not OMG super expensive. Does not require power from an outlet. Can fit in your laptop bag. People are just severely overreacting to this USB-C issue. I needed something like this if I wanted 3+ USB-A ports on my 2013 rMBP. Or Ethernet. Or DisplayPort.

People aren't all overreacting - It's just a hassle now is all.

I went through a variety of hubs and adapters and the QC and reliability of adapters and cables is all over the board.

 

[throAU]

Newsflash: Microsoft often makes dumb decisions. This is an example.

USB-C is the future. This is non-negotiable. Why they didn't include it on this particular machine? Who knows. Most other PC vendors are on board with it, not just apple.

Next year's Microsoft hardware will be full of USB-C. Just watch.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Well, I have an annoying habit of ignoring initial difficulties if I believe to see a good pay out in the future But we can certainly agree that USB-C rollout was very bumpy and a lot of mistakes were made (like why no HDMI and audio alt spec from the start? why no stricter cable certifications and clear cable marking guidelines?).

Agreed

 

[Appleaker]

PC manufacturers have always done this. A recent example is that they still included USB 2 ports when USB 3 came out. To PC manufacturers, USB-C is another port that lives alongside USB-A and other I/O. To Apple, it replaces USB-A and other (often single-function) ports.

It depends on the market, some people will want USB-C, some people will really want traditional ports, and some people won't mind either way if they rarely plug stuff into their laptop.

 

[ZapNZs]

PC manufacturers have always done this. A recent example is that they still included USB 2 ports when USB 3 came out. To PC manufacturers, USB-C is another port that lives alongside USB-A and other I/O. To Apple, it replaces USB-A and other (often single-function) ports.

I was under the impression a major reason this tactic stuck around had to do with the interference that the 3.0 (now 3.1.1) standard can cause with 2.4 ghz wifi?

 

[Appleaker]

I was under the impression a major reason this tactic stuck around had to do with the interference that the 3.0 (now 3.1.1) standard can cause with 2.4 ghz wifi?

Yes that's part of the reason why it stuck around, along with bandwidth in some cases. Compatibility was also a worry for some people, but the 2.4GHz interference was discovered in late 2012, and the few notebooks that had it before hen still had it as an additional port. It's also a problem that could be heavily reduced through shielding of ports, but I suppose there were a number of other reasons why they included both. It was just a recent example, with the current example of only adding a single sucessor port to a notebook is with USB-C.

 

[Pangalactic]

The only reason why Microsoft and Dell include old USB ports is because they make professional computers. The people who buy them need them to work flawlessly in all situations without any adapters. As a lot of tech still uses the old USB standards, it makes working with such devices a breeze. Eventually old USBs will be discarded, at a time convenient to the user. One or two UCB C ports for now compeltely cover all the people's needs, and the old ports and the SD card slot make it that it just works.

On the other hand, Apple has clearly switched from "it just works" to "you can make it work, come on!"

 

[Ethosik]

People aren't all overreacting - It's just a hassle now is all.

I went through a variety of hubs and adapters and the QC and reliability of adapters and cables is all over the board.

I never had an issue. Just make sure you read the reviews and supported products. Don't buy from companies like "Joe's Budget USB Adapters".

Why weren't people this furious with ethernet? 3 or more USB-A? The 2013 through 2015 Macbook Pro's ports were not the best. These new ports do EVERYTHING. If I want three video out, I can do that. If I want three musical instruments hooked up through USB, I can do that. If I want two external hard drives and a USB thumb drive, I can do that.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I never had an issue.

My wife and I sure did - Even with Apple's own AV USB-C adapter and a 12" and 13" new models simply going to a basic 1920x1200 screen through HDMI, it essentially never worked right without plugging/replugging when waking up. Had similar issues with highly rated Anker USB-C to USB-A adapters. Those worked - sometimes...but never as reliably as just a built in USB-A port.

Why weren't people this furious with ethernet?

There was a time when that one bothered me, but I realized that ethernet in particular for my use cases lent itself well to leaving the adapter hooked up to the ethernet cable at a docking setup and that wifi covered most other situations.

These new ports do EVERYTHING.

Yes - They can - But it also has introduced all sorts of cognitive load for people trying to figure out what can hook up to what and how and the limitations and each machine is different and certain cables need to be used in some situations and the end devices can each be a different mess to figure out.

I'm a long time professional user. I'll get by. But it's pretty apparent to me that we've gone a bit sideways (or even back a bit) in the short term here for normal users trying to wrap their head around it all.

 

[MrX8503]

I'll just put this here.
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/23/technology/who-said-computers-have-to-be-square.html

Apple contends that the 1.44-megabyte, 3.5-inch disk drive is a thing of the past and that putting one in the iMac would have made it last year's machine instead of next year's.

Instead, Apple left a hole called a Universal Serial Bus port that allows a customer to attach storage devices to the iMac.
....
Ray A. Meifert, director of the Superdisk business at the Imation Corporation of Oakdale, Minn., said his company sold between 600 million and 700 million 1.44-megabyte disks last year, out of a total worldwide production of more than 4 billion disks.

When Steve Jobs says the floppy is dead, I'd take that statement cautiously

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'll just put this here.
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/23/technology/who-said-computers-have-to-be-square.html

I really wish people would not try to insinuate that every time Apple rips away choice it's a great decision. It's not a flawless and always correct company.

Additionally… The Czar of Steve that is mentioned is no longer making these decisions (obviously).
All bets are off with new Apple.

You know the one that totally screwed up the Mac Pro and is now back tracking?
Yeah. That Apple is doing these things now.

 

[MrX8503]

I really wish people would not try to insinuate that every time Apple rips away choice it's a great decision. It's not a flawless and always correct company.

Additionally… The Czar of Steve that is mentioned is no longer making these decisions (obviously).
All bets are off with new Apple.

You know the one that totally screwed up the Mac Pro and is now back tracking?
Yeah. That Apple is doing these things now.

I don't, but I think USB-C was a great decision by Apple.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don't, but I think USB-C was a great decision by Apple.

Some USB-C would have been what I'd call great.
A legacy USB-A or 2 wouldn't hurt them, especially on the 15" where there's ample room.

 

[MrX8503]

Some USB-C would have been what I'd call great.
A legacy USB-A or 2 wouldn't hurt them, especially on the 15" where there's ample room.

I prefer them to not include any legacy ports except for an SD card slot. I wish Apple would have kept that because USB C isn't going to replace that.