Actually, I'd say that the main selling point of USB-C is compactness - it is small enough to fit on phones, tablets and ultra-slim notebooks, and combines a charge, headphone, sync and video port into one, meaning only one hole in the case. Mobile/tablet users have no real expectation of using more than one of those at once without a dock and don't really have a stack of legacy USB peripherals to connect. The existing Micro USB 3 connector was a train wreck.
You are correct, that is one point I forgot to mention. Partially probably because on a day-to-day basis I only have to deal with the USB 2 version of USB micro, which doesn't differ in size much from USB-C, and thus the weirdness of USB 3 micro had slipped my mind.
- Charging/Powering your laptop? You're blocking one of your USB/Video ports just for power - unless you carry a dock around - and lots of third-party chargers, cables etc.
- Single cable docking? That was a good idea when 2560x1440 was a really high resolution. A single 4k/UHD display @ 60Hz via a USB-C cable only leaves room for a USB 2 connection. Thunderbolt does better (at twice the price) but a 5k display still takes half the bandwidth.
- Display connection? USB-C could become popular for consumer displays intended as docks for ultraportable notebooks or tablets, but high-end/pro graphics/gaming displays will keep DisplayPort/HDMI because that's what desktop PCs and workstations have on their graphics cards. DisplayPort 1.4 will support 5k - and its already rolling out on current model PCIe GPUs, but I haven't heard of any computer with a USB-C port that supports it (USB-C alt mode spec supports it, TB3 spec doesn't - and many computers are using the TB3 chipset to drive their USB-C ports).
You are looking at this the wrong way. Charging via USB-C is not blocking one of your USB/video ports for power. A pure power, USB or video port is blocking valuable real estate from being used for other purposes.
So, just got an iMac - dropped $40 on new USB-C displayport cables to drive my existing external displays (one 4k one standard def) - both TB3/USB-C ports now occupied unless I spring for a dock.
And how much did you drop on FW400 to FW800 cables and mDP to DVI adaptors when that transition happened? I 'had' to buy two of each back then. And, I think, you have to admit that adding two additional displays to an iMac is a very niche application.
I'm assuming that the iMac only has two TB3s because all the internal PCIe lanes are used (I mean, Apple wouldn't just knobble it to sell more iMac Pros, would they...?) but that wouldn't stop them adding a DisplayPort (and I believe the GPUs support DisplayPort 1.4 if they don't have to go through the Intel TB3 chipset).
I was surprised as well that the new iMac only got two TB3 ports while the 15" MBP got four TB3 ports. The chipset, at least in the 27" iMac, isn't really lower spec than the one in the 15" MBP. Sure, they also have two USB 3 ports (which I have to believe are 5 Gbit/s ones if not specified otherwise) and Gigabit Ethernet. But the only big difference I can think of is the graphic card needing more PCIe lanes.
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Look how long it took for them to concede and put regular HDMI output in MacBooks instead of this weird mini DVI and mini DisplayPort crap they've insisted on, just in time for HDMI to get phased out.
There are many people who prefer mDP to HDMI or are at least indifferent about it. A mDP to DVI or HDMI adaptor is a cheap and simple affair. I cannot remember having seen an HDMI to mDP adaptor however.
Also, there is absolutely no replacement for the SD card slot in the MacBook, not even with dongles.
Because you couldn't get an external SD card reader? Or is a dongle the most you could tolerate and an external card reader is simply too much?
There's a bigger problem, which is the iPhone doesn't use USB-C. You need an adaptor to connect an iPhone to a MacBook. WTF.
No, you don't need a dongle. You need a cable. A USB-C to Lightning cable to be precise. Not dissimilar to needing a USB-A to Lightning cable before the 2016 MBPs & 2015 MB. Or a USB-A to USB micro cable for Android phones for many years. BTW, do Android phones with USB-C ports ship with a USB-C to USB-C cable or with a USB-C to USB-A cable?
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Forcing users to pay $300 extra for what was once built in to a so-called professional laptop IS shameful.
A professional laptop should come with 13 ports (that, eg, the OWC dock offers)?
They could have simply ADDED a new port, at least for the first few models as the new standard proliferates.
Most definitely not. At least two, given that one is needed for charging. Unless you meant to either keep two 'charging' ports (one traditional, one USB-C) or to implement USB-C half-assed by not allowing charging over it.