I'm not entirely sure what you are getting at... my point is that it's comical that Apple requires inverse adapters to use their products (as I described in my earlier post). Regardless of what people can afford, the state of wired is pretty messy ever since Lightning as a headphone port came into the mix. Since Apple showed the world that it doesn't intend on building in a Lightning port into their Macs, then yes, leave the (crappy or not) Lightning ones for their iPhone (according to Apple).
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Thunderbolt 3/USB-C Adapters, Cables, and Hubs for New MacBook Pro
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I'm not entirely sure what you are getting at... my point is that it's comical that Apple requires inverse adapters to use their products (as I described in my earlier post). Regardless of what people can afford, the state of wired is pretty messy ever since Lightning as a headphone port came into the mix. Since Apple showed the world that it doesn't intend on building in a Lightning port into their Macs, then yes, leave the (crappy or not) Lightning ones for their iPhone (according to Apple).
"in a year or so"? No, it's more likely in 3-5 years or so. By that time, the MacBook Pro you bought today needs to be replaced by a then-current version.
The PC side is caught in a chicken-and-egg game on Thunderbolt. Devices weren't common, so PCs didn't include the ports. PCs didn't include the ports, so devices weren't common. HP, Dell, etc. are finally embracing TB3, but what would be better is if more of them went Apple's route and dropped legacy ports in favor of TB3, telling the marketplace it's time to move forward.
But the more people clamor for that circa-2010 model with 8-9 ports, the less likely that will happen.
As someone who cares about aesthetics I had a hub mounted underneath my desk and cable races run to and from my various devices and hub. Things such as storage are network attached and out of sight (themselves with proper cable management as well even though I don't have to look at them on my work surface). It would drive me a bit batty to have to look at a spiderweb of cables coming out of my computer while I am trying to be productive. As wireless gets better bandwidth and reliability I welcome it for this reason, not all wireless technologies are there yet but I do hope they continue to progress.
Not always an option ?!? How is is not an option ?!?! I've never been prevented from using my extension cable and have no problems in hotels or airports. You've been creating your own problem here.
So? In many cases it's just a matter of getting the right cable. It isn't as if Apple supplied the cables to connect every type of peripheral back in the old days. On your 2010 models above, you still needed adapters to plug into a VGA monitor or HDMI.
Not even close. The problem has to do with Apple going in multiple directions with respect to connectivity standards. The final kick in the boot is the fact you have to use one of your USB ports for the power cable (which as of now isn't included with new computers anymore).
Whatever happened to Thunderbolt? It was supposed to be "revolutionary", especially for Apple displays. Look at how that turned out... We lost precious port space to that useless connector for years, only to have everything else useful ripped out for a connector that not even Apple uses. At least back then they had the sense to stick an HDMI port on their laptops so 9/10 users that connected to a display could actually do so.
I suppose that having just four USB/C ports would be fine for a 60-year old grandmother that just plugs in her iPhone and needs to buy maybe 1 or 2 dongles over the course of ownership, however that type of buyer would likely be happier with a USB 3 port that'd work with all of their devices. Still, isn't this supposed to be a "Pro" computer? Name one type of device that pro-users typically plug into their computers that have adopted or will mostly adopt USB/C in the near term. I don't see how this change really helped anyone, it was a poor solution to a problem that never existed.
The price to hardware performance ratio was enough to finally steer me towards Dell/Asus after being an Apple loyalist since birth, but neutering the connectivity down to where you'd need an adapter for plugging almost anything into it is what really drove the point home.
You can get cute by saying "if everyone had their way, we'd still have serial ports on the Mac", and other drivel...but it's nothing more than an empty defense of poor product design choices. Steve said it best in the 90's: Give your customers the best version of what they will find the most useful and innovative, don't try to shove new or esoteric technology down their throats simply because you can or because it looks flashy.
My point is that it is convenient to be able to plug in a charging cable onto either side. It's also convenient to be able to plug in any battery pack I want with a USB-C port to top off my MacBook Pro. If you had your way, I couldn't do either.
See? Your way has its own inconveniences.
The PC world is adopting the external GPU , and hence why TB is becoming more mainstream, and if gamers adopt it, it will spread.
Legacy ports will not die on PC, when you drop $500 on a quality motherboard on the PC side you get everything plus the kitchen sink, on the apple side you get almost no ports.
Apple 2018 Keynote:
And one more thing! USB-C to Lightning dongle! (Followed by standing ovation and a 15 min. Jony Ive video about how he spent 3 years to design the dongle, including the words "meticulous" and "unapologetically")
And one more thing! USB-C to Lightning dongle! (Followed by standing ovation and a 15 min. Jony Ive video about how he spent 3 years to design the dongle, including the words "meticulous" and "unapologetically")
Eh, at this point, I think USB-C is all but confirmed to replace the Lightning port on the next iPhones and iPads. When that happens, we'll likely see USB-C adoption start to really take off and USB-C ports will start to accompany USB 3 type A ports on more and more PC laptops. Apple will then say that they were responsible for jumpstarting the trend toward USB-C on a large scale (and they'll be correct about that).
Same as at work. I have nothing connected to my computer except a monitor. And it works for my needs.
I only do this for streaming really.
The point was that the need for hard connections are dwindling. Sure some folks still have ancient devices they want to connect, but that is fewer and fewer. Monitors at work still need hard wiring but alternative are available. I can even wifi to the projector in the conference rooms at this point. We are certainly in the uncomfortable transition period, especially for those that refuse to acknowledge the future and fight it.
And for them we have dongles.
What happened to Thunderbolt? Intel realized it was going nowhere (partly because it used a non-standard port), and so merged it with USB-C when it introduced Thunderbolt 3. And USB-C supports HDMI signals natively. There can be and will be USB-C to HDMI cables (not just adapters). USB-C is the new industry standard and eventually will be adopted by the rest of the industry. Apple is just getting there before most of the rest of the industry.
You do get a charging cable, though the extension cable is extra. The plus is that you can use any USB-C-compliant cable or charger (provided the latter supplies enough power).
Now add to that whatever you need to get your new MacBook 'Pro' connected.
Seriously?
Seriously?
What I'm really curious to know is this: given Thunderbolt 3's increased bandwidth, can we expect to see 10GBE adapters soon?
Sadly it will take something like this to push things along. It took going all USB on the original iMac to make it a standard. If you give people the option of USB or Thunderbolt (as in previous MBP and other models) they'll just go with the cheapest. This move will push people to change.
Right. Like I'm going to sync 256gb of data via the cloud every two months when my idevice eats all my media. Must be nice to have uncapped gig internet.
I'm echoing the sentiment of most developers here. You're making the consumer cry.