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USB-B/USB-C Flash Drive

hellishfarva

hellishfarva

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 14, 2017
4
0
I have two Macbooks. One is a 2014 Macbook Pro with USB-B connectors. The other is a 2016 Macbook Pro with Touchbar that only has USB-C type connectors.

I want a flash drive that has both connectors on it. Samsung makes one that has USB-B and micro USB however I know that won't work with my laptop.

I was wondering if there was a manufacturer that does this. I am aware that I could use icloud or dropbox but I want to have a flash backup of some important documents to keep in my fire proof safe. Some of these documents are from my business (Macbook 2016) and some are from my personal life (Macbook 2014).
 
Think at the moment that might be a bit of a niche product, as as far as I'm aware, only MacBook's have USB-C.

Might be worth getting a USB dongle from Apple and storing it with the drive, should work without a problem then
 
QzzB said:
Think at the moment that might be a bit of a niche product, as as far as I'm aware, only MacBook's have USB-C.

Might be worth getting a USB dongle from Apple and storing it with the drive, should work without a problem then
Click to expand...

I went ahead and ordered one. But I really would like the usb for when I am mobile and forget my dongle
 
You have USB-A connectors on your computer. USB-B are the group of connectors that are usually found on devices, not hosts. I say usually because there are exceptions, like flash drives that use type A connectors too. Here's a diagram to make it extra confusing. :D

USB-Connectors.jpg

USB-Connector-Types.jpg
 
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venom600 said:
You have USB-A connectors on your computer. USB-B are the group of connectors that are usually found on devices, not hosts. Here's a diagram to make it extra confusing. :D

USB-Connectors.jpg

USB-Connector-Types.jpg
Click to expand...

You're right. I do have USB-A. I also have USB-B for the old thunderbolt display output however I'm not worried about that one.

Thank you.

So to rephrase. Are there a USB-A to USB-C dual flash-drive.
 
1. I think you mean USB-A and USB-C. USB-B is the square connector found on printers and much older devices.

2. Are you looking for thumb drives like this? https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Powe...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X0RP618E4AS26BE0ZG3Y There are many of them on Amazon with interchangeable USB interfaces (A and C on the same flash drive).

3. If you are looking for something with a larger SSD, I highly recommend the Samsung T3 SSD. It's extremely tiny and portable yet comes in large storage options (up to 2TB). The port itself is USB-C, but comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable to you can connect it to your older Macbook Pro or any other device with USB-A. To connect it to the newer MBP with USB-C ports, you can simply order an extra USB-C to USB-C from anywhere online. Just be sure that the cable meets USB 3.1 get 1/2 specs.
 
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QzzB said:
Think at the moment that might be a bit of a niche product, as as far as I'm aware, only MacBook's have USB-C.

Might be worth getting a USB dongle from Apple and storing it with the drive, should work without a problem then
Click to expand...
Emmmm No :)

Nokia had a tablet before the MB and Google Chromebook Pixel 2 was also in the shops before the MB and many more later :)

It's not unique to apple nor did they invent it, they were contributors like many other OEM's
 
I have this one. I don't use flash drives too much, but I have it on the rare occasion I need to physically transport some files. I find myself using cloud or network resources more frequently than I thought. This has been used once in 3 months, so I can't comment on how well it works.
 
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QzzB said:
Think at the moment that might be a bit of a niche product, as as far as I'm aware, only MacBook's have USB-C.

Might be worth getting a USB dongle from Apple and storing it with the drive, should work without a problem then
Click to expand...

Several devices out there that have USB-C, including many Windows computers.

There are a few companies that are making USB-A/USB-C combo flash drives. I've seen them at Office Max and Best Buy recently.
 
FWIW...

The Mach Xtreme Barium may be of interest. The company's claim to fame is using higher grade NAND. IIRC the Barium is MLC, and, if keeping with tradition, a SLC USB-C flash drive can't be that far down the road. This might be the current level 'Ferrari' of this class of drives?

mach-xtreme-mx-barium_image_TjvZs.jpg



If you are keeping extremely important documents for archival purposes, and wish to keep them on flash media (which arguably isn't ideal but understandable given the convenience), a higher grade MLC flash drive or SD card that has extensive usage/reviews may be the ideal candidate, if a MLC or eMLC SSD isn't practical? (this would exclude most of the consumer-level products :()

But, on a positive note, I expect to see USB-A + USB-C adapters designed to house microSD cards internally (essentially making them swappable flash drives) and could enable the use of high-endurance/high-durability mSD cards. Further, when USB-A goes the way of the dodo, or over time a connector is damaged, you can move the actual memory to another reader (as the higher quality memory is quite expensive and you may wish to use for many years.)
 
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