WARNING! Rant about finally lost a USB-C Adapter!!!!

[Picapau21]

WARNING!! I am about to go on a rambling rant!!

So....I was one of the people who didn't think having usb-c adapters was going to be a big issue as I only occasionally need them to plug in printers, usb drives and give presentations. Most things can be done wirelessly these days.

But then I found a massive flaw in the system....

I lost not one but both my official apple HDMI adapter and USB adapter within the space of 2 days. Losing cables etc doesn't normally hurt so much but suddenly:

1. I had no way to connect any device to my MacBook
2. Even worse I had effectively lost £80+ worth of gear!!!

Losing a usb cable every now and again doesn't hurt as much as losing a £70 cable!!!

So then...I decide to save some money and buy a usb-c hub off amazon...which doesn't work!!

So...I buy a different one...which also doesn't work!!

SOOOOO....I go back and buy another apple usb-c to HDMI cable!!!

Fuming!!!!

What a waste of time and money!!! Give me back my USB and HDMI port!!!!

 

[keysofanxiety]

I feel your pain. I lost my MacBook Pro... and I had to buy a new one! Disgraceful, Apple!

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

 

[viperGTS]

There is no problem with USB-C accessories. The problem is that you lost them. How is that a fault of the product itself?

 

[oneMadRssn]

There is no problem with USB-C accessories. The problem is that you lost them. How is that a fault of the product itself?

I think the fault of the product is that it needs a separate adapter to perform a basic everyday function. Had this function been built-in, it would be less likely to be missing when you need it.

 

[Jayderek]

I think the fault of the product is that it needs a separate adapter to perform a basic everyday function. Had this function been built-in, it would be less likely to be missing when you need it.

or...people can claim some personal responsibility and take care of their things. It's not very difficult to keep track of items.

But let's continue to blame Apple for this. If adapters are that annoying to people, time to move on then.

 

[Spink10]

I think the fault of the product is that it needs a separate adapter to perform a basic everyday function. Had this function been built-in, it would be less likely to be missing when you need it.

Spot on!

 

[oneMadRssn]

or...people can claim some personal responsibility and take care of their things. It's not very difficult to keep track of items.

But let's continue to blame Apple for this. If adapters are that annoying to people, time to move on then.

I remember when Apple was all about converging as much stuff into one device as possible. They were making fun of all the adapters and wires necessary on a PC, and pointing out how simple things are when everything you need is integrated.

It seems Apple moving back to that mess on the right though. Everything needs an adapter. Functions that were once converged are being broken out.

 

[fisherking]

usb-c is the way of the (near) future, as is wireless; we adapt (or rant on forums like this, accomplishing nothing). PLUS what viperGPS said....

 

[Floris]

One of the fears I have when they finally introduce a new iMac in 2041, is that it's a pink gold one with one usb-c port, but JUUUST a bit different.. so I can't connect anything to it. No usb on the wireless keyboard to connect my logitech mouse on, no ports for my external drives, or second monitor unless I spend even much much more money on things. No way to listen to music or connect external studio speakers etc.

It will be a 27" iPad without a touch screen. And .. i cry inside.

I really hope Apple isn't going into that direction.

 

[Picapau21]

or...people can claim some personal responsibility and take care of their things. It's not very difficult to keep track of items.

But let's continue to blame Apple for this. If adapters are that annoying to people, time to move on then.

I take very good care but when I am travelling and going from location to location inevitably I will lose a piece of kit. In this case I suspect I left it in the meeting room. Security/cleaners/lost-property could not find it.

The ability to attach a projector or a usb is pretty basic functionality. Also it wouldn't hurt so much if the cable didn't cost an arm and a leg!!

 

[Jayderek]

I take very good care but when I am travelling and going from location to location inevitably I will lose a piece of kit. In this case I suspect I left it in the meeting room. Security/cleaners/lost-property could not find it.

The ability to attach a projector or a usb is pretty basic functionality. Also it wouldn't hurt so much if the cable didn't cost an arm and a leg!!

You're in the Apple ecosystem...things cost a bit more. You should be used to that reality now.

The 2015 Models of the MacBook Pros still exist and run VERY well. If having adapters and accessories are that much of a hardship, go this route. You can get good deals now, and more should be available after Thursday.

 

[Spink10]

I remember when Apple was all about converging as much stuff into one device as possible. They were making fun of all the adapters and wires necessary on a PC, and pointing out how simple things are when everything you need is integrated.

It seems Apple moving back to that mess on the right though. Everything needs an adapter. Functions that were once converged are being broken out.

I already said. Spot on! Must say it again.

 

[fisherking]

i dunno, seems to be getting simpler. i have one plug out of my 12" macbook, going to a simple hub with the AC usbC plug, a usb3 drive, and usb speakers. no more than i have on my 13" pro. and just started backing up with crashplan, so... no need for a backup drive. plus so many wireless options; like moving files between the macs with airdrop; no flashdrive needed.

change keeps happening; complain (which accomplishes nothing), or adapt; and get on with your day.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I remember when Apple was all about converging as much stuff into one device as possible. They were making fun of all the adapters and wires necessary on a PC, and pointing out how simple things are when everything you need is integrated.

It seems Apple moving back to that mess on the right though. Everything needs an adapter. Functions that were once converged are being broken out.

The difference being that Dell image was "steady state" for the product, whereas a MacBook with an adapter should be an uncommon occurrence. If you find yourself using an adapter to the MacBook more often than not, you bought the wrong laptop.

 

[oneMadRssn]

The difference being that Dell image was "steady state" for the product, whereas a MacBook with an adapter should be an uncommon occurrence. If you find yourself using an adapter to the MacBook more often than not, you bought the wrong laptop.

If rumors of what will be announced on Thursday are true (removal of SD card, USB-A, HDMI, and MagSafe in the Macbook Pro models) it sounds like Apple won't be selling the "right" laptop at all anymore.

 

[fisherking]

If rumors of what will be announced on Thursday are true (removal of SD card, USB-A, HDMI, and MagSafe in the Macbook Pro models) it sounds like Apple won't be selling the "right" laptop at all anymore.

or, it will be... and you won't be the target market for that.

meanwhile, the tech companies move us forward (even if it's kicking and screaming); think of scsi, floppy disks. firewire. so we move ahead, or fall behind; at least you can make that choice.

 

[oneMadRssn]

or, it will be... and you won't be the target market for that.

meanwhile, the tech companies move us forward (even if it's kicking and screaming); think of scsi, floppy disks. firewire. so we move ahead, or fall behind; at least you can make that choice.

I've had this argument before. Two huge differences:

First big difference, getting rid of a port is different than offloading the port to an adapter. By the time Apple got rid of scsi, floppy disks, and the rest, the use of those things was pretty much faded. Meanwhile, USB-A and HDMI are still very much the vast majority of peripherals.

It's true Apple was the first major computer company to ditch floppy, but by 1998 when Apple did so, floppy was already laughably out of date with only 1.44MB of storage, and it was mostly used in the PC world for drivers and boot disks, not for transferring files. Very few people had to use the USB-floppy drive, especially in the Mac community. The same can be said of other transitions: Apple got rid of an old standard when a new standard had a great deal of market adoption already.

This time it's different. They aren't getting rid of USB-A and HDMI support - they are merely moving it from the body of the laptop to an adapter, knowing very well that most monitors and almost all peripherals still use USB-A and HDMI. Indeed, the market of USB-C devices is tiny. Even though there are USB-C flash drives, the odds of whoever you are sharing files with also having a USB-C computer is even smaller.

Second big difference, only related to MagSafe really, that MagSafe is awesome and there is literally no reason to get rid of it. There isn't anything better. USB-C is not better. MagSafe is near the top of the list of what makes Macbooks the best. Getting rid of it is just subtraction for no good reason.

 

[fisherking]

I've had this argument before. Two huge differences:

First big difference, getting rid of a port is different than offloading the port to an adapter. By the time Apple got rid of scsi, floppy disks, and the rest, the use of those things was pretty much faded. Meanwhile, USB-A and HDMI are still very much the vast majority of peripherals.

It's true Apple was the first major computer company to ditch floppy, but by 1998 when Apple did so, floppy was already laughably out of date with only 1.44MB of storage, and it was mostly used in the PC world for drivers and boot disks, not for transferring files. Very few people had to use the USB-floppy drive, especially in the Mac community. The same can be said of other transitions: Apple got rid of an old standard when a new standard had a great deal of market adoption already.

This time it's different. They aren't getting rid of USB-A and HDMI support - they are merely moving it from the body of the laptop to an adapter, knowing very well that most monitors and almost all peripherals still use USB-A and HDMI. Indeed, the market of USB-C devices is tiny. Even though there are USB-C flash drives, the odds of whoever you are sharing files with also having a USB-C computer is even smaller.

Second big difference, only related to MagSafe really, that MagSafe is awesome and there is literally no reason to get rid of it. There isn't anything better. USB-C is not better. MagSafe is near the top of the list of what makes Macbooks the best. Getting rid of it is just subtraction for no good reason.

change happens whether you like it or not. obviously, someone out there thinks these are positive steps forward.

i think it's (mostly) great; when i go to the local coffeebar with my macbook, for instance, i bring nothing extra. i get enough battery life, i'm backing up in the cloud. and when i get home, i plug one thing into the macbook... and have power, my speakers, and an external drive. simple, painless.

usb C will be the norm, and soon enough, others will have to carry an adapter to connect to your mac (not the other way around).

 

[Picapau21]

You're in the Apple ecosystem...things cost a bit more. You should be used to that reality now.

The 2015 Models of the MacBook Pros still exist and run VERY well. If having adapters and accessories are that much of a hardship, go this route. You can get good deals now, and more should be available after Thursday.

Apart from being caught out with the adapter issue I think the MacBook 2016 is the best laptop I have owned in a very long time. I don't need all the additional power (or weight) of a MacBook pro. The MB is small and light and the upgrade in April came at the right time for me (upgraded from 2010 MacBook Pro).

As oneMadRssn said, when the floppy and CD drive were removed they were basically obsolete...but USB and HDMI will be with us for some time to come.

This unfortunately won't be the last cable I will lose...although i didn't see it before, I am now seeing a flaw in the move to USB-C. There are also very few 3rd party solution that work without issues. Hopefully this will change over time but an adapter will still be needed in some format.
[doublepost=1477344525][/doublepost]

change happens whether you like it or not. obviously, someone out there thinks these are positive steps forward.

i think it's (mostly) great; when i go to the local coffeebar with my macbook, for instance, i bring nothing extra. i get enough battery life, i'm backing up in the cloud. and when i get home, i plug one thing into the macbook... and have power, my speakers, and an external drive. simple, painless.

usb C will be the norm, and soon enough, others will have to carry an adapter to connect to your mac (not the other way around).

I disagree! USB-C won't be the norm for a very long time as the world will continue to use USB-A and HDMI (and even VGA). A small user base will not change that fact that for it to become widely accepted it will have to come from the business sector and I don't see IT departments making whole sale changes to their computer systems. I work in an environment where we need encrypted USB's and only a couple of brands and models are authorised for use and not a single computer out of 1000s has a USB-C port.

 

[fisherking]

Apart from being caught out with the adapter issue I think the MacBook 2016 is the best laptop I have owned in a very long time. I don't need all the additional power (or weight) of a MacBook pro. The MB is small and light and the upgrade in April came at the right time for me (upgraded from 2010 MacBook Pro).

As oneMadRssn said, when the floppy and CD drive were removed they were basically obsolete...but USB and HDMI will be with us for some time to come.

This unfortunately won't be the last cable I will lose...although i didn't see it before, I am now seeing a flaw in the move to USB-C. There are also very few 3rd party solution that work without issues. Hopefully this will change over time but an adapter will still be needed in some format.
[doublepost=1477344525][/doublepost]

I disagree! USB-C won't be the norm for a very long time as the world will continue to use USB-A and HDMI (and even VGA). A small user base will not change that fact that for it to become widely accepted it will have to come from the business sector and I don't see IT departments making whole sale changes to their computer systems. I work in an environment where we need encrypted USB's and only a couple of brands and models are authorised for use and not a single computer out of 1000s has a USB-C port.

i've heard the same argument about: scsi, floppies, zip drives, firewire 400, firewire 800, optical drives, etc. am not saying it's the 'norm' now, but let's see where things are over the next year. actually, we'll know more about this in 3 DAYS... (october 27th apple event)...

 

[Picapau21]

i've heard the same argument about: scsi, floppies, zip drives, firewire 400, firewire 800, optical drives, etc. am not saying it's the 'norm' now, but let's see where things are over the next year. actually, we'll know more about this in 3 DAYS... (october 27th apple event)...

I completely take your point onboard. Apple forcing USB-C onto their users may lead to other public consumer electronic companies following suit but it won't lead to change within the rest of the wider industry! Also HDMI is a standard that is unlikely to be replaced by USB-C.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

...getting rid of a port is different than offloading the port to an adapter.

...USB-A and HDMI are still very much the vast majority of peripherals.

...This time it's different. They aren't getting rid of USB-A and HDMI support - they are merely moving it from the body of the laptop to an adapter, knowing very well that most monitors and almost all peripherals still use USB-A and HDMI.

...MagSafe is awesome and there is literally no reason to get rid of it. There isn't anything better. USB-C is not better. MagSafe is near the top of the list of what makes Macbooks the best. Getting rid of it is just subtraction for no good reason.

I fully share your sentiments.

...usb C will be the norm...

Like FireWire? Where is it now?

 

[oneMadRssn]

usb C will be the norm

We'll see. Take a look at USB's history. They seem to change plugs every other year (mini-a, mini-b, micro-a, micro-b, micro-superspeed, etc.), make incompatible interface changes every year, and are otherwise very complicated when it comes to compatibility. There are already new alternate-mode spec changes in USB-C that are not compatible with the newest retina Macbook. What makes you so sure there won't be a USB-D, USB-C rev 3.1b, USB 3.2 or something else slightly different in 2017? It would not be out of the ordinary for them.

 

[fisherking]

I fully share your sentiments.

Like FireWire? Where is it now?

but that's the whole point: firewire is over. usb-C is the coming default. we're seeing it more & more, like it or not. now hdmi, because of it's very nature, is not going anywhere, hence: adapters. so it goes; one port (or so) on the mac, hubs, adapters for everything else.

anyway, the thursday event should tell us all more about where our mac lives our headed...

 

[Queen6]

I travel and work globally, after over a year and a half of owning two USB C only Notebooks (OS X & W10), I have yet to come across one single peripheral that can natively connect to either without the need for an adaptor/dongle. USB C is without any doubt a massive advancement in connectivity, however the reality is that few if anyone is currently employing the standard.

USB C at home or your office is a significant advancement, on the go currently USB C is more of a liability, making the need for dongles, docks etc. mandatory to the list for the carry on. Also as others have stated for a universal standard, there is no guarantee that an adaptor, dongle or dock will work between varying devices.

Yes you can get around USB C with dongles etc. however right now it seems to be a problem that really doesn't need to exist, especially when stepping up to the MBP. From a usability point of view a staged approach seems more prudent, rather than all or nothing....

Sadly if Apple opt for USB C only on the upcoming MPB`s, it will be more related to form over function, solely for the sake of making the notebooks aesthetically thinner, rather than serving the users needs.

Q-6