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Would you buy a 2017 iMac with only USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) ports?
- Thread starter logicstudiouser
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I would as it seems like USB-C will the connector for the next several years. I'd rather buy a 2017 iMac with USB-C/ThunderBolt 3 today and use dongles than not being able to use the latest hardware 2 years down the road.
Absolutely. Swapping USB-A cables for USB-C is not a hardship for me.
I voted yes because although USB C won't be the deciding factor for me, two years down the line, I'd rather have lots of useful ports, instead of a handful legacy ports that I never use. Besides all the necessary adaptors are cheap and I've already got a lot of the ones I need from having a MacBook Pro.
For me it's all about the CPU, GPU and anything else Apple can bring to the table. Kaby lake and Polaris in 2017 really just ain't gonna cut it...
For me it's all about the CPU, GPU and anything else Apple can bring to the table. Kaby lake and Polaris in 2017 really just ain't gonna cut it...
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For me, the innards of the new machine would be of paramount importance over the ports and connection capabilities.
iMac is not a portable device so there won't be any problem for me. I would just connect a good thunderbolt dock with type A and sd card reader.
At the same time i would never buy the new macbookpro; more than the type C port the biggest problem for me is the missing sd card reader. If you are on a trip it is a bit annoying not been able to just plug & play.
At the same time i would never buy the new macbookpro; more than the type C port the biggest problem for me is the missing sd card reader. If you are on a trip it is a bit annoying not been able to just plug & play.
Dongles would be less of a nuisance with an iMac than with a laptop, for sure. One or two USB-A adapters in the box would be nice, but there's little chance of that...
I'd like to see:
I'd like to see:
- Six Thunderbolt / USB-C
- Ethernet
- SD slot
Are you considering a 21" or a 27" iMac?
If you're thinking of getting a 21" iMac then, yes, memory upgradability is an issue, but honestly, in that case, I would strongly advise you to at least consider the 27" model. While it may seem large at first, the extra screen size is great, and the extra power afforded is also very nice.
If you're considering the 27" model, then unless Apple does something radical with the design this year (unified memory architect between the CPU/GPU (HSA) with HBM for example) I don't expect them to remove memory upgradability (if for no other reason than that it would be a pain to create SKUs for 8-32GB of ram).
As for storage, external connection protocols (USB 3.0 @5Gbps, USB 3.1 Type C @10Gbps, Thunderbolt @10-40Gbps) have become so fast that even a cheap enclosure can max out all but high end PCIE/NVME SSDs, making drive upgradability within the iMac itself basically a non issue (as long as you don't mind the extra clutter).
If all you're worried about is memory and storage, I actually think your in a pretty good place.
USB-C is the future, and I have no problem with dongles on desktops. I hope all devices switch over to being USB-C in the next year, including all peripherals for PCs and so forth. Faster speeds, smaller plugs, all positives. One way or another, the USB-C connector will be the main connector before the 2020s and possibly far beyond. I'd like an iMac ready for the future rather than catering to the past.
Fishrrman's credo:
Reality is what it is. It is not what we believe it to be.
The post above proclaims:
"USB-C is the future"
Just like...
- firewire was "the future"
- thunderbolt was "the future"
The USB-a style port remains "the standard" for USB and will continue to be for years to come.
An iMac with no USB-a ports at all would be more of an inconvenience than a step forward. EVERYTHING would need an adapter:
- USB keyboards (not all of us want to use Apple's keyboard)
- USB mice and wireless mouse adapters
- USB printers
- virtually ALL existing USB flash drives and card readers
- any other peripheral one wishes to connect via USB (CD/DVD players)
Does Apple really have the arrogance to leave all this stuff in search of an adapter or dongle?
A more sensible compromise might be 3 USB-C/thunderbolt 3 ports, and 3 USB-A 3.1 gen 2 ports running at 10gbps.
Reality is what it is. It is not what we believe it to be.
The post above proclaims:
"USB-C is the future"
Just like...
- firewire was "the future"
- thunderbolt was "the future"
The USB-a style port remains "the standard" for USB and will continue to be for years to come.
An iMac with no USB-a ports at all would be more of an inconvenience than a step forward. EVERYTHING would need an adapter:
- USB keyboards (not all of us want to use Apple's keyboard)
- USB mice and wireless mouse adapters
- USB printers
- virtually ALL existing USB flash drives and card readers
- any other peripheral one wishes to connect via USB (CD/DVD players)
Does Apple really have the arrogance to leave all this stuff in search of an adapter or dongle?
A more sensible compromise might be 3 USB-C/thunderbolt 3 ports, and 3 USB-A 3.1 gen 2 ports running at 10gbps.
I might be in the market to update my 2012 21.5" iMac (my kitchen device) as I'd like to go Retina. But if it is USB-C only I'd keep what I have for as long as I could or maybe consider a 2015. I don't want to have to invest in a bunch of cables/ adapters/dongles to do what I can do now so easily and cleanly.
Judging from the new Macbook Pros, I'd say yes. A pain for some and a 24 hour wait for an Amazon pkg for others. Cables don't cost much. Hubs will be the same mess as before. A few work with your stuff and many more will not until the dust settles and the solid designs are known.
Firstly, Apple already had done it with the new MacBook Pro.
Secondly, USB-C is the future and not just Apple is using it. Look at Windows systems, Nintendo Switch etc. This is nothing like the FireWire proclamation.
I'd buy it, I need a new computer far more than I care about USB types.
But I'd prefer 3/3 or 4/2.
Totally understand the industry shifting, but transitions take time, I don't see the point of forcing it on desktops.
Rather buy a few USBA adapters in 4/5 years if needed, than forced to buy a bunch of USBC adapters today.
I use a wired mouse, wired Wacom Tablet, will have 2 external drives, and keep a lightning cable in all the time. All this stuff is USB-A. That's a lot of extra money I'd have to blow on adapters just to keep using my devices because 'USBC is the future.' I ain't in the future and neither is the stuff I use.
But I'd prefer 3/3 or 4/2.
Totally understand the industry shifting, but transitions take time, I don't see the point of forcing it on desktops.
Rather buy a few USBA adapters in 4/5 years if needed, than forced to buy a bunch of USBC adapters today.
I use a wired mouse, wired Wacom Tablet, will have 2 external drives, and keep a lightning cable in all the time. All this stuff is USB-A. That's a lot of extra money I'd have to blow on adapters just to keep using my devices because 'USBC is the future.' I ain't in the future and neither is the stuff I use.
Ah, yes.
Nothing about technology stays the same (except for change). If it did, then you couldn't even use the term "technology"
It's a continually moving target, always toward the next Big Thing™
at least, until USB-D (or USB-I/O-whatever) comes down the pike.
Nothing about technology stays the same (except for change). If it did, then you couldn't even use the term "technology"
It's a continually moving target, always toward the next Big Thing™
Definitely with USB-C. Dongles for a desktop machine are easy enough to work with or around (USB hub, for one, or just getting new cables) and far more futureproof than having it come out with old connectors.
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+1.
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+1.
I agree, I think USB-C is more manageable on an iMac over a MacBook Pro. You can work with a hub to plug in USB-A, ethernet and/or SD cards on an iMac, but it is way more of an inconvenience to worry about that on a portable computer.
It isn't just USB that is in play here. Keyboards, mice , and printers all have a substantive number of wireless options. It isn't just Apple that provides these wireless options. In printers it is becoming almost ubiquitous, in recent years. ( throw in Ethernet and/or wireless it is even higher).
It wouldn't be as much arrogance as much as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There is some justification to go to thinner, more multipurpose ports on the modern Apple laptops. The edges are on that thinner trendline. The back of the iMac is largely just as big as it has been.
Three TB3 ports doesn't make any sense. The standard TB3 controller that is used in desktops/laptops can provision 2 ports. Unless dealing with a highly constrained form factor (e.g., current Macbook) not using the second doesn't make much sense.
More sensible would be to just stick with current port layout and upgrade the current pair of TBv2 ports to a ports to a pair of TBv3. The next sensible compromise is 4 TBv3 ( 2 controllers. ) and probably 2 USB-A ports. Either case leave the Ethernet socket.
I would. The dongle issue is much less of an issue on a desktop. Set it up once, and you're done.
No, I don't do dongles. Apple need to get over this obsessive, compulsive desire to terminate defacto industry standards. If they had one iota of common sense they'd do half and half but they're too stubborn and arrogant.