This is the mindset that will keep USB-A ports around forever. Somebody has to be the one to move the world forward, and it's usually Apple who's most willing to retire old ports. At this point I would kill for an Anker battery pack with three or four USB-C ports, instead every single one of them contains wasted USB-A ones that I have no use for.
USB-A had a long life. It's time to move on.
1970-01-01 · 1h ago
Same thing was said about floppy drive, DVD, serial ports, and VGA. We're allowed to sunset things.
hollerith · 1h ago
Serial ports are still used a fair amount, particularly to interface with stuff that you cannot buy at a local retailer.
So, how do you know that USB A won't have a lifetime of 63 years (the age of the RS-232 standard for serial ports)?
1970-01-01 · 1h ago
It doesn't make sense to extrapolate tech lifetime linearly. Once we hit the physical limits of physical connections, then we can revisit the I/O timelines.
maxerickson · 1h ago
This is not responsive to the context (which is about what ports ship on mass market devices).
1970-01-01 · 1h ago
That's even worse. Name a well selling smartphone that has USB-A ports.
tracker1 · 33m ago
Name one that ever did... A is usually the host side, and the phones that did were via adapter.
hollerith · 1h ago
Fair point.
But a computer I bought new 22 months ago (on which I am writing these words) has 7 USB A ports, 1 serial port and 0 USB C ports.
rkomorn · 4m ago
I'm quite confused by how hard to come by USB-C ports are on desktops coming out nowadays.
It's hardly ever more than two, if that.
NekkoDroid · 47s ago
And usually its on the case and not at the back of the MoBo. Mine does have a single one, but on the MoBo since I made sure that I had at least one for my capture card.
stefan_ · 47m ago
Ok, then follow through please?
Having two ports with one taken up for charging (so one usable) is inadequate.
But I suppose the problem with adding more is now you need to offer all the things that could be connected on all of them. But you are not willing to provision the hardware to do that. Thats not sunsetting, thats being cheap.
bombcar · 27m ago
Since you can buy adapters that let you charge and use the data on the same MacBook port, they should build that into the charger.
The charger could have a USB C or A port on it easily.
tracker1 · 32m ago
Every time I find myself wanting to just quickly use a thumb drive by I'm on my M1 Air laptop... sigh Don't have a dongle with me, so guess it'll have to wait.
I'd be fine with 2 of each even accepting 1 of the two USB-C ports will probably be for charging.
bombcar · 29m ago
I refuse to buy anything but those thumb drives with both connectors, but of course you’re always using someone else’s …
tracker1 · 15m ago
Not always someone else's but I do have over a dozen 16-256gb drives already. The couple of nvme adapters I have already have both.
chrsw · 2h ago
I’m willing to live with not having a USB-A port on a Mac. Not so much on a PC.
I have a Razer Blade. One USB-A and one USB-C on each side of the machine. It just makes so much sense.
goosedragons · 22m ago
Why exactly? Are you just using the USB A port for a mouse on the PC but not Mac? That's the only sensible thing I can think of.
Personally I'd rather use a USB C hub anyways. I don't want to plug in more than a cable if I don't have to.
izacus · 1h ago
I dunno, I also have a Razer Blade and a MacBook and the lack of that one A port pisses me off regularly. Meanwhile the Razer team managed to fit it next to Thunderbolt and other ports.
It's just such a pointlesslly user hostile move for some Californian dude to make a point about progress.
ToDougie · 1h ago
Here I am with my stupid USB-C ports that have an ugly, unwieldy dongle attached to them so that I can use my USB-A devices. If this is the future, I don't like it.
andrewmcwatters · 26m ago
VGA isn’t going anywhere so stop removing it. DVI isn’t going anywhere so stop removing it.
What a dumb comment. USB-C has been available for over a decade now. Just drop type A and force everyone to use adapters for their remaining type A devices since we’re all forced at this point to use them anyway.
Just kill it off already.
polski-g · 5m ago
Rack servers still use VGA. Yes, please stop removing it from monitors.
kirito1337 · 2h ago
Tbh USB-A is still a part of my daily life.
DiabloD3 · 1h ago
I honestly don't give a shit anymore.
I have female-A-to-male-C cables, I have male-A-to-female-C cables. Some of them have the USB 3 pins (which has kind of been a niche case for C in my life), all of them are safe up to 5A power.
All my computers that didn't have C now have at least one, and all of my C-only computers have an A they can use if they need one.
FireBeyond · 33m ago
> Apple phased out USB-A years ago
Weird. The latest Mac Pro has USB A ports.
So does the Mac Studio.
tracker1 · 31m ago
Yeah, my M1 air doesn't.
duxup · 2h ago
That was a long read to get to this:
> It seems pointless to spend money upgrading hardware, like mice and keyboards, to a new port when the benefits are questionable, and you probably won't notice a performance difference.
Not a very strong or convincing argument.
taylodl · 2h ago
Right? If manufacturers stopped permanently attaching USB cables to mice and keyboards, then the problem is solved. That way you can get the cable you need, or maybe you decide to go cordless. It's up to you.
tracker1 · 29m ago
Half the keyboards I've used in the past few years are detachable on the keyboard end. :-) Though, they mostly have 2 A ports for N-key rollover support.
eqvinox · 1h ago
Sadly, the port is [a few cents] more expensive than the captive cable, especially with USB >= 3.0* on USB-C where a port must handle connector reversal. (And if course if you look at "final price" with including a cable in the box :/)
* e.g. keyboard with USB3 hub
(FWIW my mouse actually has a USB-C port, it's a dual wired/wireless Keychron M6. Really nice way of doing it IMHO.)
Btw, "port must handle reversal" is why USB-C -> USB-C + optional C-to-A adapter have the adapter fixed on so you can't rotate it. It's not just good UX, the adapter would also otherwise need to handle reversal.
taylodl · 1h ago
I wouldn't include the cable in the box and I certainly wouldn't worry about USB >= 3.0 for a mouse or keyboard.
JumpCrisscross · 2h ago
Particularly when the problem is sidestepped with a dongle.
USB-A had a long life. It's time to move on.
So, how do you know that USB A won't have a lifetime of 63 years (the age of the RS-232 standard for serial ports)?
But a computer I bought new 22 months ago (on which I am writing these words) has 7 USB A ports, 1 serial port and 0 USB C ports.
It's hardly ever more than two, if that.
Having two ports with one taken up for charging (so one usable) is inadequate. But I suppose the problem with adding more is now you need to offer all the things that could be connected on all of them. But you are not willing to provision the hardware to do that. Thats not sunsetting, thats being cheap.
The charger could have a USB C or A port on it easily.
I'd be fine with 2 of each even accepting 1 of the two USB-C ports will probably be for charging.
I have a Razer Blade. One USB-A and one USB-C on each side of the machine. It just makes so much sense.
Personally I'd rather use a USB C hub anyways. I don't want to plug in more than a cable if I don't have to.
It's just such a pointlesslly user hostile move for some Californian dude to make a point about progress.
What a dumb comment. USB-C has been available for over a decade now. Just drop type A and force everyone to use adapters for their remaining type A devices since we’re all forced at this point to use them anyway.
Just kill it off already.
I have female-A-to-male-C cables, I have male-A-to-female-C cables. Some of them have the USB 3 pins (which has kind of been a niche case for C in my life), all of them are safe up to 5A power.
All my computers that didn't have C now have at least one, and all of my C-only computers have an A they can use if they need one.
Weird. The latest Mac Pro has USB A ports.
So does the Mac Studio.
> It seems pointless to spend money upgrading hardware, like mice and keyboards, to a new port when the benefits are questionable, and you probably won't notice a performance difference.
Not a very strong or convincing argument.
* e.g. keyboard with USB3 hub
(FWIW my mouse actually has a USB-C port, it's a dual wired/wireless Keychron M6. Really nice way of doing it IMHO.)
Btw, "port must handle reversal" is why USB-C -> USB-C + optional C-to-A adapter have the adapter fixed on so you can't rotate it. It's not just good UX, the adapter would also otherwise need to handle reversal.