USB-C is great, no doubt about it. Faster transfer speeds, more power, more devices — the promise is real. The vision here is that you can have a USB-C dock on your desk that lets you plug in your monitor and various other regular USB accessories, and even power, all into one USB-C port on Apple's latest Mac laptops.
But I'm going to assume that not everyone is using their laptops at a desk at all times. There have been countless times when I need to plug in a regular non-C USB — also known as USB-A — device into a Mac laptop when I'm out and about, and the option just isn't there.
The problem here is that there's no regular USB-A port for your regular USB-A devices. And I don't think I'm making things up when I say USB-A devices are still very much relevant. In fact, Apple's own iPhones still comes with a USB-A Lightning cable. Just think about this: you can't plug in an iPhone XS directly to a USB-C Mac laptop. I need an adapter, which Apple sells for a petty $19, and I have to remember to bring that adapter with me, and I have to not lose that adapter for fear of paying Apple another $19.
It's like paying Apple for taking away connectivity, versatility, and functionality. It's financially rewarding the company for doing a bad thing by removing the USB-A port altogether. If you don't believe me, ask yourself if you ever had to pay to plug in a regular USB-A device into an Mac before 2016.
Triple dongle! (This is real life if you want to charge your MacBook and iPhone and use headphones) pic.twitter.com/sbHGNN9zRR
— andrew furman 👨💻🏥🛡 (@furman) October 28, 2016