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> An extra port is not inconvenient

An extra port:

- is e-waste for everyone who never uses it

- reduces the rigidity of the case

- increases costs

- adds weight

- takes up space

- lets in dust and potentially liquid spills

You can see why people who never use them say ‘no thanks’. Isn’t it better that the people who do want them take on the costs of the port via a dongle?



- e-waste? Perhaps a microscopic amount of circuitry is added.

- case rigidity? The 2015 MBP case is fine.

- increases cost? No proof of this at all.

- adds weight? Again, a microscopic amount of weight to the laptop, far offset by the weight of dongles.

- takes up space? There's plenty of space to add this.

- lets in dust and liquid? The keyboard is a far more likely culprit.


I mean... no? If there’s a trade off involved then the “best” solution is the one that works for me at the cost of inconveniencing others :) I don’t think you’ll convince people to think otherwise.


> If there’s a trade off involved then the “best” solution is the one that works for me at the cost of inconveniencing others :)

But Apple aren't just trying to please you - they're trying to please most people. Most people don't use SD cards or USB-A devices anymore. The few who do can still do it using dongles, but the majority get a better laptop without them.


Do you really believe most people don’t use USB-A devices anymore? Even the iPhone 11 is USB-A and that was the newest until like three months ago lol


> Even the iPhone 11 is USB-A

Not sure what you mean - the iPhone 11 is Lightning, which is usually plugged into a charger not a laptop. I doubt many people plug their phones into the laptops anymore - syncing has been done over wireless for many years now.


The lightning is the iPhone end, that hasn’t changed to USB C. The USB A that goes to either the wall block or your computer to charge only became USB C three months ago. People constantly plug their phones into their MacBooks or other computers in order to charge them. It’s often not convenient to plug the phone into the wall and use it since the outlet may be behind furniture. It’s much more convenient to use the phone while it’s plugged into the laptop you’re already using.

It’s not about syncing at all

If you don’t understand this use case, then I wouldn’t make bold claims that *most* users never use USB A as it’s certainly false


I doubt 95% of users even sync anymore. The only reason you used to do that was for podcasts, music, and backing up. Now, that’s mostly pointless thanks to streaming services and backups you can do in the cloud.


It has nothing to do with syncing. Many people charge their phone off their laptop using the cable.


> Many people charge their phone off their laptop using the (USB-A) cable.

Why would you do that? It's going to be super-slow - I don't believe it supports Fast Charging as the port can't handle the minimum 20 W.


Well plugging an iPhone 11 into the wall with the included cable would be 5W and the phone itself only supports up to 18W. So yeah plugging it into the wall will be super slow too.

So yes some people will buy a USB C to lightning cable for their older iPhone and a better wall adapter but most people will just use the included charger.


Don't use USB-A devices?

I'm sorry for the crude language but that's absolute bullshit.


I'd like to see some kind of metric to quantify, but I'd wager most people outside of the Apple ecosystem don't use USB-C at all.

Even within the Apple ecosystem, so many devices exist that use USB-A that I don't think that most people could accept the assertion that "most people don't use USB-A devices" without some kind of proof (like the sort of usability studies Jony Ive must've used for toilet paper at Apple)


> I'd wager most people outside of the Apple ecosystem don't use USB-C at all

But almost all the Android phones are USB-C aren't they?

Other manufacturers' laptops are also often USB-C for charging. And other brands of things like wireless headphones. Apple uses it less than other brands, as they still have Lightning in many places.


Doesn’t this article that shows Apple is backtracking on that by reintroducing ports completely contradict what you’re saying?


> Doesn’t this article that shows Apple is backtracking on that by reintroducing ports completely contradict what you’re saying?

Maybe Apple changed their mind, yes (it's just a rumour at the moment), but I'm explaining why Apple does it the way they do at the moment. That was their thinking.

And you can't 'contradict' people's opinion on the way things should be done!




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