Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by bee_rider 1514 days ago
It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard).

Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.
2 comments
obscuren 1514 days ago
Just buy a couple of these [1] (can probably find them cheaper even) and leave them attached to the peripheral (not your Mac)

- [1] https://satechi.net/products/aluminum-usb-c-to-usb-a-adapter...

link
bee_rider 1514 days ago
It is clearly possible to find workaround, but it seems weird to need one on a $2000 laptop when other companies manage to fit it on cheaper, thinner laptops.
link
chrischen 1514 days ago
Your requirement of a USB Aport to satisfy an esoteric accessory is a niche use case. They are not going to include A USB A just like why they won’t add a firewire port to satisfy that 1%.

Pretty much all new keyboards, even niche ones, now come with Type C standard. Plus you are making a huge deal out of the graceful degradation of attaching an adapter to your keyboard. If we’re going to permanently retrofit something its going to be your keyboard—not the macbook.

I upgrade my gear regularly. And because of that I pretty much never use USB A. Apple designs their products for people who upgrade their gear. If they add a USB A to my shiny new laptop it’d be quite annoying because it is 1 extra port that I will never use that is probably there at the expense of another Type C port.

link
bee_rider 1514 days ago
I think we might just be posting from different universes or something. Where I'm at USB-A is not really a niche interface. I don't know what to tell you.
link
chrischen 1513 days ago
If you upgrade the minor peripherals to the newest versions you’ll find USB A is not really used anymore.
link
bee_rider 1513 days ago
Is this a subtle troll or something?

Yes obviously, if I get all new peripherals with USB-C compatibility (other than things like my keyboard and mouse, which don't have USB-C versions, and which are actually my favorite peripherals) then I won't encounter USB-A. Unless I leave my house, where the rest of the world hasn't upgraded to USB-C yet.

link
macintux 1514 days ago
How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house?

I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.

link
bee_rider 1513 days ago
I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing.

For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck.

I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.

link