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Design For the Present (marco.org)
Technology critic Marco Arment, who co-hosts an Apple-centric podcast called ATP with John Siracusa and Casey Liss, has shared his take on the design of the recently launched MacBook Pro models. Apple's decision to get rid of USB Type-A ports has irked many, with some saying that the company should have left at least a few USB Type-A ports on the computer, even if what it strives to do is lead the industry in how a computer should look like. Arment shares the sentiment. From a blog post: The new MacBook Pro is probably great, and most of the initial skepticism probably won't age well. But I want to pick on one aspect today. Having four USB-C ports is awesome. Having only four USB-C ports is going to hurt the versatility requirement of pro gear, because there's a very real chance that you won't have the right dongle when you need it. This is going to happen a lot, because even though USB-C is the future, it's definitely not the present. We've had the standard USB plug (USB-A) in widespread use for 18 years, and it's going to take a few more years for USB-C to become so ubiquitous that we can get away without USB-A ports most of the time. A pro laptop released today should definitely have USB-C ports -- mostly USB-C ports, even -- but it should also have at least one USB-A port. Including a port that's still in extremely widespread use isn't an admission of failure or holding onto the past -- it's making a pragmatic tradeoff for customers' real-world needs. I worry when Apple falls on the wrong side of decisions like that, because it's putting form (and profitability) over function."Design for the future, but accommodate the reality of the present," he adds.
I'm still angry I can't connect my dot matrix line printer using a parallel port so I can print off all the ascii art I have stored on my floppies.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
What do you mean? That have a wonderful market in dongles! It is not like anyone uses a thumb drive to transfer files between Mac and PC. (Not with the poor speed of exFAT anyway!)
It's a quantum device. It doesn't have an orientation until you look at it.
No you don't. Plugging in USB can be done without checking: It's a three-step process.
1. Try plugging it in, and find it doesn't work.
2. Turn it around, and try it the other way. You'll find it doesn't work that way either.
3. Turn it around a second time. It'll now go in. You had it right the first time.
Who ordered that?
What do you mean? That have a wonderful market in dongles!
From the GP:
"queer eye for the queer guy"
And you wonder why they have lots of "dongles" dangling off their products? Hmmm?
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!