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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.

8 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. You only need one accessory by Blackeylol · · Score: 5, Informative

    I keep reading everywhere about how many dongles and accessories you're going to need and not have when in reality it is only one. One single USB-A hub with a USB-C connector. They're cheap, come in pretty small and low profiles, and can come with various additions such as gigabit ethernet, audio, and USB-C charging (as in you can plug your charger into the hub and the hub into the macbook for the ports + charging at the same time) built right in. So why is every article I read exaggerating this so much? What am I missing?

  2. Re:time to dial back the shill by KiloByte · · Score: 3, Informative

    Having four USB-C ports is awesome.

    [...]How do we expect to issue this kit to the world that hasnt embraced "bravery" and thrown away every still entirely functional USB device they own?

    Case in point: I currently have 9 USB-A cables connected to my desktop, and recently had to get a hub to plug in more. I have yet to put my hands on a single USB-C device.

    --
    The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
  3. Re:Yes, but... Apple is a change agent. by HBI · · Score: 2, Informative

    In the 90s they 'change agented' their way right into bankruptcy with being completely different than everyone else in every particular. No Jobs to save them now.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
  4. Re:Yes, but... Apple is a change agent. by GabeGhearing · · Score: 3, Informative
    I doubt anyone would call the pre-iMac Apple of the 90s a "change agent". They had standardized their design and were letting people make Mac Clones and supporting Apple IIe Compatibility Cards for people to run their legacy software...
  5. Magsafe to USB-C by sjbe · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm surprised that Belkin or someone else hasn't made a C-to-MagSafe adapter for MacBook owners.

    You mean like this one?

  6. Re:USB-A must go to the history's garbage bin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    A device with a quantum spin of a half.

  7. Re:Presently... Apple hates competition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, the Square Reader is now a contactless stand-alone. The headphone jack dongle is obsolete.
    If you are not using the new device, you can only process swipe cards.
    So,actually, anyone with a clue doesn't agree with you.

  8. Re:Yes, but... Apple is a change agent. by StikyPad · · Score: 3, Informative