It’s not clear whether Apple will be launching a new MacBook this year, although the rumor mill insists the the company will be rolling one out before the month is out. And after the one-port wonder and half-hearted “upgrade” earlier this year, Apple needs to make a bold, attention-getting move to draw people into buying a laptop. If rumors are true, though, Apple has done exactly that — in what will either be the best or worst possible way.
According to The Verge, Apple is not fully ditching USB ports, but instead giving Apple users more USB-C ports. If you’re wondering what the heck USB-C even is, it’s supposed to be the next generation of USB cables. Much like Lightning cables, USB-C cables are fully reversible, so there’s not twisting the connector around before it slots into the port, the ports are smaller, and the standard is faster. Also, Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C cables are interchangeable, and thankfully USB-C is backwards compatible with all USB standards, although users will need a dongle, or a new cable, to get their stuff to work.
To some degree, this will still be a pain in the neck, but it’s not nearly as bad as Apple’s attempt to get rid of the headphone jack. USB-C is a universally agreed-upon standard, unlike Lightning or Apple’s other proprietary ports. It’s going to be rolled out in pretty much everything over the next few years, and the goal is to make this literally the last time you’ll buy new dongles and cables to keep using your stuff. The main objection so has has always been the lack of ports in the first place, but if Apple is willing to cram three of these on a side, then this will be Apple trying to bring its laptops into the future, instead of annoying us with proprietary ports we don’t need.
(via The Verge)
