Okay, listen. Maybe I’m in the minority here; I still use and like USB-A. I know the EU wants to drag me kicking and screaming into a glorious utopian future where every device is powered and connected solely with USB-C cables and nothing else, but I’m simply not ready to surrender my sweet asymmetric port of yore. So tell me, Tim Cook, where are the USB-A ports on the new M4 Mac mini you just announced?
That’s right: the next-gen Mac mini does look like a wonderful little device – small enough to fit in your hand! – but Apple has officially ended its long-term relationship with USB-A, nixing the two ports found on the previous model in favor of more USB-C ports (five in total). It’s a big change, one that goes hand-in-hand with Apple redesigning its ‘Magic’ accessories to feature USB-C instead of the old proprietary Lightning ports (yes, the Magic Mouse charging port is still on the bottom, but I’m not kicking that particular hornet’s nest right now).
I get it. Even as a long-time Apple critic, I can sincerely say that this is a good move from the company. Switching to a uniform connection standard helps with inter-platform connectivity, reduces monopolistic influences within Apple’s tightly-controlled hardware ecosystem, and most importantly helps tackle the growing problem that is e-waste. This is a good thing. This is a good thing.
I keep telling myself that – and make no mistake, I’m very happy to see Lightning go to the great electronics store in the sky – but there’s a part of me that’s disappointed to see a new iteration of the best Apple product (that’s right, I said it) arrive without a USB-A port in sight.
USB-A still matters
I didn’t want to charge into this article without any statistics to back me up, so I did what everyone seems to do these days: I asked Google for help. According to Google’s generative search results, there are many reasons why USB-A is still widely used around the world: familiarity, backward compatibility, and cost being the key reasons.
Okay, I didn’t just ask an AI for help with my argument and call it a day, but Google’s bot does make some good points. USB-A is cheaper to manufacture and plenty of devices – my own desktop and laptop included – still have compatible ports. It’s hardly a surprise that many manufacturers are still selling products that either use USB-A or feature USB-A ports. If you buy a third-party wireless mouse, there’s a pretty good chance the cable it comes with will connect to a power source via USB-A rather than USB-C (we don’t talk about USB-B).
It’s also worth noting that while USB-C might be rapidly becoming the new normal in Europe and the US, that’s not the case for the rest of the world. Many countries are effectively ‘behind the curve’ when it comes to computer hardware, and USB-A is still very much the norm there. Hell, even the National Health Service in my country is still notably outdated in the tech it uses; I saw an awful lot of USB-A ports when I was in and out of hospital for cancer treatment.
Don’t even get me started on flash drives. I know I’m not the only person who still uses them, and all the ones I have use USB-A. I have all sorts of projects and old files backed up on them, plus a few with install-ready Linux distros and even one with a full Windows 10 install image. When I brought this up in a meeting, my boss (the effervescent Matt Hanson) asked how long it had been since I used one. I said ‘three days ago’. They’re useful, and I don’t want to get rid of them.
A fond farewell
Now, you’re probably thinking, Christian, what’s wrong with a USB adapter or dock? And yeah, sure, I don’t really have a good rebuttal to that except to say that I already have enough little gadgets that I can’t keep track of, and you want me to add more? I’m not having that.
But as much as it pains me to admit it, it might be time for me to finally bid adieu to my beloved OG connection standard. In the tech world, progress is king, and USB-C represents the rare sort of progress that is actually universally good: the environmental benefits alone are a huge plus, and anyone who knows me will attest that I can always get behind something that helps break up monopolies. Oh, and I won’t miss the ol’ USB-A Superposition.
That being said… come on, Apple. You can’t charge $29 for a USB-C cable, especially not when I can basically buy the exact same product for ten bucks on Amazon. You’re sitting at the family table now. Play nice.