6 ms·

My girlfriend bought 100€ worth of adaptors for her Macbook Air and can never find them when she needs them. For a desktop it doesn't matter, but for a portabl

by yarcob 5y ago

My girlfriend bought 100€ worth of adaptors for her Macbook Air and can never find them when she needs them. For a desktop it doesn't matter, but for a portable device that you need to carry around every extra thing that you need to carry around is just something you are going to misplace.

reaperducer 5y ago
Your girlfriend may be disorganized and a poor shopper. I have a single USB-C dongle in front of me that's the size of a large cigarette lighter that has 2 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, and can charge a 15" MacBook Pro. It cost $40. Because your girlfriend bought a bunch of different items instead of a single solution, and can't keep track of them, doesn't mean that Apple screwed up.
- ngcazz 5y ago
  Nasty much? We like jumping on to blame `lusers` here on HN, but this is a design problem. It's a fact of life people lose things, and Apple conveniently forgot about this to push the dongle ecosystem.
  - handrous 5y ago
    The magic that originally brought me into the Mac ecosystem, after a decade and a half of Windows and Linux, was that the work MacBook I received was the first time I had an actual portable computer. The battery life ("you mean it still has a useful amount of charge after 3 hours? WTF is this sorcery!?"), good-enough trackpad (which makes it like 5x better than the best trackpad I'd used before, all of which had me considering an external mouse a must-have for more than 5 minutes of work), and port selection meant I could pick up my laptop—just my laptop—and go, and be fine for most or all of the day, doing almost anything. The dongle bullshit (and the USB-C "well yes it can do that but only if you have exactly the right cable, so you'd better bring a couple with you" thing) broke that simplicity, and put me back to having to make sure I had other crap with me, which was a shame. Dragging their feet on moving iPad and iPhone over to USB-C, so they could at least share dongles & charging cables with Mac laptops, was/is salt the wound.
    - Terretta 5y ago
      Try Baseus USB C Hub Adapter for MacBook Pro 2020/2019/2018/2017, a 9-in-1 USB Type C Hub dongle with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (40Gbps), 4K HDMI (60hz on USB-C, 30hz on HDMI), RJ45 Ethernet, USB-C data port, 3x USB 3.0, and audio: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ Unlike single pigtail all-in-one dongles, this two piece no pigtail thingy supports 2x TB3 or 2x USB-C/DisplayPort displays since it is tapping both sides of laptop. (Incidentally this also lets you charge on the right to prevent potential issues with charging from left.)
      - jes 5y ago
        +1 for a helpful recommendation. Much appreciated.
  - pdpi 5y ago
    Apple isn't trying to push a dongle ecosystem. they're trying to push a "thunderbolt/usb-c for everything" ecosystem. In typical Apple fashion, they're willing to be pretty radical about it on the computers themselves, and let donglepocalypse be a side effect.
    - gnicholas 5y ago
      And at the same time, their non-pro machines come with only one spare (not for power) USB-C port. If they loaded up their machines with them across the board, this would be less of an issue.
      - dec0dedab0de 5y ago
        You can use the power port to connect a dongle too. I have two dongles that have multiple interfaces, as well as a power passthrough so I could connect my power to either one of them. Though I don't use either because my usb-c monitor powers the MacBook.
  - enjoy-your-stay 5y ago
    >people lose things, and Apple conveniently forgot about this to push the dongle ecosystem. I think it's a bit unfair to say that Apple deliberately change interfaces in order to push their adapters. They've got 2 different problems to address, firstly they want to update and be in control of the interfaces to their hardware, Firewire,Thunderbolt,USB-C but, at the same time their machines seem to last quite a long time, so at any time there's a pretty significant number of users stuck on older interfaces and with hardware that uses older interfaces too (e.g. I have an older Firewire external hd that I now dongle to Thunderbolt, have noooo idea how I'm going to get that to work when I get this new machine). So in order to allow all that to work they need to support a multitude of interfaces because getting a new laptop shouldn't mean throwing everything else out.
    - spectre3d 5y ago
      >Firewire external hd that I now dongle to Thunderbolt, have noooo idea how I'm going to get that to work). Simply add another dongle, the Apple “Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter” and you’re good to go. I just tested mine before posting this, from a FW800 drive with the Apple FireWire-Thunderbolt adapter plugged in to the Apple Thunderbolt 2-3 adapter. Works on M1 Macs too.
  - chipotle_coyote 5y ago
    > push the dongle ecosystem Out of all the complaints about moving to USB-C, the idea that it is a conspiracy on Apple's part to sell dongles is the one that makes me roll my eyes the hardest. Say what you will about the USB-C-only MacBooks we've had in the last six years or so, but I'm fairly sure they were the first portable computers Apple ever shipped that had no proprietary connectors. No ADB, no MagSafe, no FireWire (not technically proprietary but largely DOA anywhere but Apple in the early 2000s). I suspect if Apple had a magic wand (and/or even more of their money), they wouldn't have you buy dongles at all, they would have you buy new cables. Which is what I did years ago -- USB-C to Lightning, USB-C to mini-USB, USB-C to USB-A, even one USB-C to USB-B kicking around somewhere. And, because USB-C is not a proprietary standard, I don't think any of those cables are from Apple. (Yes, I do have an Apple brand USB-C to USB-A dongle that I bought when I got my first USB-C laptop, because everyone was screaming how important they were. I almost never use it: if I find myself using it more than a few times for "dongle + cable", then I buy the correct cable.)
  - cronix 5y ago
    Hah, go back and watch Steve Jobs making fun of computing devices that use a stylus. He agreed with you on the losing things angle. > Who wants a stylus? You have to get them and put them away and lose them. Yuck! Nobody wants a stylus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZK-Pow6fs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZK-Pow6fs > Handwriting is probably the slowest input method ever invented. ... We reimagined it and what we're doing is completely different than what they (Microsoft) did. ... And what we said at the very beginning is if you need a stylus, you've failed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xPt8txgGs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xPt8txgGs Apple now uses styluses on their iPad Pro's.
    - mcculley 5y ago
      I think Jobs had a point about designs that require a stylus. There were many portable computers before the iPhone that required a stylus. iOS was designed with fingers in mind and then added a stylus for some kinds of work. This is similar to how the original Macintosh had no arrow keys and forced developers to design for the mouse. Later designs then added arrow keys.
    - diebeforei485 5y ago
      This was for devices that only worked with a stylus, so if you lost the stylus you couldn't use most features of the device anymore. Modern styluses like the Surface Tablet Pen or Apple Pencil are for drawing and note-taking, in addition to still being able to use fingers on the touchscreen.
      - FireBeyond 5y ago
        This is revisionist history. In the keynote, he never mentions "devices that require a stylus". He says "who wants a stylus? Yuck!" and "if you see a stylus, someone did something wrong". This spin into "well _obviously_ Steve meant X" is purely personality worship, not borne of his words.
        diebeforei485 5y ago
        > In the keynote, he never mentions "devices that require a stylus". Back in 2007, if something came with a stylus, it was overwhelmingly the case that the stylus was required.
- wainage 5y ago
  Which one? Looking for a solid recommendation.
  - vultour 5y ago
    Not one by Verbatim, mine broke after a month. Granted, I was going for the cheapest one I could find just so I could get a HDMI port.
danlugo92 5y ago
I'm a hardcore apple fan (from before the iphone) and this hub situation is just pathetic, they should have put in an USB-A in there and call it a day. You can run into some VGA projectors but most have HDMI now though.
TYPE_FASTER 5y ago
This is a single device that I can plug MBP power adapter, mouse, and keyboard USB dongles into: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXMNF1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXMNF1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
Terretta 5y ago
Get her this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/
- thehappypm 5y ago
  Woof. That thing is ugly
  - xNeil 5y ago
    Really? Looks very cool to me. Matter of opinion, I guess :)
- foobarian 5y ago
  Yikes. My 2017 MBP is bent and it's always on a flat surface. I shudder to think about keeping it on something like those blocks :-)
  - Terretta 5y ago
    I like that it also raises the keyboard at an angle. Remember typewriters? (Dangerous question these days, sorry. ;-)
greggman3 5y ago
I'm not going to deny that having them built in is better but I had a tiny case that fit my MBA power adapter, USB-C cable pocket wifi, and hub. Since I always needed the power adaptor and it's cable it wasn't hard to keep the hub with me.

by yarcob 5y ago

reaperducer 5y ago

Your girlfriend may be disorganized and a poor shopper. I have a single USB-C dongle in front of me that's the size of a large cigarette lighter that has 2 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports, an ethernet port, an HDMI port, and can charge a 15" MacBook Pro. It cost $40. Because your girlfriend bought a bunch of different items instead of a single solution, and can't keep track of them, doesn't mean that Apple screwed up.

ngcazz 5y ago
Nasty much? We like jumping on to blame `lusers` here on HN, but this is a design problem. It's a fact of life people lose things, and Apple conveniently forgot about this to push the dongle ecosystem.
- handrous 5y ago
  The magic that originally brought me into the Mac ecosystem, after a decade and a half of Windows and Linux, was that the work MacBook I received was the first time I had an actual portable computer. The battery life ("you mean it still has a useful amount of charge after 3 hours? WTF is this sorcery!?"), good-enough trackpad (which makes it like 5x better than the best trackpad I'd used before, all of which had me considering an external mouse a must-have for more than 5 minutes of work), and port selection meant I could pick up my laptop—just my laptop—and go, and be fine for most or all of the day, doing almost anything. The dongle bullshit (and the USB-C "well yes it can do that but only if you have exactly the right cable, so you'd better bring a couple with you" thing) broke that simplicity, and put me back to having to make sure I had other crap with me, which was a shame. Dragging their feet on moving iPad and iPhone over to USB-C, so they could at least share dongles & charging cables with Mac laptops, was/is salt the wound.
  - Terretta 5y ago
    Try Baseus USB C Hub Adapter for MacBook Pro 2020/2019/2018/2017, a 9-in-1 USB Type C Hub dongle with 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports (40Gbps), 4K HDMI (60hz on USB-C, 30hz on HDMI), RJ45 Ethernet, USB-C data port, 3x USB 3.0, and audio: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ Unlike single pigtail all-in-one dongles, this two piece no pigtail thingy supports 2x TB3 or 2x USB-C/DisplayPort displays since it is tapping both sides of laptop. (Incidentally this also lets you charge on the right to prevent potential issues with charging from left.)
    - jes 5y ago
      +1 for a helpful recommendation. Much appreciated.
- pdpi 5y ago
  Apple isn't trying to push a dongle ecosystem. they're trying to push a "thunderbolt/usb-c for everything" ecosystem. In typical Apple fashion, they're willing to be pretty radical about it on the computers themselves, and let donglepocalypse be a side effect.
  - gnicholas 5y ago
    And at the same time, their non-pro machines come with only one spare (not for power) USB-C port. If they loaded up their machines with them across the board, this would be less of an issue.
    - dec0dedab0de 5y ago
      You can use the power port to connect a dongle too. I have two dongles that have multiple interfaces, as well as a power passthrough so I could connect my power to either one of them. Though I don't use either because my usb-c monitor powers the MacBook.
- enjoy-your-stay 5y ago
  >people lose things, and Apple conveniently forgot about this to push the dongle ecosystem. I think it's a bit unfair to say that Apple deliberately change interfaces in order to push their adapters. They've got 2 different problems to address, firstly they want to update and be in control of the interfaces to their hardware, Firewire,Thunderbolt,USB-C but, at the same time their machines seem to last quite a long time, so at any time there's a pretty significant number of users stuck on older interfaces and with hardware that uses older interfaces too (e.g. I have an older Firewire external hd that I now dongle to Thunderbolt, have noooo idea how I'm going to get that to work when I get this new machine). So in order to allow all that to work they need to support a multitude of interfaces because getting a new laptop shouldn't mean throwing everything else out.
  - spectre3d 5y ago
    >Firewire external hd that I now dongle to Thunderbolt, have noooo idea how I'm going to get that to work). Simply add another dongle, the Apple “Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter” and you’re good to go. I just tested mine before posting this, from a FW800 drive with the Apple FireWire-Thunderbolt adapter plugged in to the Apple Thunderbolt 2-3 adapter. Works on M1 Macs too.
- chipotle_coyote 5y ago
  > push the dongle ecosystem Out of all the complaints about moving to USB-C, the idea that it is a conspiracy on Apple's part to sell dongles is the one that makes me roll my eyes the hardest. Say what you will about the USB-C-only MacBooks we've had in the last six years or so, but I'm fairly sure they were the first portable computers Apple ever shipped that had no proprietary connectors. No ADB, no MagSafe, no FireWire (not technically proprietary but largely DOA anywhere but Apple in the early 2000s). I suspect if Apple had a magic wand (and/or even more of their money), they wouldn't have you buy dongles at all, they would have you buy new cables. Which is what I did years ago -- USB-C to Lightning, USB-C to mini-USB, USB-C to USB-A, even one USB-C to USB-B kicking around somewhere. And, because USB-C is not a proprietary standard, I don't think any of those cables are from Apple. (Yes, I do have an Apple brand USB-C to USB-A dongle that I bought when I got my first USB-C laptop, because everyone was screaming how important they were. I almost never use it: if I find myself using it more than a few times for "dongle + cable", then I buy the correct cable.)
- cronix 5y ago
  Hah, go back and watch Steve Jobs making fun of computing devices that use a stylus. He agreed with you on the losing things angle. > Who wants a stylus? You have to get them and put them away and lose them. Yuck! Nobody wants a stylus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZK-Pow6fs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELZK-Pow6fs > Handwriting is probably the slowest input method ever invented. ... We reimagined it and what we're doing is completely different than what they (Microsoft) did. ... And what we said at the very beginning is if you need a stylus, you've failed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xPt8txgGs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xPt8txgGs Apple now uses styluses on their iPad Pro's.
  - mcculley 5y ago
    I think Jobs had a point about designs that require a stylus. There were many portable computers before the iPhone that required a stylus. iOS was designed with fingers in mind and then added a stylus for some kinds of work. This is similar to how the original Macintosh had no arrow keys and forced developers to design for the mouse. Later designs then added arrow keys.
  - diebeforei485 5y ago
    This was for devices that only worked with a stylus, so if you lost the stylus you couldn't use most features of the device anymore. Modern styluses like the Surface Tablet Pen or Apple Pencil are for drawing and note-taking, in addition to still being able to use fingers on the touchscreen.
    - FireBeyond 5y ago
      This is revisionist history. In the keynote, he never mentions "devices that require a stylus". He says "who wants a stylus? Yuck!" and "if you see a stylus, someone did something wrong". This spin into "well _obviously_ Steve meant X" is purely personality worship, not borne of his words.
      - diebeforei485 5y ago
        > In the keynote, he never mentions "devices that require a stylus". Back in 2007, if something came with a stylus, it was overwhelmingly the case that the stylus was required.
wainage 5y ago
Which one? Looking for a solid recommendation.
- vultour 5y ago
  Not one by Verbatim, mine broke after a month. Granted, I was going for the cheapest one I could find just so I could get a HDMI port.

danlugo92 5y ago

I'm a hardcore apple fan (from before the iphone) and this hub situation is just pathetic, they should have put in an USB-A in there and call it a day. You can run into some VGA projectors but most have HDMI now though.

TYPE_FASTER 5y ago

This is a single device that I can plug MBP power adapter, mouse, and keyboard USB dongles into: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXMNF1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXMNF1X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

Terretta 5y ago

Get her this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/ https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0872V4LFP/

thehappypm 5y ago
Woof. That thing is ugly
- xNeil 5y ago
  Really? Looks very cool to me. Matter of opinion, I guess :)
foobarian 5y ago
Yikes. My 2017 MBP is bent and it's always on a flat surface. I shudder to think about keeping it on something like those blocks :-)
- Terretta 5y ago
  I like that it also raises the keyboard at an angle. Remember typewriters? (Dangerous question these days, sorry. ;-)

greggman3 5y ago

I'm not going to deny that having them built in is better but I had a tiny case that fit my MBA power adapter, USB-C cable pocket wifi, and hub. Since I always needed the power adaptor and it's cable it wasn't hard to keep the hub with me.