'USB-A Isn't Going Anywhere, So Stop Removing the Port' (pocket-lint.com)
- Reference: 0179260990
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/09/15/1510250/usb-a-isnt-going-anywhere-so-stop-removing-the-port
- Source link: https://www.pocket-lint.com/usb-a-isnt-going-anywhere/
> After nearly 30 years of USB-A connectivity, the market is now transitioning to the convenient USB-C standard, which makes sense given that it supports higher speeds, display data, and power delivery. The symmetrical connection is also smaller and more user-friendly, as it's reversible and works with smartphones and tablets. I get that USB-C is inevitable, but tech brands should realize that the ubiquitous USB-A isn't going anywhere soon and stop removing the ports we need to run our devices.
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> [...] It's premature for brands to phase out USB-A when peripheral brands are still making compatible products in 2025. For example, Logitech's current wireless pro gaming mice connect using a USB-A Lightspeed dongle, and most Seagate external drives still use USB-A as their connection method. The same can be said for other memory sticks, keyboards, wireless headsets, and other new devices that are still manufactured with a USB-A connection.
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> I have a gaming laptop with two USB-A and USB-C ports, and it's a constant struggle to connect all my devices simultaneously without needing a hub. I use the two USB-A ports for my mouse and wireless headset dongles, while a phone charging cable and portable monitor take up the USB-Cs. This setup stresses me out because there's no extra space to connect anything else without losing functionality.
[1] https://www.pocket-lint.com/usb-a-isnt-going-anywhere/
Transitions (Score:4, Insightful)
Someone didn't live through the loss of the floppy drive, DB9 ports, and parallel ports.
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DB9 ports are still useful.
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Yup. And I've got my USB (A) to DB9 serial adapter handy.
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> DB9 ports are still useful.
I still use a DB9 on both hyperterm and putty almost weekly.
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Somone quite possibly made a living bitching about the loss of the 3.5" headphone jack, and possibly DB9, parallel, floppy drives, optical drives, firewire, PS2 keyboard and mouse ports, micro USB, VGA, s-video, composite, RJ14, S/PDIF and PCMCIA.
It's always good fodder for an article or a Slashdot story.
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The replacements for those were significantly superior*. Notably the replacement was often a USB-A port... Which is still more physically robust than a USB-C port.
* Unless you had a Zip drive that once damaged, would destroy any disk you inserted from that point on.
Not going anywhere fast (Score:3)
is right: it's going nowhere.
Adapters are your friend. Undo that knot in your pants.
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Doesn't help for adding ports. More ports is what he's looking for.
A USB hub is just annoying to lug around and even more annoying to assemble.
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We're in a transition phase from A to C. Manufacturers currently split the number of ports they provide between A and C.
Once the transition is over and A goes away, manufacturers will provide all type C ports and no type A, so you'll get more type C ports.
C ports are also smaller, so you can have more of them in the same space.
Hurry up already (Score:5, Insightful)
> I have a gaming laptop with two USB-A and USB-C ports, and it's a constant struggle to connect all my devices simultaneously without needing a hub.
You have this problem precisely because you have a mix of current and legacy peripherals, and a laptop that doesn't fully embrace the new standard. You are suffering from the transition phrase, and you're advocating delaying the transition for longer?
Instead of 2x A and 2x C ports, you should just have 4x C and then any device can go into any port.
The sooner type A goes away and is replaced completely with type C the better. Delaying the inevitable transition just causes exactly the kind of problems you're complaining about.
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"The sooner type A goes away and is replaced completely with type C the better"
Depends on your use-case. Type A is a lot more robust and that matters when outdoors in certain enviroments.
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He actually wants more than four ports. That's his main beef.
And since USB-C is so demanding on the hardware there is no allocation available for lots of them. Whereas the black USB 2.0 ports can be littered all around and still not burn the resources.
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I mean, some delays are good. An example of this is when Apple decided to leave only USB-C ports for everything on Macbook Pros, but in the newer generations, they added HDMI back and also an SD card reader.
Which is very welcome. Adding HDMI to a $2k machine costs nothing and can save your ass. If you're a speaker at a conference and need to connect your laptop, it's probably gonna be HDMI, certainly not USB-C.
The SD card is also welcome by photographers and videographers who make heavy use of SD cards.
Cert
User Problem (Score:3)
> I have a gaming laptop with two USB-A and USB-C ports, and it's a constant struggle to connect all my devices simultaneously without needing a hub. I use the two USB-A ports for my mouse and wireless headset dongles, while a phone charging cable and portable monitor take up the USB-Cs. This setup stresses me out because there's no extra space to connect anything else without losing functionality.
That's entirely why they inventing docking stations.
hmmmmmm (Score:4, Insightful)
This setup stresses me out because there's no extra space to connect anything else without losing functionality
Really? Dude if this stresses you just wait till you grow up, and face real problems and challenges in your life.
A, C, and lightning (Score:2)
Just three ports! Just three! So why do I never have the specific cable I need at the moment when away from home, and have to keep buying new ones?
Chicken and egg situation (Score:2)
It's premature for brands to phase out USB-A when peripheral brands are still making compatible products in 2025
Why would peripheral brands stop making USB-A peripherals though, if computer manufacturers keep including USB-A ports? And then, reductio ad absurdum, we never get rid of it, or at least not for many years. I say give it up already and let's move on, otherwise we'll still be using USB-A when USB-D or whatever comes along. Let's have a few years with a sort-of-standard port, before the next change
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USB-D will never arrive. Since USB-C is now entrenched by EU regulations.
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> It's premature for brands to phase out USB-A when peripheral brands are still making compatible products in 2025
> Why would peripheral brands stop making USB-A peripherals though, if computer manufacturers keep including USB-A ports? And then, reductio ad absurdum, we never get rid of it, or at least not for many years. I say give it up already and let's move on, otherwise we'll still be using USB-A when USB-D or whatever comes along. Let's have a few years with a sort-of-standard port, before the next change comes along, hey?
They say they don't want to use a USB hub, but they make USB hubs small enough that it should be trivial to travel with them. It's really the easiest solution to the "problem".
Just use the old apple solution... (Score:2)
Get a converter dongle for usb-a:usb-c. That's been the apple solution for pretty much every time they force a connector change.
TSB-C (Score:2)
I always call the new plug the TSB-C. We had a Universal Serial Bus, but the new plug is at best a Temporary Serial Bus.
USB-C is too small sometimes (Score:1)
I really find USB stick form factor more convenient with the USB-A connectors. It feels more robust a more stable this way. The tiny fiddly USB-C does not work as well for this purpose. I wish USB-A would be reversible too, but still. Yes, I can use adapters, but this makes the USB drive contraption look even worse, an 8GB stick plugged into a USB-A to USB-C adapter and all this is hanging on a tiny USB-C connector from the side of my laptop... Ugly and looks fragile.
The sooner, the better (Score:2)
USB-C will start going somewhere when mfrs stop building stuff with it. The sooner, the better. 30 years is enough already!!
Dongle up and use adapters and hubs when necessary in the meantime. I recently got a USB-powered hub. It's got a shitload of ports on it. Get one!
Powered USB 3.1 Hub, ACASIS 16... [1]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G... [amazon.com]
All my power strips and such have USB-A ports on them.
My new laptop is USB-C only. I'm glad.
My phone is USB-C only. Glad.
My headphones, also USB-C only. Glad.
My keyboard and t
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G8S324L?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
USB-C much less durable (Score:1)
USB-C is much smaller and weaker, physically. Plug it in and out 2-3 times a day for a year or two, and it wears out, becomes loose or god forbid put a bit of pressure on it from a slightly angled/bent cable for a few weeks and it's game over. USB-A is much more durable, cable seems much more flexible, and it just holds things better without becoming loose. Some of this is helped with dongles/hubs/docks, but then again you take your laptop home every day and the first thing you do when get to work plug it i
This is one symptom of a deeper problem (Score:2)
Modern tech has a short useful life and is designed to be disposable.
Standards change, backward compatibility is becoming less of a priority, and repairability is eroding, both by technology and law.
Even worse are expensive machines like CNC or lab equipment that was built with old tech. The machines themselves were built to last, but their controllers are becoming increasingly obsolete. Some very expensive and perfectly good machines run on 286 motherboards, DOS and floppys.
I love progress, but we need to
Too many USB-C connector standards (Score:2)
Once we're on a common port, the next headache is knowing what it does. PD? How many watts? Bidirectional or one-way? Data rates? 20Gbps? 40Gbps? 80Gbps? DisplayPort alt mode? HDMI alt mode? Thunderbolt 3? Thunderbolt 4? PCIe tunnelling? Man, it's a nightmare.
100% Disagree! (Score:1)
Death to the USB-A port! Long live the USB-C port!
Just use an adapter to downgrade to the few things that still require USB-A. That being said my understanding a fully capable USB-C is much more expensive to implement (not the connector but supporting all the data rates and powers) so I'm OK with a mix if that's the way to meet the power and dollar budget. However, as a user I would prefer if we just standardize on USB-C and avoid products that still use USB-A. I know I do this personally. If there's some o
Is USB-C the end? (Score:2)
I'm willing to suffer through the transition, but so help me God, if they come out with a USB-D port right after we finish transitioning to USB-C, then that's it! I'm never doing this again!
What USB-A precisely? (Score:2)
I'm happy that the USB-A is being phased out. Mainly because there are still too many fancy over-beautified USB-A plugs that are (a) large and (b) block neighboring USB ports.
So far, this wasn't a problem with USB-C, since it's too small to be f*cked up by the marketing.
P.S. But I guess it's only matter of time before they find a way to screw over USB-C too. "Progress."
P.P.S. Let's not forget that some companies still insist on using "USB 2.0 Mini" connector. In the past we had to stack Serial<->PS2
Switch to Bluetooth for some peripherals (Score:2)
Both mice and headsets exist that use Bluetooth, eliminating the need for dongles. Seems like an easy solution if you aren't wedded to using older devices.
adapters, hubs, wireless (Score:2)
USB-A is legacy and is going away. It's like serial ports and VGA. Get an adapter for single accessories (they're CHEAP, like $5 for two) or get a little travel dock if you need several USB-A ports and only have one or two USB-C. (or go wireless)
Everything is either going wireless (because it can) or USB-C (because of the laundry list of upgrades it provides)
In a few years the only new things I expect to see on the market that are USB-A are the handful of things still trying to get minimal power or charg
Adapter (Score:5, Insightful)
Keep a few adapters handy. Very tiny, very cheap, very easy. That makes a lot more sense than continuing to put USB-A ports on laptops.
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Doesn't help for adding ports. More ports is what he's looking for.
A USB hub is just annoying to lug around and even more annoying to assemble.
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> Doesn't help for adding ports.
Actually, it does. USB-C ports are smaller, and more of them can fit in the same space.
> More ports is what he's looking for.
That's a different issue and has little to do with USB-A vs C.
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Or just use a hub! I'm a gamer and I use a USB hub. What's the problem?