USB-C was supposed to simplify our lives, but instead it’s a total mess

Post by sandworm101 » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 2:14 PM UTC

dubcanada wrote: post #35

sandworm101 wrote: post #20

Don't worry. USB-C and associated standards are five+ years old now. Some new standards will be along soon enough. Then we will all have to buy new chargers/cables/devices again, continuing the cycle of chasing the universal bus nirvana. https://www.pocket-lint.com/laptops/news/intel/147329-usb-4-... >> The USB 4 specification was published in late 2019 and will probably appear in devices in late 2020 or early 2021 -…

USB 4 is using USB C connector.

Post by falcolas » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 2:15 PM UTC

bla3 wrote: post #6

It's a mess, but it still seems much better than the situation before to me. It's true, you currently need to be careful when buying cables, but if you are, you can charge all your devices with the same plug. And usb-c video means your monitor can act as usb hub for keyboard and mouse over the video cable, so you only need to replug a single cable to move video and mouse and keyboard between computers. I use this a l…

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 2:15 PM UTC

izacus wrote: post #34

vr46 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aha - you may find that your Switch CANNOT in fact share a charge - Nintendo's port is not necessarily safe to use with anything but its supplied charger. And I've just learned this lesson with a $60 bill from Nintendo repair after the port went pop and couldn't charge the device. I only have reputable chargers in the house from Apple and one from Anker aside from the Nintendo's own. All my apple kit works fine off t…

> Aha - you may find that your Switch CANNOT in fact share a charge - Nintendo's port is not necessarily safe to use with anything but its supplied charger. And I've just learned this lesson with a $60 bill from Nintendo repair after the port went pop and couldn't charge the device. I only have reputable chargers in the house from Apple and one from Anker aside from the Nintendo's own. It has worked reliably with pre…

Post by martin_a » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 2:16 PM UTC

bluedino wrote: post #32

I have an LG 4K monitor, a MacBook Pro, and Sony headphones that charge over USB-C, so in that scenario USB=C has been bliss. But with older machines/monitors, I need a pile of adapters. Still, I like it-for the most part. The worst thing about USB-C is the dock situation for laptops. None of them are perfect, and most of them are garbage. $200-300 is a bit hard to swallow when I've been buying Lenovo docks for $50 f…

Post by syshum » Thu, Oct 01, 2020, 2:16 PM UTC

city41 wrote: post #25

jeremymcanally wrote: post #4

Really? I find it to be a game changer for me. The fact that my laptop, Switch, iPad, and several other devices can all share a charge has made my life much easier. I can just sprinkle a few of them throughout the house and never be without power. Before it was always a hunt to find a cable, or I had to be in [x] room to charge [y] device because that's where the charger lived. Plus, I can charge my MacBook on either…

I could see it being great if all your devices are on it. But when you have usb-c, usb micro, usb mini and usb-b devices, the cables are a total pain. On top of the special pain usb-c brings onto itself. I have a cabinet that is basically dedicated to usb cables, using organizers to keep them all accessible and searchable. That does help a lot. But I feel like having to go that far is a sign usb was not as well thoug…