Arguably having one connector that is not actually interoperable is worse than having multiple connectors whose lack of interoperability is apparent at a glance.
It works for me with everything. A variety of phones, laptops, Nindendos Switch, chargers, batteries and cables. Maybe sometimes I’m not getting optimal charging speed, but it’s always better than the situation was before.
I don’t have a MacBook though. I hear they have more issues than anything else.
Good for you. But the article shows your experience isn’t shared by everyone. Not knowing if a USB-C cable and charger will charge your device unless you try it is mildly infuriating.
I don’t mind the variable protocol support. I mean, I don’t actually like variable protocol support, but I know it’s inevitable with something as general as USB. If your camera just doesn’t have printer support, then connecting it to your printer will not work, regardless of whether the wires fit. It’s the same deal if you connect your Linux PC to a device for which only Windows drivers exist, or connect earbuds to a peripheral with no sound card. Protocol support variability is inherent to what USB is.
Variability in cables, on the other hand, just seems lazy and cheap. If you really don’t want to run data wires, when why don’t manufacturers fuze the cable directly into the power converter, like I’ve seen in some older micro-USB chargers? I get that it’s expensive, but I really don’t like having cables floating around that don’t work right.
The variable protocol support is frustrating when it varies on one device. For example, a laptop with 4 USB-C ports, but that can only charge at full speed from one, and only has thunderbolt on two, and only has DisplayPort on one. For each use case, you have to just remember which of the ports will work, because the cable will fit in all of them.
I despise USB-C as a standard. Whatever value was gained by the adoption of one single connector has been completely destroyed by the amount of trial and error required to do incredible basic junk. Does this cable support that functionality? Even if the cable itself supports it, does this port on my laptop support that functionality? Does my laptop support that feature at all or is it arbitrarily limited to one port that I now need to memorize in order to know what will work.
USB-C commits one of the worst sins you can do in consumer electronics. It shifts the complexity from the manufacturer to me the user. Now I need to do the research to ensure this specific cable from this specific vendor will do what I expect. Instead of being able to buy whatever dock I see on Amazon, I need to do the research to ensure it does what I expect and does it on my specific laptop. I never had these questions with an HDMI cable, I was never confused as to what the output might be. Similar with a USB port. The whole point of the USB port was to replace the complexity of having to understand what all the different ports on the back of my desktop did.
I end up buying OEM USB-C chargers for everything instead of cheaper generics, which is starting to feel like maybe that was the point of all of this move. If I want all the features of my laptop charger I had better just keep buying the OEM ones just to be safe, which again I seem to remember the USB-C fans telling me this was the exact opposite of what was going to happen. I was going to be flooded with options, never again would I need to suffer the tyranny of a proprietary power cord.
As a Mac user the situation is even worse! Now I buy Apple’s chargers, which don’t come with the cable when you buy the replacement charger because Apple. However I can’t just use a generic USB-C cord because they’re different in mysterious ways. On top of that, I didn’t get anything for my trouble. I lost MagSafe, a great technology that has saved quite a few laptops in my life and I gained jack.
Thanks USB-C. What a great idea ruined by a terrible implementation.
At least we have a single connector now…
Arguably having one connector that is not actually interoperable is worse than having multiple connectors whose lack of interoperability is apparent at a glance.
Yep, not knowing if the cable you want will work is like having USB-C Heisenberg edition. Its arguably worse because of the lack of knowing.
It works for me with everything. A variety of phones, laptops, Nindendos Switch, chargers, batteries and cables. Maybe sometimes I’m not getting optimal charging speed, but it’s always better than the situation was before.
I don’t have a MacBook though. I hear they have more issues than anything else.
Good for you. But the article shows your experience isn’t shared by everyone. Not knowing if a USB-C cable and charger will charge your device unless you try it is mildly infuriating.
Personally:
I don’t mind the variable protocol support. I mean, I don’t actually like variable protocol support, but I know it’s inevitable with something as general as USB. If your camera just doesn’t have printer support, then connecting it to your printer will not work, regardless of whether the wires fit. It’s the same deal if you connect your Linux PC to a device for which only Windows drivers exist, or connect earbuds to a peripheral with no sound card. Protocol support variability is inherent to what USB is.
Variability in cables, on the other hand, just seems lazy and cheap. If you really don’t want to run data wires, when why don’t manufacturers fuze the cable directly into the power converter, like I’ve seen in some older micro-USB chargers? I get that it’s expensive, but I really don’t like having cables floating around that don’t work right.
The variable protocol support is frustrating when it varies on one device. For example, a laptop with 4 USB-C ports, but that can only charge at full speed from one, and only has thunderbolt on two, and only has DisplayPort on one. For each use case, you have to just remember which of the ports will work, because the cable will fit in all of them.
I despise USB-C as a standard. Whatever value was gained by the adoption of one single connector has been completely destroyed by the amount of trial and error required to do incredible basic junk. Does this cable support that functionality? Even if the cable itself supports it, does this port on my laptop support that functionality? Does my laptop support that feature at all or is it arbitrarily limited to one port that I now need to memorize in order to know what will work.
USB-C commits one of the worst sins you can do in consumer electronics. It shifts the complexity from the manufacturer to me the user. Now I need to do the research to ensure this specific cable from this specific vendor will do what I expect. Instead of being able to buy whatever dock I see on Amazon, I need to do the research to ensure it does what I expect and does it on my specific laptop. I never had these questions with an HDMI cable, I was never confused as to what the output might be. Similar with a USB port. The whole point of the USB port was to replace the complexity of having to understand what all the different ports on the back of my desktop did.
I end up buying OEM USB-C chargers for everything instead of cheaper generics, which is starting to feel like maybe that was the point of all of this move. If I want all the features of my laptop charger I had better just keep buying the OEM ones just to be safe, which again I seem to remember the USB-C fans telling me this was the exact opposite of what was going to happen. I was going to be flooded with options, never again would I need to suffer the tyranny of a proprietary power cord.
As a Mac user the situation is even worse! Now I buy Apple’s chargers, which don’t come with the cable when you buy the replacement charger because Apple. However I can’t just use a generic USB-C cord because they’re different in mysterious ways. On top of that, I didn’t get anything for my trouble. I lost MagSafe, a great technology that has saved quite a few laptops in my life and I gained jack.
Thanks USB-C. What a great idea ruined by a terrible implementation.
USB was the start of the downfall of software reliability.