First, Apple came for our DVD drives, and we said nothing. Then, it came for our headphone jacks, and we said nothing. (Okay, to be fair, we actually said a lot about that one.) And now the tech giant has come for our USB ports, announcing today that its new line of MacBook Pro laptops won’t feature the standard USB slot. Instead, it’ll only have spots for Thunderbolt connections, which are compatible with the relatively new USB-C standard, but not the standard USB-B most computer users are familiar with.
Debuted in 2014, USB-C is designed to be “future-proof,” resistant to changing technical whims. (We’re sure Apple engineers will crack that problem, too, though, given enough time.) Back in the present, meanwhile, new MacBook owners will have to pick up some adapters if they want to run most of their current external hard drives, or mice, or USB Pet Rocks. (Meanwhile, fans of the company’s Air line are completely out of luck, with no new ultralight systems on this year’s books.)