I have been on the record saying that I’m happy everything has moved over to USB-C. I never liked having to have specific cables for certain things. It’s nice that I can charge my laptop and phone using the same cable, and I don’t want to go back to a world where I don’t need to do that anymore. I can finally start retiring my Mini-USB and Micro-USB cables, aside from a few niche things.

All in all, I’m a happy camper, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some problems. After using a laptop that just has USB-C ports, I opened my eyes to how far behind the eight-ball I am in some scenarios. As it turns out, I rely on using older USB ports for a lot of things, and that’s especially the case with a laptop. I do most of my work on my desktop PC, where I have more USB ports than I know what to do with, and that’s with four of them in the front that don’t work at all. With a mix of USB-C and USB-A ports, there’s nothing I can’t plug in. That’s not the case with my laptop.

USB-C can be very limiting

Quite a bumpy road

For my laptop, I’ve been relying on a mouse plugged in with a USB-A adapter, which is something I’m sure a lot of people are familiar with. This meant that switching to a laptop with only USB-C ports meant I had to use the laptop’s touchpad. I’m not a fan of that at all, and while it works, I’d much rather use an actual mouse for more precise movements and easier clicks.

I didn’t realize how much I relied on the aging format until I moved to something without it. I use my USB-A ports a lot still, but I mostly use them for things like fans and USB microphones, things I don’t typically need on a laptop. Not being able to use my mouse is a bit of a dealbreaker, and it means I have to get a new one to do so. To be fair, I’ve been using this cheap $10 mouse for years now, so it’s not like I’m not due for one.

An easy answer to this is a USB-C hub, and it’s what a lot of people rely on already. Modern laptops have been cutting back on ports, and it seems a lot rarer to find one with even an Ethernet port at this point. Grabbing a hub gives you access to both that and USB-A ports, so it’s a win-win. A hub is also a convenient way for people to hook up an additional monitor if their laptop doesn’t have an HDMI port.

Having a unified platform like USB-C is good for people who are jumping into the format fresh. I have a lot of other devices I’ve amassed over the years that leave me bound to older ports, so I can’t get on board as easily. In the end, I’d consider it to still be a win overall, since fewer cables will always be better than more.

A downside that might not be a big deal

USB-A isn’t going anywhere

What’s interesting about all this is that it feels like USB-A isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Plenty of devices run just fine, and USB-A has proven to be a great choice for low-powered devices, like that fan I was talking about earlier. USB-C offers the ability for more power draw, and that’s why you see it charging your laptops and power monitors today, but that’s not needed for everything.

If there ever is a day when USB-A is sunset, I don’t think it’s any time soon. While laptops might be forcing your hand in a way, USB-A is still prevalent in many other areas. Game consoles still have the port, power strips still have it, and depending on the laptop, laptops still have it too. I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about as far as all that’s concerned.

Sadly, I found out that many modern laptops are making it more difficult to use the older format, but I get it. USB-C just feels like a better format, and I’m all for having universal compatibility in the same vein as HDMI. I like that all of my cables get used, and I don’t need to have my niche ones lying around anymore. The USB-A devices that I use have the cables connected to them, so I never have to go around digging for an old cable, as I did before with a phone charger. My fan is always going to have it connected, so I’m not going to lose it. The only negative I have right now is having to buy a different mouse or not use one at all. I probably should grab a Bluetooth mouse and solve my problem, so it’s not like it’s something detrimental. It’s just a minor annoyance to an otherwise great format — at least as far as I’m concerned.