USB-C has finally become the de facto cable, and it’s been a long time coming. I don’t need a different charger for my game controller, my phone, or my laptop anymore. This is a great thing, but what you might not have realized is that the USB-C cable has been coming for a lot of cables. Being able to get rid of my Mini USB and Micro-USB cables is one thing, but it’s also been replacing my HDMI and Ethernet ports.
What I mean by that is that if you look at a laptop, you might not see an Ethernet port anymore. That used to be a standard port on laptops, but as they’ve gone slimmer and slimmer over the years, it’s come at the expense of those larger ports. What might surprise you is that I don’t necessarily care that Ethernet ports are gone. While it might be frustrating that you have to pay extra for a port in the form of a USB-C hub, I actually like having a sleek and slim laptop. I don’t miss having an Ethernet port nearly as much as I thought, and I never plug my laptop in anymore. It’s not that USB-C cables have replaced Ethernet cables, but it certainly feels like Ethernet ports have been taken over by USB-C ones.
USB-C replaces the need for an Ethernet port
It gives, and it takes
Something that has become increasingly clear over the years is that USB-C hubs have replaced the need for a dedicated Ethernet port. The same thing goes for USB and HDMI ports. This isn’t the case for every laptop, but if you compare a laptop today with one a decade ago, there’s no question that there are fewer ports available. You’ve pretty much been pushed toward an external hub for access to these ports. Once manufacturers realized that, it feels like laptops have just been omitting ports that used to be standard not too long ago.
This is the case among many devices aside from just laptops. Phones got rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack, something that people were upset about at first, but life has gone on. A hub is a buy-once-cry-once experience, and I’ve actually enjoyed using mine. You don’t always need to use an Ethernet port on your laptop, and considering its mobility is a big selling point, I don’t find myself wanting to plug in very often. In most scenarios, I don’t need to plug my laptop in, and that means I don’t need to bring a dock with me. This means I get to enjoy the benefits of a slimmer laptop and not miss out on any features that I’m dying to have.
It’s even more interesting when you look at all the things that USB-C is capable of. Using the headphone jack as an example again, I picked up a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle that plugs into my phone, just to use wired earbuds. You can use USB-C cables to power monitors, and now you can plug an Ethernet port into your laptop to use a wired connection.
USB-C feels like a gateway to those old ports you used to use, and it’s all optional. You might be one of the lucky ones and get a laptop that comes with the necessary ports, but I find that you can always use a little bit more. That’s where the hub comes into play, and like it or not, it seems like they’re here to stay. I’m a bit mixed on it, because I’m all for ditching ports that I don’t need to keep costs down, but it doesn’t always feel like leaving ports off means a lower price. Of course, the price of all technology is on the rise right now, so it’s difficult to know what should cost what.
It’s there for when you need it
An Ethernet port on demand
All in all, I’d say that USB-C ushered in a better way of unifying our technology. It’s great that I don’t have to wonder what charges what anymore, and there’s no way I’m alone in that. Considering how much a hub is necessary for people who want to connect things to their laptops, it feels like an Ethernet port is never too far away. Whether that’s a good thing is up for debate.
I will say that home Wi-Fi has gotten much better over the years, and places where I used to use an Ethernet cable, I don’t anymore. I used to swear by plugging an Ethernet cable into my game consoles, but I let them all run on Wi-Fi these days. My desktop PC is the only thing I have plugged in with an Ethernet cable, and that’s because it’s right next to the router and I don’t have a Wi-Fi chip installed. It makes sense for that to be plugged in, but I don’t want to drag a cable across my house to plug things in anymore.
In that way, it’s not as much of a hit that laptops have started dropping the Ethernet ports. With Wi-Fi speeds being good enough for the most part, I’ve been able to transition very nicely to a world without them. If there’s ever a case where I need my cable again, my USB-C hub isn’t too far away.
