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exerceo
2y

It needs to be outright illegal for laptops to have fewer than four USB ports.

If the purpose of law is to improve the quality of life, why not outlaw the time-consuming annoyance of laptops with few USB ports?

The purpose of laptops is portable computing. Depending on a USB hub makes it less portable.

If it was legally mandatory for laptops to have at least four USB ports, there would be no more competitive disadvantage for laptop vendors sacrificing unimportant slimness for important practicality.

And to the very few people who consider slim design more important than USB ports and who are going to whine online about the extra 3 millimetres of thickness: Sorry, life is unfair. Your preferences don't matter. Practicality is the purpose of computers. You are the reason laptops are ruined for the rest of us. Get lost.

rant

laptops
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  • 7
    2y
    My Surface Laptop Stupid has 0 USB-A ports (:

    I didnt even check before i bought coz never thought USB-A could go away

    Laptops blindly copying apple is a bane.
  • 3
    2y
    IMHO there's two kinds of laws:

    1) Laws who impose restrictions for the greater good
    - vacuumers with maximum wattage, as 3 kilowatt plus is utter nonsense
    - Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations
    - ...

    2) Laws who are just beneficial for a small party like the one you described

    If you CHOOSE to buy a slim product, it's your CHOICE.

    No one forces you to buy one. Except yourself.

    So no, these kind of laws make no sense at all.
  • 3
    2y
    @IntrusionCM it's not exactly a choice, just like it's not a choice anymore to get a small sized smartphone. Because all the shoving of large slim phones just made smaller phones nonexistent. I can see how laptops could devolve in the same manner of consumers continue to just endure "small inconveniences", as they always do.

    All consumers usually do is basically the "it's fine" meme: just accepting the state and trends as inevitable.
  • 2
    2y
    @iiii imho that's a grave exaggeration. There are a lot of alternatives still around... If you look for them.

    Regarding smartphones: The number of device manufacturers is *not* Samsung or Apple, like some people seem to reduce it to that point. There are a lot more. (Not implying that you belong to this group of people)

    Same for laptops. IMHO the slim era is already dead. Yes there are some brands who still do slime books... But that's really a small segment of the whole market.
  • 1
    2y
    @IntrusionCM they are around now, but not exactly in the future

    And regarding smartphones, I've literally searched the whole GSMarena database, and the only small phones are either old as fuck or some cheap and crappy noname indian and Chinese brands. There are only like 2-3 relatively recent non-crappy models but they are all "flagships" so cost an arm and a leg.
  • 0
    2y
    Tbh, USB c to usba adapter is the best solution. Usbs take unnecessarily large space.
  • 0
    2y
    @aviophile a USB Hub does too, pick your poison.
  • 2
    2y
    @iiii yeah. iphone SE is a great phone. Small size, easy to handle.

    Unfortunately everyone assumes big screen so most apps and websites look like ass on my phone.

    Some ads cover my entire screen and I can't dismiss them.

    But I'd rather that than getting a newer phone lol.
  • 0
    2y
    @iceb yeah, I would have got an SE or a 6-8 if it was not an iphone.
  • 1
    2y
    @iceb Steve Jobs probably turns around in his grave because the multiple sizes. According to him there was just a perfect size he mentioned in his book if I remember correctly
  • 0
    2y
    @IntrusionCM

    "If you CHOOSE to buy a slim product, it's your CHOICE."

    As long as it remains what you said, a choice, it is alright. However, then it might become no longer a choice, as has happened to replaceable batteries in mobile phones being eliminated. This situation is referred to as a slippery slope.

    There is an competitive incentive for mobile phone manufacturers to make batteries non-replaceable. If this was illegal, that competitive disadvantage would be eliminated and smartphones could have replaceable batteries again.
  • 0
    2y
    @exerceo

    https://europarl.europa.eu/news/en/...
  • 0
    2y
    @IntrusionCM Big talk, no action. There were such news in early 2020, remember?

    Politicians make big promises and forget them instead of acting on them. Nothing out of the ordinary.

    People wanted non-replaceable batteries outlawed as early as 2012, and what happened in a decade? You guessed it. Nothing.

    https://androidforums.com/threads/...

    If the politicians are serious about this, they need to declare non-replaceable batteries illegal before the next morning. No more of the usual procrastination and slothiness.
  • 1
    2y
    @exerceo anti lobbyism would solve that problem....

    While I agree that it should go faster, I'm glad that the EU at least tries.
  • 1
    2y
    And throw in a HDMI socket too
  • 0
    2y
    @thebiochemic but you won’t always need it. There are bluetooth versions of cabled keyboards
  • 1
    2y
    @aviophile And those need recharging.
  • 0
    2y
    @IntrusionCM The 2020 news: https://techradar.com/uk/news/...
  • 0
    2y
    Forget the ports and think of the standards. It’s a mess how many new day and age systems use USB 2.0.

    Apple even though gives you fewer ports gives faster gens. We need both. Not only more ports but display port alt too.
  • 0
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 As I believe in recycling and reusing I am quite happy with higher speeds on USB.

    Portless will just help Apple make money and also people will ditch and create more ewaste.
  • 0
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 portless and fanless. I recently was happely programming with my fanless chromebook at outdoor swimmingpool and could just use the ground as surface. So relaxed
  • 0
    2y
    @@TheCommoner282 not sure I would skip on ports for design
  • 1
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 glue is not needed to be waterproof. Just some rubber sealing in the seams
  • 2
    2y
    Also ports can be water proof as well. They do not need holes to function
  • 0
    2y
    @exerceo which can be done with a single cable over usb c adapter for all compatible devices. What’s your point?
  • 1
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 There are already water-resistant smartphones and tablets, and actually outdoor laptops exist, such as the Panasonic Toughbook.

    However, ports can be made waterproof. Samsung did since on the Galaxy S5 Mini and since the Galaxy S7. The port of the S5 Mini is not covered by a flap.

    @retoor At least the water provides excellent cooling. Don't forget to bring oxygen bottles though. And if you need waterproof data storage, you can use optical discs (CD, DVD, Blu-ray discs).
  • 0
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 Perhaps a laptop can be built in a way that the ports are isolated from the mainboard so if it gets wet, the ports might take damage but the important internals are protected.

    Lenovo has already designed their keyboards splash-proof, and regardless, one should not bring a laptop close to a pool anyway. Doing so is foolish.
  • 1
    2y
    @TheCommoner282 bringing electronics ot a pool is foolish indeed
  • 2
    1y
    @TheCommoner282 Users are obviously more likely to need free USB ports than to bring their laptop close to a pool.
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