Over the past few years, I've been increasingly surprised at the fact that so many high-end computer peripherals are still coming out with USB Type-A cables or dongles. I reviewed many Keychron keyboards costing upwards of $100, yet they always shipped with a USB Type-A dongle, and so did Logitech's MX Master 3S, which I've been using for a few years.

The recent launch of the MX Master 4 changed things, however, as it's the first mouse I see with a USB-C dongle. And because of it, I had a sudden realization that most PCs haven't prepared for this scenario at all, despite the writing being on the wall for years. It's taken ridiculously long for USB-C to become truly universal, and it's about time that changes.

"No, you first"

Taking the first step is too hard

The entire premise of this article may seem absurd, considering it wasn't that long ago I was advocating for laptops to keep including more USB Type-A ports, but hear me out. The reason I wrote that article is precisely because so many peripherals were still based on USB Type-A, and the idea of dongles is not that appealing, either. Of course, there was always likely to be a rough transition period, but requiring customers to spend more money on a dongle to use their peripherals was bad, especially when it mostly happened with premium laptops ot begin with.

But the problem is it wasn't just the fault of laptop and PC manufacturers, peripheral makers were just as big a part in this equation. It seemed like neither side wanted to be the first to cause that discomfort for users, so things were at a stalemate. Many peripherals had USB-C ports on their body, but came with USB-C-to-A cables for connecting to a PC, which got baffling after a while.

Half-steps have been a big thing during this transition. For example, many of the aforementioned Keychron keyboards come with USB-C-to-C cables, but still include a USB Type-A dongle for wireless use. But the best approach, in my opinion, is what Obsbot has been doing with its webcams. Those include a USB-C-to-C cable, along with a Type-A adapter for those who needed it. I know this adds some cost, but it can't be that much, and it's odd to me that it didn't happen with more peripherals. It always made more sense to me for this to be the starting point of USB-C adoption, because they're relatively low-cost items in the first place. With a laptop, if a brand is going with USB-C, it's likely going to be on more expensive products first, with other premium characteristics that balloon the price out of most people's reach.

Most PCs aren't ready for the USB-C future

There are too few USB-C ports

Receiving the Logitech MX Master 4 made me realize how few USB-C ports most desktop computers really have. Outside of the Mac Mini, all the desktop PCs I have at home come (mostly mini PCs) with, at most, two USB-C ports. That means I already need workarounds to be able to use all my peripherals with them. With the MX Master 4, my webcam, and monitor, I'm already exceeding the number of ports.

If I connect my wireless microphone, which I use for calls and videos, that also uses USB-C, so things get even more dire. And for that matter, I'm already using a keyboard with a USB Type-A dongle (plugged into my monitor), but if that were to transition to USB-C, then that's more fuel to the fire.

High-end motherboards can sometimes come with enough ports to accommodate a couple of peripherals, but still not that many. Consider this: this $5,000 Gigabyte PC has only three USB-C ports, and this $2,500 machine has two. If you're more into custom PCs, a top-tier motherboard like the ASRock X870 Taichi costs $450 by itself, and it includes four USB-C ports. That's just enough for the USB-C peripherals I have now, but not enough to accommodate anything beyond that.

And even then, those are some of the highest-end options out there, they're only an option for a tiny fraction of the market. The fact remains that the vast majority of PC users can't switch fully to USB-C without some kind of frustration. And it's even more frustrating because it's not like most desktops are strapped for space; they'll happily pack in an obscene amount of USB Type-A ports, so I don't think it's crazy to ask for a more even split while we're in this transition period.

On laptops, things are a bit better. The benefits of USB-C are much more apparent there, saving space to make the chassis smaller or pack in more components, plus you probably don't expect to use as many peripherals to begin with, since you have all the required components built into the laptop itself. Still, a lot of laptops, especially on the lower end, could use more USB-C ports.

Apple was too early, but it was right

USB-C was the future, and it should be the present by now

When Apple made the radical switch to USB-C with the 2016 MacBook Pro, people didn't take that very well, and it was understandable. The connector was still very new, and no peripherals were really ready for it, but it was clear that Apple knew it was the future. And the company did have to roll that decision back somewhat in 2021, but importantly, it didn't roll back the USB Type-A ports. It replaced one of the Thunderbolt ports with HDMI, MagSafe, and a headphone jack, but not USB Type-A.

And across the board, Apple's computers have been leading the charge in terms of ports. I already mentioned the Mac Mini, and it's worth pointing out again. This tiny $600 computer comes with five USB-C ports, three of which support Thunderbolt 4 (and Thunderbolt 5 in more expensive models). The Mac Studio has six (at least four supporting Thunderbolt 5), and if you go to a proper desktop form factor with the Mac Pro, you get eight Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Mac Pro hasn't been refreshed in a couple of years, so the lack of Thunderbolt 5 support isn't surprising, but that setup is already well ahead of anything else on the market in terms of USB-C support.

That's part of what makes it so strange that Apple just refused to adopt USB-C on its phones until it was mandated to do so, but the point is, when it comes to computers, Apple saw where we were headed, and it's been pushing for the transition to happen faster. And now that USB-C peripherals are becoming more mainstream with the Logitech MX Master 4 and many monitors already using the technology, this has become a big point in the company's favor.

It's about time things changed

All that is to say that we're long overdue for the U in USB-C to be accurate. I remember buying my first-ever USB-C peripheral, a Kingston microDuo 3C dual-port flash drive, back in 2016, thinking that was going to be the future anyway, and it was best to be ready. Nine years later, that USB drive still works, but I often still have to use it with the USB Type-A end because computers often don't have a USB-C port free. And if I want to buy a replacement, I still have to specifically look for one with USB-C support, because Type-A is still the default.

Hopefully, Logitech embracing the "new" connector is another kick in the pants to get the rest of the industry moving. I certainly hope so.