So far, most of the challenges I've faced in getting this Chromebook set up and stable have revolved around software but there's also a hardware issue that needs addressing; specifically, a lack of ports. The laptop has a total of five ports: two USB-C ports, one standard USB port, a micro SD card slot and a headphone jack. This poses a couple of problems in that I use full size SD cards in my digital cameras and the single standard USB port is taken up by the receiver for wireless mouse that was included with the Chromebook. Meanwhile, one USB-C port is taken up by the charger. I have to say it is a nice touch to have the USB-C ports on opposite sides of the laptop so one has a choice of which side gets the charger cable.
The immediate solution for the latter issue was solved easily and cheaply with a USB-C to USB-A (female) adapter, which allows USB-A accessories, mainly flash drives, to be connected to the second USB port. Heck, I've even got an old SD card reader that I can plug into the adapter but that starts to get a bit ungainly. suggesting perhaps a more comprehensive solution is required.
The Dell (Windows 10) notebook I use at work has a USB-C docking station connected to it that packs every conceivable port one might need into one brick, including several USB 3.0 ports, as well VGA and HDMI video ports. And since it connects to the laptop via USB-C, it can even act as a charger. The IT tech who set it up apparently did not recognize the latter capability because he initially connected the docking station to one of several USB-A ports on the laptop, using an adapter that was permanently attached to the cable. I changed it over to the USB-C port but it wasn't until I got this Chromebook that it dawned on me that it could also charge the laptop.
Such a device would be total overkill for my needs with this Chromebook, plus it would impede portability because it requires an external power supply, but it got me thinking. It turns out there are also smaller--and less expensive--USB-C hubs that offer functionality more in line with my needs and budget. Right now, I have my eye on one that has three USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot for about $12 on eBay potentially solving all of my port dilemmas in one fell swoop.
The Future is USB-C
Although USB-C was first popularized by newer Android phones and tablets that in recent years have shed the annoyingly asymetrical micro USB charging ports in favor of USB-C, it's has been Apple's adoption of USB-C chargers on recent MacBook models that has popularized USB hubs as a must-have accessory. Nearly all the eBay ads I saw prominently mentioned MacBook compatibility but few, if any mention USB-C-equipped Chromebooks or Windows devices. This is similar to the way USB itself was quietly introduced on Windows PCs in the mid-'90s and languished unused until Apple adopted the standard for the original iMac in 1998, doing away with all other ports in the process. Peripheral manufacturers at that point quickly glommed onto it as a universal standard to make devices universally compatible with both Windows and Mac OS computers.
There is apparently a move afoot in the European Union to standardize all new phones and tablets to USB-C in order to reduce e-waste. The idea being that chargers would be sold separately could reuse an existing charger with a new device and only purchase a new one if needed.
I've recently read a couple of articles, perhaps by the same author, suggesting that since Apple has fitted recent MacBooks with USB-C they should abandon the Lightning connector on iPhones and iPads in favor of USB-C to create a universal charging standard across all of its product lines. At the same time, many users have also been clamoring for a return of the very clever MagSafe charger port to the MacBook line. This magnetically secured charger design has saved countless MacBooks, including my own, from damage and destruction by easily breaking away from the computer.
I would propose that it need not be an either/or proposition. It would be a very easy solution to add the benefits of MagSafe to the budding universality of USB-C via a MagSafe dongle. This could be accomplished in one of two ways. One would be to restore the MagSafe charging port to MacBooks, perhaps in addition to USB-C ports, and offer a dongle with a male MagSafe connector at one end and a female USB-C connector at the other. The second solution would be to offer a dongle with a female MagSafe connector on one end and a Male USB-C connector on the other. This solution would offer the advantages of MagSafe not only to MacBook users but to users of almost any device that uses USB-C for charging. While Apple is not in the habit of making its own device interfaces universal, this idea does have some real possibilities.
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