Apple’s 2018 laptops don’t come with regular USB-A ports

The
lineup of Apple’s new MacBook Air laptops.
Apple

• Apple no longer sells new laptops that come with regular USB
  ports.
• All of Apple’s latest laptops come with USB-C ports,
  only. 
• Apple is still selling the old MacBook Air with regular USB
  ports for $1,000, but the new models are only $200 more expensive
  and a much better deal.
• USB-C and the connectivity standard it supports, Thunderbolt
  3, is better than regular USB-A standards, but some people are
  having a harder time making the switch, which requires buying
  adapters. 

Much to the joy of Apple fans, Apple announced a
new MacBook Air, which was long overdue for many, many
updates.

As Apple has done with its more recently updated MacBook Pro
laptops, Apple added USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports to its new MacBook
Air lineup. It allows users to plug in a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3
adapter to connect a wide variety of devices — including
monitors, external hard drives, and even power for charging —
into a single port on the new MacBook Air.

The Thunderbolt 3 standard, which uses the USB-C port, is fast
and powerful enough to support a lot of devices and extremely
fast data transfer speeds. That’s why it can be used to plug so
many different devices into a single port. 

This USB-C dock lets you plug in devices with varied
ports into a single USB-C port on a MacBook.
Belkin

In the new MacBook Air, Apple also removed the regular USB-A
ports we’ve been using for the last couple decades. That means
the Apple doesn’t sell a modern laptop with modern specs with
regular USB ports. The MacBook, new MacBook Air, and MacBook Pros
do not have USB-A ports. 

Read more: 
Here’s everything Apple announced
at its big iPad and Mac event

On one hand, USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 is great. On the other hand, it
means buying more accessories, like adapters and docks, like the
one above, that weren’t necessarily needed before Apple’s move to
an all USB-C lineup. I don’t want to bash USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 too
much, as it’s certainly the future, but it does require extra
costs and things to carry around.

The new MacBook Air.
Apple

Apple is still selling its old MacBook Air for $1,000, but I
wouldn’t recommend it at this stage. The new models are only $200
more expensive at $1,200 and come with newer, more powerful specs
and features, as well as a modern design refresh.

You can also still buy
refurbished, higher-specced models of the old MacBook Air
through Apple’s Refurbished Mac store, but I wouldn’t recommend
those, either. Refurbished models start at $1,900 on the
Refurbished Mac Store, which is way more expensive than the new
MacBook Airs with better specs, features, and design.

For now, the only Apple computers that come with regular USB-A
ports include the old MacBook Air, new
Mac Mini, iMacs, iMac Pro, and the 2013 Mac Pro.