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This year’s MacBook Air is reportedly ditching every port you’ve ever known, except for the headphone jack and a new USB port.
That includes the MagSafe port you’ve been using to charge your laptop for years.
Apple is doing this to make the Air even thinner than it already is.
The reality is that you just don’t need other ports anymore.
An SD card reader and an optical drive would be convenient, but they’re not must-haves. Streaming has largely replaced buying DVDs and fewer people use heavy DSLR cameras anymore.
We’re guessing the new MacBook Air will use USB Type-C, which is smaller and faster than previous generations. It’s also reversible, so you don’t have to worry about plugging it in the right way.
The biggest advantage of USB Type-C is that it can send power in either direction. Previous generations were only able to send power from the host device out to whatever was connected.
That also means Apple would probably create a USB-based charger for its devices.
Apple moving to USB would be annoying for people hoping to use their old chargers, but it could be a good thing in the long run. When USB Type-C becomes the industry standard, you won’t need to by an adapter to another cable to connect your non-Apple devices.
This story originally appeared on Business Insider. Copyright 2015
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