Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Apple slashes the price of USB-C dongles over MacBook Pro port outcry

By Christian de Looper Published November 4, 2016

The new MacBook Pro has a few pretty awesome features, the headliner of which is the new TouchBar. The TouchBar, however, isn’t the only change — another big change to the computer is the fact that it now only has USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. What this means is that most of your peripherals are going to need adapters to work properly.

That’s sparked some outrage among Apple customers. While most consider USB-C to be the future of the ubiquitous port, the fact is that we’re not yet at a point when all our devices would work with the new standard. Thankfully, it seems like Apple has listened to its customers concerns, and given its USB-C dongles a major price cut.

Recommended Videos

“We recognize that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem,” said Apple in a statement. “Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple’s USB-C adapters and cables.”

It’s a little unfortunate that these price cuts aren’t permanent — but it’s nice that its happening at all.

So just how much cheaper are the new dongles? Quite a bit cheaper apparently, especially the most common ones. Here’s a quick rundown of the new prices.

USB-C to standard USB: $9, down from $19
USB-C to Lightning cable (1 meter): $19, down from $25
USB-C to Lightning cable (2 meters): $29, down from $35
Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter: $29, down from $49
Multiport adapter with USB-C, USB, and HDMI: $49, down from $69
Multiport adapter with USB-C, USB, and VGA: $49, down from $69

As you can see, in one case the price cut is as much as 50 percent, which is a pretty good deal for those in the market for new dongles and adapters. Sure, you could probably find even cheaper adapters on Amazon, but the fact that you can now order a MacBook Pro and the adapters you’ll need in one package at a relatively low price is a big deal.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

Topics

Computing

ChatGPT is recommending scam websites that will steal your credit card info

The chatbot is surfacing fraudulent clones of defunct retail brands, and scammers are deliberately engineering sites to game its recommendations.

ChatGPT running on a laptop.

Scammers have found a new way to reach shoppers: getting ChatGPT to do their marketing for them. According to The Guardian, scam-checking service Ask Silver found that OpenAI's chatbot is recommending fraudulent retail websites built to harvest payment details from unsuspecting buyers. The sites mimic real storefronts and use official-looking URLs, making them difficult to spot without scrutiny.

Defunct brands are a prime target

Computing

McDonald’s new AI drive-thru has to prove it can handle hungry people

After its earlier ordering bot became a punchline, McDonald’s is testing a new system that promises fewer human handoffs.

Architecture, Building, Hotel

McDonald’s is bringing AI back to the drive-thru with a new Google-backed system called ArchIQ, also known as Archy. It’s starting in five locations under the company’s broader “> NEXT” technology push, with a franchisee claiming the system has already handled more than 1 million orders.

The bigger number is the one McDonald’s needs people to trust. About 90% of those orders reportedly needed no human intervention. That sounds promising, but this is not a clean reset. Its earlier IBM-backed AI drive-thru experiment ended after viral mistakes turned automated ordering into a public punchline.

Computing

Logitech’s Mobi Fold is a pocketable folding mouse for folks who despise trackpads

Logitech’s Mobi Fold looks like a tiny productivity taco

Logitech Mobi Fold

Laptop trackpads are fine until you get really busy. Editing a spreadsheet in an airport lounge, juggling tabs in a café, or trying to do proper work on a tiny hotel desk can make you miss the convenience of a mouse. Logitech has the answer to this with the new Mobi Fold, its first ultra-portable foldable mouse.

While a small portable mouse is something people carry, many choose to skip the added bulk, simply choosing to bite the bullet with the trackpad. But the Logitech Mobi Fold can simply fold flat, and can later be unfolded when you need to work. This makes it pretty convenient to carry. Logitech even made the mouse to automatically power on when opened and turn off when folded.