I know. It’s 2017, almost 2018, and USB-C is the standard for all the things. So you shouldn’t be needing any Mini-USB, USB-A, Lightning, or proprietary cables anymore for your electronics, right? Well, you may not need many (or any) of those, but do you still need your Micro-USB cords? Let’s take a look at a realistic setup.
It may surprise you to know that I kind of have a lot of electronics. Maybe too many, some would argue. But I’m immersed neck-high, and so there’s no going back. I replace devices and sell old ones as they become obsolete (or when my wife hints that it’s time), but I realized recently there are quite a few older ones that I still have and use. I’ll list them, not so you should go buy them, necessarily, but because I really have them and really use them.
You may want to modernize your own electronics life and, well, you probably can’t completely do that.
I wanted to own only USB-C cables, and thus power my life. While there are technical details regarding wattage and compatibility that I hadn’t considered, overall, it’s a just dream. It will probably be impossible in 2018 and is definitely still impossible in 2017.
Here are some devices I use and their respective charging or powering cables:
Google Home → DC-in
Google Home Mini → Micro-USB
Sony XB3 Bluetooth Speaker → DC-in
Anker Classic Bluetooth Speaker → Micro-USB
Plantronics Marque 2 M165 → Micro-USB
Lenovo Yoga 900 → DC-in
Samsung Chromebook Plus → USB-C
Acer Chromebook C720 → DC-in
Alcatel A30 → Micro-USB
Google Pixel 2 → USB-C
Apple iPhone 7 → Lightning
LG Optimus V → Micro-USB
Chromecast 2nd Gen → Micro-USB
Google Pixel Buds (once available) → USB-C
Pebble Time Round Smartwatch → Proprietary
Xbox One S Controller → Micro-USB
As you can see, the actual number of devices (including those I haven’t received yet) running USB-C is quite low, and actually a little sad. In fact, for the Chromecast and Home Minis, it’s almost deplorable, since they’re “Made by Google” and the tech giant literally doesn’t sell Micro USB cables on its website.
So alas, if you were hoping to stay in the Google family of products or else buy a hodgepodge of various devices, and if you wanted to stick to one decent cable brand and type to run them all, you are sorely mistaken. No such thing is possible yet, at least not in 2017.