In addition to being the sole inventors of lightning (the connector), which directly informed the USB-C spec based on learnings from field use.

Apple doesn't get solo credit for USB-C, but they were certainly essential to it. Just compare the USB-C physical interface to the USB-3 micro or super speed type B ports and compare design sensibilities.

Also compare the USB-C physical connector to the reversible power connector on Cinema Display models (circa 2004) and older Mac Minis. To me, there appears to be a strong through line to USB-C’s design.

https://open.substack.com/pub/theelectronvault/p/apple-cinem...

USB-C can fulfill some/all of what I was using Thunderbolt 2 for with a MacBook Air and a Thunderbolt Display in 2013. Going back far enough, Apple combined video and data into the HDI 45 connector in the mid-to-late 90’s (but no one was going to use that for a laptop, even a laptop of the era). It was chunky enough even on a Power Mac 6100 and display then.

USB-C / TB is the latest example of a direction Apple has been moving in for a long time.

I believe Nokia is responsible for the monstrosity that is Micro-USB, and unbelievably one of the arguments was that it would be more robust than Mini-USB.

And then they went too far and introduced laptops that only used USB-C before finally setting at a (so far) happy medium.

I think we needed Apple to do that to throw a lot of weight behind the standard so it didn't get stuck in an eternal migration that never ends. Though removing the SD card slot was dumb since USB-C was never an alternative to SD cards.

Even today the desktop PC market is still stuck on USB-A since they have no Apple equivalent to just get things done.

I really don’t understand what SD card reader on MacBook Pro is for.

All small cameras and devices use micro SD. Professional cameras don’t use SD since forever now. Basically I always need an adapter now.

You can use an adapter for a micro SD but you can’t shrink the size of a normal SD card, is my only guess.

I don't think that's right, professional cameras still use full sized SD cards.

That's not what Grubber claimed tho. They claimed solo inventor, which Apple is not.