Computer Cable Adapters: Old adapting to the New

The technology industry is known for disruption. Many in Silicon Valley live by the motto “live fast and break things”. This means that the minute tech launches something new, they are already inventing three new things in the background. These are not always new inventions, they can also be iterative inventions to what they launched the previous day. But the point is that nothing in tech remains new and latest for too long a time.

At the same time, new tech is often, if not always, expensive. So if you buy a $1000 computer today, then you are not likely to buy the new one that comes out tomorrow, or even for that matter, one that comes out next year. With each iterative update of gadgets, come new connection standards. Therefore with each iteration, we take both, a step forward and a step backward.

The backward step is when tech tries to make their new ways of doing things backward compatible. It’s a cha-cha!

In an average person’s life, they have a computer/laptop, TV, phone, power banks, hard drives, headphones, tablets, and a variety of other gadgets, give or take. With all these gadgets come to their unique life cycles. While we may change our phones every two years, we are not likely to change our TV as frequently. A contributing factor to this is also price. What price are you willing to pay to always be up-to-date? Especially acknowledging that new tech may not always work.

This is where computer cable adapters come in. They help the old connection adapt to the new one. Or the other way around.

Currently, there’s one example that comes to mind: USB C. It is everywhere. But not quite everywhere. So the adapter market has risen. If your latest laptop only has the USB C port, it might be difficult for you to connect your old HDD to transfer your data. Because old HDDs connect to a computer through a USB A port. One of the gadgets that we update perhaps even slower than a TV is our printer. You are probably still using a wired printer. And that was working fine in your older workflow where your computer had ports to accommodate it. Now with the USB C port, things are different. Your printer cable suddenly needs an adapter, until you phase it out, of course.

Let’s Go Through The Different Computer Cable Adapters You Will Need With This New Computer:

• USB C to HDMI:
  
  In order to connect your computer to your TV, you will need an HDMI cable. And therefore a USB C to HDMI adapter for your computer. Make sure to check that the version of the HDMI ports and cable is the same for promising results. It is the quickest way to bring entertainment to the biggest screen in your house.
  
  
• USB C to Ethernet:
  
  Of course, your fancy new computer uses Wi-Fi but so do three other people and ten other devices in your house. When you don’t want a connectivity issue, you know a wired connection is better. This is where the handy USB C to Ethernet adapter comes in. You can use your same old Ethernet cable to connect to your computer that doesn’t even have the port for it!
  
  
• USB C to USB A:
  
  Storage devices, printer cables, cameras, and a number of other gadgets use the USB A port. Your previous workflow was efficient because you always had the port to plug in your peripherals. The easiest replacement of this is a USB C to USB A adapter. Keep one in your bag and one on your desk so you never have to scramble for it in a pinch.
  
  
• USB C to SD card reader:
  
  An SD card is the easiest way to transfer photographs or videos from a camera. Nothing beats it. If your laptop cannot directly read an SD card, it makes your workflow cumbersome. If you are someone who takes a significant amount of photos you know the ease of an SD card reader. Not only does it make your life easier, but it also makes it easy to collaborate with other photographers. No matter what camera anyone uses, the SD card remains a common standard. This makes the USB C to SD card reader an essential tool in your kit.

At SF Cable, we believe in gadgets, old and new. If you have bought a new computer that makes computing difficult for you, browse our store to get adapters for a variety of connection standards in various form factors. Choose the ones that work the best for you.

We are always available to consult on the varying versions and standards that your particular workflow may require.

Source: https://www.sfcable.com/blog/computer-cable-adapters-old-adapting-to-new