With Apple releasing the new MacBook lineup with a completely refreshed set of ports, my anticipation of the impending adapter doom came true. Traditional USBs are one of the most widely used ports of the generation; therefore, the switch to a new USB-C connector has rendered most cables obsolete. As a result, Apple now supplies almost 20 types of adapters in its online store! Now don’t get me wrong, I do see Apple’s vision and it does involve a much more simplified future with one port as standard across devices, but unfortunately, that is the future and right now many people are left in tricky situations.
A design problem arose, and I decided to concept multiple prototypes for what would be the perfect adapter set to keep on you at all times. The result: Adapter blocks.
These simple blocks would be able to connect whatever devices you choose. When buying them, you could add whatever devices you have – may it be a Fitbit, Beats headphones, or even older cameras – and a connected block of adapter blocks, tailor-made for you, would be sent to you. This also solves the problem of needing the exact adapter for two devices. With Adapter Blocks, you could connect your phone to your computer even if you don’t have the exact one-to-one adapter by merely fitting another block in between. One potential issue with this concept is the confusion it might cause when users try and connect pieces together. A simple color-coordinated approach would lessen the severity of this issue by making the bottom color of each module correspond to the top color of the paired module.
The world has a bright future ahead of it with one connector ruling them all. Until then, Adapter Block could be the device that eases the tumultuous transition to USB-C.
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