Apple extends deals meant to alleviate MacBook Pro's dongle hell
When the specs of the newly redesigned MacBook Pro were announced, Apple fans felt relegated to a new, dark dongle hell with the removal of all the ports laptop users had known and loved in favor of USB-C (aka Thunderbolt 3) connections.
Apple mercifully lowered the prices of a whole range of USB-C accessories in response to criticism over the shift with a promotion through the end of 2016. But if you go to buy one of the items now, you'll see that the special prices have been extended into 2017.
On the Power & Cables page of the Mac Accessories section of the Apple Store, the main image advertises "Special pricing on USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 accessories for a limited time*."
When the discounts were first announced, that asterisk denoted Dec. 31 as the promotion's end date. Now, March 31 is the cutoff.
Back in November, Apple claimed it was looking to help users move seamlessly from old models to the new one with the discounts. The company provided Mashable with a fairly straightforward explanation of the promotions:
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. 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.
With this new extension, that reasoning is a bit less clear. While the same consumer-friendly reasoning can be applied to the March deadline, the thinking behind the change remains unanswered.
Apple had no comment on the extension of the promotions.
With rumbles of discontent echoing in the MacWorld, there's no doubt that extending these special prices is in some ways an olive branch to the faithful community of Apple fans. Even though it'll still cost you to have all the right cords, you won't have to blow it all during the already expensive holiday season to get them.
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
