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Death to the Trapezoid... Next USB Connector Will Be Reversible

TheRealHocusLocus writes "Extreme bandwidth is nice, intelligent power management is cool... but folks should be spilling into the streets in thankful praise that the next generation miniature USB connector will fit either way. All told — just how many intricate miracle devices have been scrapped in their prime — because a tiny USB port was mangled? For millennia untold chimpanzees and people have been poking termite mounds with round sticks. I for one am glad to see round stick technology make its way into consumer electronics. Death to the trapezoid, bring back the rectangle! So... since we're on roll here... how many other tiny annoyances that lead to big fails are out there?" The new connector will be smaller too.

4 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. Re:USB cables are 4 dimensional by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Informative

    In human society we have this thing called "humour", and one of its functions is to obviate the stress of common irritations by acknowledging them in an ironic or unexpected fashion, such that the next encounter with the irritant brings the joke to mind and is therefore less irksome. If your own society hasn't reached that level of nuance yet I dare say it is you, sir, who is the ape.

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    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  2. Re:another design cue from apple? by alexandre_ganso · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wrong. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_laptops

    The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in October 1991, pioneered changes that are now de facto standards on laptops, such as room for a palm rest, and the inclusion of a pointing device (a trackball).

  3. Re:Safely remove device by Sockatume · · Score: 3, Informative

    (Protip: write caching is off by default in modern Windows, so you can actually just yank the USB stick when it finishes what it's doing without ill effect.)

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    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  4. Re:Atari would be proud by clickclickdrone · · Score: 4, Informative

    SIO could not be hot-plugged, did not auto-load drivers, could not be hubbed, etc.

    No one is saying SIO is USB, just it shared some DNA and a designer. On your feature list, Hot plugging, no. Auto-load drivers, yes it could. Some of the modems used that. Hubbed? Sort of. Atari didn't release anything but third parties did such as the Quintopus that turned one SIO into 5. http://nleaudio.com/css/products.htm

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    I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil