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It just had to be non-symmetrical on the Z-axis, that's all. Like an HDMI connector.
Or displayport. Personally I find hdmi almost as annoying as usb, though I can’t explain why that happens!
It didn't really need to go in either way. It just needed to not be rotationally symmetrical while only going in one way. Firewire only went in one way but it was never an issue because it's shape conveyed a clear orientation.
This also doesn't explain why three-state and five-state also apply to resp. mini+micro USB-A and USB-B.
Oh wait, people don't look at the port front and center and fail to memorize the port direction, irrespective of shape, that's why.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or displayport. Personally I find hdmi almost as annoying as usb, though I can’t explain why that happens!
Because when you have to plug hdmi on a wall mounted tv or monitor that is close to wall and hard to rotate - you end up not only guessing orientation but having a hard time to find that port... :)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a USB-C Xiaomi phone that at some point only allowed being plugged in in one orientation. I guess one side failed, but then again, that wasn't the only failing of that phone, nor even close to the most annoying.
That might not have been a symmetry problem per-say. It could be that the phone correct determined the orientation but a pin was dirty/broken so it couldn't be used. When flipping the cable around the pin in use changes to one that isn't dirty/broken and so it works fine. USB-C may have a ton of pins but that doesn't mean all of them are needed to charge so flipping it can move a broken pin into the unused pins.
I know everybody is still on the high from USB-C but I'm still going to go on the record it will be one of the biggest disasters in cable history. 1) There's going to be video-only cables; low-voltage only cables; etc and this time everything is usb-c so you can literally only tell which ables work by testing all of the dozen cables instead of the 1-2 USB-As you have. 2) The connector is symmetrical but the pins aren…
It’s been around a long time and most people have managed just fine, and absolutely loved the common cable. And everyone hated the iPhone user because you had to pull out a new cable to charge it.
I know everybody is still on the high from USB-C but I'm still going to go on the record it will be one of the biggest disasters in cable history. 1) There's going to be video-only cables; low-voltage only cables; etc and this time everything is usb-c so you can literally only tell which ables work by testing all of the dozen cables instead of the 1-2 USB-As you have. 2) The connector is symmetrical but the pins aren…
Connectors, cheap and reliable are hard to design, and there's that much solution that works, and economics of scale works wonderfully by this kind of mass production (the good enough converges to reliable cheap). Also, the backward compatibility is real, and not to be dismissed too lightly. Say, for an USB-A connector, would really go one way where a USB 3 cable and device should NOT work with your older computer ?
There will be waste, there will be disgruntlement, but at real diagnostic will be possible (instead of the vague indications like «use provided cable» we have for HDMI and DisplayPort). For power, you can already find cable with a mini LED display on the plug to show max wattage once plugged.
Limited cables will quickly have label to show their specific capability (4K/8K, for PD only, 100W 60W), for cables you buy. General case for cables provided by manufacturer is, you keep you cable with the device, no real confusion here.
I know many have the cable drawer full of just-in-case that never comes that would dream to have it blissfully replaced by unlabeled USB-C cables, but this is just not how general people handle the problem. They keep the cable with the device, and learn what they need before or after buying a replacement, or better, asking someone in a shop, those still exists for all I know.
Exactly what made USB so awesome when it first came out. I guess you had to be there.
I know everybody is still on the high from USB-C but I'm still going to go on the record it will be one of the biggest disasters in cable history. 1) There's going to be video-only cables; low-voltage only cables; etc and this time everything is usb-c so you can literally only tell which ables work by testing all of the dozen cables instead of the 1-2 USB-As you have. 2) The connector is symmetrical but the pins aren…
> There's going to be video-only cables From my understanding I think that is not technically possible because to pass video they need the data lines but maybe I'm mistaken? IIUC again even if it did work I think these would be non-compliant. People hell-bent on doing non-compliant things would do it irrespective of any design. > low-voltage only cables That's a given due to physical constraints (length, diameter: wo…
Counterexample: The Meta Quest link cables use a USB-C style connector but internally are very different from a regular cable.
I've seen people try to connect ps/2 and vga cables upside down, and mash all the pins in the process. I'm fine with flipping a USB cable over a couple times until it goes in. /shrug
It didn't really need to go in either way. It just needed to not be rotationally symmetrical while only going in one way. Firewire only went in one way but it was never an issue because it's shape conveyed a clear orientation.
USB-A too: fat part bottom, connectors up, logo up. This also doesn't explain why three-state and five-state also apply to resp. mini+micro USB-A and USB-B. Oh wait, people don't look at the port front and center and fail to memorize the port direction, irrespective of shape, that's why.