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USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

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Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eyes should not be mandatory to operate a USB cable. I can think of no other consumer cable that requires me to stare at it while I plug it in.

Clearly you have not attempted to use an S-Video cable. :)

Eh, I cut my teeth on old Apple serial ports. Same mini-DIN8 cable. Feel for the flat part and jam it in. I've lost surprisingly few pins with that strategy.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#82
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That only works if 1. The cable has a logo. 2. You can see the logo. 3. The device and cable both conform to the standard. 4. The port is not vertical. 5. The device you are plugging in is not on it's side or upside down. 6. The user is sober and of a clear, calm mind.

The cable that came with my Moto G improves on this by making the top, logo side slightly concave and the other side slightly convex. You can literally feel which way up you've got the plug.

That only helps when you know the cable beforehand. The cable that came with my Motorola RAZR i cable has the high relief on one side of the connector, while the one from my Nexus 7 has it on the other side.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#83
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? Apple figured out you could build the RF shield around the signal lines in a single planar unit. If you look at the original 30 pin connector they did, they used a very similar scheme to USB the shield around the outside of the connector, the signal lines on the inside in a separate piece. I actually think it was the lightning connector that got the USB group to go bac…

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? No. It's not. I haven't plugged my phone in since I originally bought it and I don't understand thinking that a connector is cool. For charging, every major mobile phone company except Apple supports Qi wireless charging. Source: http://www.qinside.biz/en/support/qi-enabled-phones For connectivity, every major mobile phone company supports wireless connectivity via Blu…

My phone has wireless charging; I used to use it, but I eventually switched back to wired charging.

Why? Two reasons, which I think are the biggest ones that explain why wireless hasn't completely taken over wired: efficiency and reliability. Especially the latter.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#84
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? Apple figured out you could build the RF shield around the signal lines in a single planar unit. If you look at the original 30 pin connector they did, they used a very similar scheme to USB the shield around the outside of the connector, the signal lines on the inside in a separate piece. I actually think it was the lightning connector that got the USB group to go bac…

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? No. It's not. I haven't plugged my phone in since I originally bought it and I don't understand thinking that a connector is cool. For charging, every major mobile phone company except Apple supports Qi wireless charging. Source: http://www.qinside.biz/en/support/qi-enabled-phones For connectivity, every major mobile phone company supports wireless connectivity via Blu…

I used the wireless charging on my Nokia Lumia for two years, every night. Loved it. Problem is, it's dog slow compared to how fast my iPhone 5s charges. And when I tried to charge my Nexus 4 on the same charger as the Nokia (they use the same technology, why not?) it would go haywire and never actually charge.

Apple may be behind their competitors in some way, but they have a way of not pushing out technology until they're sure it's going to work the way the mass market expects it to (which is how the general public lets them get away with calling everything "magic". To a non-technical audience, it might as well be). My Nokia is full of cool features that don't work. If the battery dies, it takes half an hour before you can turn the phone on again. My Nexus 4 has a big screen but the camera is shit and it can't hold a charge through the day. My iPhone doesn't have a single "wow" feature to me, but then again there are no features that make me think "this would be so cool if only it worked". The last non-iPhone I didn't truly hate was my Palm Pre+.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#85
post #44

I'm not an apple fanboy - but I do really like their magsafe & iPad mini connectors (whatever those are called officially). One thing I really like is the lack of "sticky-out-bit" in the middle of the connector, which all USB sockets seem to have, and which always feels kind of unstable or weak to me. Is there a reason why all USB sockets - including these new diagrams - have a feeble looking centre part rather than…

The Lightning connector just seems so fragile to me. I haven't broken mine yet, but I have certainly seen a lot of broken ones on displays in stores. I can't say I've ever broken a USB connector. That said, there is something to be said for a reversible connector that doesn't require 3 rotations to plug in :)

Fragile contrasted with USB cables, perhaps. I have used several counterfeit lightning cables from Shenzhen, some of which just failed after about a month to half a year, the reason of which I guess was mechanical stress. The genuine Apple ones are still pretty solid and work fine, though. There may be some pretty tough requirements in the process of production or the materials.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#86

I'm not an apple fanboy - but I do really like their magsafe & iPad mini connectors (whatever those are called officially). One thing I really like is the lack of "sticky-out-bit" in the middle of the connector, which all USB sockets seem to have, and which always feels kind of unstable or weak to me. Is there a reason why all USB sockets - including these new diagrams - have a feeble looking centre part rather than…

Comparing usb 3 to the lightning connector is very unfair, since the lightning connector doesn't go any faster than usb 2.0.

A much fairer comparison is to the thunderbolt connector. Which is non-reversible and also has a connector in the centre of the female.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#87
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? Apple figured out you could build the RF shield around the signal lines in a single planar unit. If you look at the original 30 pin connector they did, they used a very similar scheme to USB the shield around the outside of the connector, the signal lines on the inside in a separate piece. I actually think it was the lightning connector that got the USB group to go bac…

The lightning connector is pretty cool isn't it? No. It's not. I haven't plugged my phone in since I originally bought it and I don't understand thinking that a connector is cool. For charging, every major mobile phone company except Apple supports Qi wireless charging. Source: http://www.qinside.biz/en/support/qi-enabled-phones For connectivity, every major mobile phone company supports wireless connectivity via Blu…

Yet every phone still has a power/data cable... cool or not.

Re: USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production [pdf]

#88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you work in tech support you'll see USB ports mangled beyond recognition, people force-plugging them in backwards or worse, and a horrifying number of cables that have ends that have been pinched or bent. The Lightning connector by comparison is a solid piece and would have to be smashed in half to fail.

I don't believe you can force-plug a USB connector backwards unless you use a hammer and a clamp.

You have no idea: http://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore
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