I think there is value in remembering that this was an era where peripherals were plugged in with a view of semi-permanence, most plugs even had screws. I also

I think there is value in remembering that this was an era where peripherals were plugged in with a view of semi-permanence, most plugs even had screws. I also remember thinking at the time how much easier USB was to use than trying to align a PS/2 connector. Despite the obvious design drawback, I can't blame intel entirely, a big contributor to the problem was that the ports were still being positioned in hard to access areas by computer makers. The first iMac design was a bit more forward thinking in this regard, whereby USB ports were prominently positioned on either side of the keyboard, this made it very easy to plug in the USB mouse and use the other for something like a USB stick. The problem with the type A design isn't just the orientation issue, the rectangular port design provides very little tolerance for off-angle insertion, having the port in full view helped a lot with insertion.