7 ms·

I'm out of the loop. Could someone explain the original trick ?

mgdm 3y ago
I think it's something along the lines of there being a model of HP printer which was advertised as being wifi-only, and apparently had no USB port, but if you removed a strategically-placed sticker you'd find this was a lie.
wccrawford 3y ago
Judging by the picture, that CPU has a sticker over one of the power ports. Just peel it back and you've upgraded your PSU. A quick google confirms that some HP Printers have USB ports that are covered similarly, but with a warning not to use it, rather than just being hidden.
- borlox 3y ago
  Sir, did you just call that PSU a CPU?
  - ajsnigrutin 3y ago
    This reminds me of the late 90s computer illiteracy... the monitor was the "computer", and the computer was the "hard drive" :)
    - NotYourLawyer 3y ago
      And everything was the modem.
      - nicolaslem 3y ago
        Today everything is a router.
        tnbp 3y ago
        It probably is to some extent, too.
        yardie 3y ago
        My router is a firewall, VPN, DNS server, file server, print server, media server, and Docker host. Like, what can't it do? BTW, I don't use most of those services but it's advertised with them.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Well, seeing that a modern Apple monitor has the guts of an iPhone 11 and runs a version of iOS…
  - wccrawford 3y ago
    OMG. Yup, I did. I have no defense for this. Edit: I got it right the second time, though! :D
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Nothing wrong with a Central Power Unit!
michalxnet 3y ago
Some HP printers had USB port covered by a sticker with warning not to use it, but it works just fine. https://boingboing.net/2023/08/04/hp-printer-usb-port-covered-with-warning-sticker-in-hopes-you-wont-use-it.html https://boingboing.net/2023/08/04/hp-printer-usb-port-covere...
Crosseye_Jack 3y ago
The HP trick was that HP started shipping “WiFi only” printers, they put a sticker over the USB port saying something like “for service only” or something similar to encourage the user to connect and use the printer over WiFi. However if you peeled the sticker away and plugged in a USB cable you could still use the printer like normal. I’m guessing thermaltake did the same, hiding some pins behind a sticker because that’s cheaper than creating a whole new version of an existing product.
- Cthulhu_ 3y ago
  Was the wifi only printer cheaper for the consumer? I mean they would save a few pennies for not needing to ship a USB cable but I can't see that being a big enough win for them to add a step to their manufacturing process to add that sticker. Same with the PSU on the photo, although in that case I can imagine they were able to remove some more of the internals and target a different market. Also, this reminds me of a common CPU manufacturing practice; most CPUs from a generation are the exact same, except that the ones with flaws in them will have that part of the CPU disabled / severed and the unit sold as a slower and cheaper model.
  - telemeter 3y ago
    It's not about the USB cable, it's about getting the device on the purchaser's network so it can phone home with all kinds of juicy telemetry that may (in the case of consumables) or may not (in the case of other data gathered from the network) have anything to do printing. HP (and printer manufacturers generally) have long led the way in enshittification.
    - kalleboo 3y ago
      In the case of HP, it's because they sell printers where you get a discount on the price of the hardware if you promise to sign up for an ink subscription, and that requires the printer to phone home with the ink levels.
  - Crosseye_Jack 3y ago

mgdm 3y ago

I think it's something along the lines of there being a model of HP printer which was advertised as being wifi-only, and apparently had no USB port, but if you removed a strategically-placed sticker you'd find this was a lie.

wccrawford 3y ago

Judging by the picture, that CPU has a sticker over one of the power ports. Just peel it back and you've upgraded your PSU. A quick google confirms that some HP Printers have USB ports that are covered similarly, but with a warning not to use it, rather than just being hidden.

borlox 3y ago
Sir, did you just call that PSU a CPU?
- ajsnigrutin 3y ago
  This reminds me of the late 90s computer illiteracy... the monitor was the "computer", and the computer was the "hard drive" :)
  - NotYourLawyer 3y ago
    And everything was the modem.
    - nicolaslem 3y ago
      Today everything is a router.
      - tnbp 3y ago
        It probably is to some extent, too.
      - yardie 3y ago
        My router is a firewall, VPN, DNS server, file server, print server, media server, and Docker host. Like, what can't it do? BTW, I don't use most of those services but it's advertised with them.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    Well, seeing that a modern Apple monitor has the guts of an iPhone 11 and runs a version of iOS…
- wccrawford 3y ago
  OMG. Yup, I did. I have no defense for this. Edit: I got it right the second time, though! :D
- bombcar 3y ago
  Nothing wrong with a Central Power Unit!

michalxnet 3y ago

Some HP printers had USB port covered by a sticker with warning not to use it, but it works just fine. https://boingboing.net/2023/08/04/hp-printer-usb-port-covered-with-warning-sticker-in-hopes-you-wont-use-it.html https://boingboing.net/2023/08/04/hp-printer-usb-port-covere...

Crosseye_Jack 3y ago

The HP trick was that HP started shipping “WiFi only” printers, they put a sticker over the USB port saying something like “for service only” or something similar to encourage the user to connect and use the printer over WiFi. However if you peeled the sticker away and plugged in a USB cable you could still use the printer like normal. I’m guessing thermaltake did the same, hiding some pins behind a sticker because that’s cheaper than creating a whole new version of an existing product.

Cthulhu_ 3y ago
Was the wifi only printer cheaper for the consumer? I mean they would save a few pennies for not needing to ship a USB cable but I can't see that being a big enough win for them to add a step to their manufacturing process to add that sticker. Same with the PSU on the photo, although in that case I can imagine they were able to remove some more of the internals and target a different market. Also, this reminds me of a common CPU manufacturing practice; most CPUs from a generation are the exact same, except that the ones with flaws in them will have that part of the CPU disabled / severed and the unit sold as a slower and cheaper model.
- telemeter 3y ago
  It's not about the USB cable, it's about getting the device on the purchaser's network so it can phone home with all kinds of juicy telemetry that may (in the case of consumables) or may not (in the case of other data gathered from the network) have anything to do printing. HP (and printer manufacturers generally) have long led the way in enshittification.
  - kalleboo 3y ago
    In the case of HP, it's because they sell printers where you get a discount on the price of the hardware if you promise to sign up for an ink subscription, and that requires the printer to phone home with the ink levels.
- Crosseye_Jack 3y ago