4 ms·

More expensive, more complicated, patent encumbered, and difficult/expensive to licence. As much as I would like a reversible USB cable I'd prefer micro-USB wh

More expensive, more complicated, patent encumbered, and difficult/expensive to licence. As much as I would like a reversible USB cable I'd prefer micro-USB which is just universal at this point (and cheap) to an expensive cable supported by one manufacturer. Plus Apple Lightning is not really smaller than a micro-USB.

tomp 13y ago
I didn't mean that the whole world should just adopt Apple's cable; instead, a new one could be developed, that is actually useful (i.e. as useful as Apple's cable).
- UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
  I understand. I also agree. I'd love to see a new micro-USB replacement which is reversible.
  - josteink 13y ago
    In that case expect to see a multitude of world-wide, multi-year lawsuits about how Apple owns this idea and how its patented and yadda yadda yadda. In this current US-led lawyerocracy, it's better to play it safe and just not poke the dragon with a stick. USB is a ubiquitous standard by now. Sure it could have been a better standard, but at least now we have a standard (sans Apple). That is definitely a change for the better.
  - masklinn 13y ago
    > I'd love to see a new micro-USB replacement which is reversible. And does not feel so fiddly I still fear breaking them.
nodata 13y ago
I don't see why they don't make the usb ports reversible.
- UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
  If they made USB ports reversible they wouldn't be USB anymore, and not just in shape either, the technology required to make them reversible also requires devices both upstream (e.g. computers, power bricks) and downstream (phones, tablets, etc) to "understand" that the port could be communicating in either of two modes (reverse and non-reverse, and to flip the data channels accordingly). The technology exists. Just would require starting again from scratch.
  - quesera 13y ago
    You can make reversible connectors without intelligence (adaptiveness). Just use 2x the number of contacts, in a mirrored layout. Requires more physical space for the same number of contacts, but USB doesn't require that many contacts to begin with.
    - cdcarter 13y ago
      This is how the older Fitbit accomplished the task and it works just fine.

tomp 13y ago

I didn't mean that the whole world should just adopt Apple's cable; instead, a new one could be developed, that is actually useful (i.e. as useful as Apple's cable).

UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
I understand. I also agree. I'd love to see a new micro-USB replacement which is reversible.
- josteink 13y ago
  In that case expect to see a multitude of world-wide, multi-year lawsuits about how Apple owns this idea and how its patented and yadda yadda yadda. In this current US-led lawyerocracy, it's better to play it safe and just not poke the dragon with a stick. USB is a ubiquitous standard by now. Sure it could have been a better standard, but at least now we have a standard (sans Apple). That is definitely a change for the better.
- masklinn 13y ago
  > I'd love to see a new micro-USB replacement which is reversible. And does not feel so fiddly I still fear breaking them.

nodata 13y ago

I don't see why they don't make the usb ports reversible.

UnoriginalGuy 13y ago
If they made USB ports reversible they wouldn't be USB anymore, and not just in shape either, the technology required to make them reversible also requires devices both upstream (e.g. computers, power bricks) and downstream (phones, tablets, etc) to "understand" that the port could be communicating in either of two modes (reverse and non-reverse, and to flip the data channels accordingly). The technology exists. Just would require starting again from scratch.
- quesera 13y ago
  You can make reversible connectors without intelligence (adaptiveness). Just use 2x the number of contacts, in a mirrored layout. Requires more physical space for the same number of contacts, but USB doesn't require that many contacts to begin with.
  - cdcarter 13y ago
    This is how the older Fitbit accomplished the task and it works just fine.