Apple Wants USB, Thunderbolt Ports Thinner

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icepick314

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why mess with standard USB and Thunderbolt connectors?

so they can sell their own cable at $45 each instead of $1 like the standard cables.....
 

shoelessinsight

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As long as this isn't another attempt at a proprietary connector, and is instead an open standard for all companies to make their connectors less cumbersome and more attractive, then I'm all for it. Sadly, that's not likely to be the case.

As far as the mechanical feedback goes, I generally agree that this is a good thing, but I wouldn't consider ethernet cables to be the best example. Clips and hooks, including those used in used in traditional ethernet connectors, tend to break with use, resulting in less feedback and a less secure connection.

USB connectors, when built properly, already give me a satisfying amount of feedback. With the exception of some thumb drives, I can easily tell when a secure connection has been made. This is all done with parts that have displayed impressive durability after years of use.
 

nukemaster

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[citation][nom]Dandalf[/nom]What about USB memory sticks? Does that mean they'll disappear inside the Mac's vagina?[/citation]
No, they will be too big and require lots of lube and foreplay. Once the mac is in the mood, it "may" take it.

BTW, anyone else remember seeing many usb sticks that have done away with the connectors outer metal case? sounds allot like this is going to be the next step of that.

Like this thing

http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/15/kingmax-unveils-worlds-smallest-usb-flash-drive/
 

alidan

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[citation][nom]Dandalf[/nom]What about USB memory sticks? Does that mean they'll disappear inside the Mac's vagina?[/citation]

[citation][nom]amk-aka-phantom[/nom]That's why.[/citation]

there will be an adapter. unless usb is owned by apple, they cant regulate if a third party makes an adapter for the usb drive.

all apple wants to do is make their means of usb port proprietary, here let me look at my bag of adapors i got with my multi purpose usb cable.

take a look at kodak and panosonic, they both have a usb cable standard thats proprietary, and about 1/4th to 1/8th the size of a usb mini standard.

apple wants this too. i say let them, wheres the harm, i neve buy a mac made product (made for mac first) so it wont effect me, and if i ever use a mac, i will need a 3-5$ adapter.
 

maddad

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Name a cell phone these days that does not use some proprietary type of usb connector. I didn't see any of you calling out Sony or Motorola, Samsung etc. Quit reading the Apple stories that are printed if all you have to say is the "i hate Apple" crap. It's getting old.
 

nebun

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[citation][nom]icepick314[/nom]why mess with standard USB and Thunderbolt connectors?so they can sell their own cable at $45 each instead of $1 like the standard cables.....[/citation]
why not...? show me where you can buy a Thunderbolt cable for 1 dollar....you can't
 

ArgleBargle

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I guess Apple doesn't charge enough for their hardware. They have to make obscene profits from proprietary connectors now. Poor Apple.
 

akorzan

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Ugh. Stop with the mac hate. I'm a computer science college student and I used to always give macs a hard time. That is until I saw that they are not really that bad, hardware and OS wise. Yes they are expensive, but you get a very pretty computer that's not the fastest but that has a better screen, touchpad, and overall better build. So what if it can't play Crysis, a laptop is a laptop... not a power plant. Even their desktops come with very nice IPS panels, which if you consider buying them separately, they are not that bad of a deal. And so what if the processors are slower, we all on Tom's have desktops at home that we built.
Most importantly, their operating system is UNIX with ACTUAL support. That is I, as a developer, can run Adobe Dreamweaver, and Mircosoft suites while I have the awesome UNIX bash terminal running.
Yes they are expensive, but a decent analogy is that of cars: why buy a Lexus if a Toyota is the exact same car made by the same manufacture using the same parts? Well because there is something there that makes people want to buy it.
 

swamprat

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It sounds very broad and much more like a design than an invention (to me) - it (like many other things that seem to qualify for a patent in the US) shouldn't in my opinion be granted. It might be a good idea, or not, but a patent for the shape of a port? Craziness
 
G

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[citation][nom]capt_taco[/nom]Serves anyone right who's a big enough dipsh*t to buy a Mac in the first place.[/citation]

Yeah, if these new thin connectors aren't enough to deter people from buying Macs once and for all, I don't know *what* will.

In all seriousness though, stfu.
 

molo9000

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[citation][nom]Arglebargle[/nom]I guess Apple doesn't charge enough for their hardware. They have to make obscene profits from proprietary connectors now. Poor Apple.[/citation]

Apple has learned their lesson with Firewire, which has never seen much love from consumers partly because of high license fees, even though it was vastly superior to USB.
Mini-DisplayPort is Apple's own creation and yet they license it for free to other manufacturers and it's been included in the official DisplayPort specification.
 

thrasher32

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Haha who cares what apple wants? The only reason they want a new connector (that only apple will use), is so they can charge $100 for their "special" cable, instead of letting their flock buy a $2 cable at wal-mart.

Suckas!!!
 
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