USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible

TL;DR: its cheaper that way,

And i value that decision

USB-A walked so USB-C could fly.

EXPLAIN!

Somewhat understandable, but they could've also done something like HDMI and DisplayPort and gone with a shape that could only plug in one way. It might not have been "as cheap as possible" but probably not as much added expense as the extra wiring and stuff. (maybe, idk shit about manufacturing)

About a decade ago or so, I found myself in a reddit argument with someone that claimed they had never attempted to plug a USB in unsuccessfully. They said that every single time they've plugged in, it was the correct way. Some people are insane.

But in practical use, people found out that even a 50/50 chance of plugging the connector in the right way is annoying enough to warrant the additional complexity of reversability, hence the development of USB Type C.

The USB-C design turned out to be much more durable and versatile (signal and power wise) in addition to reversability compared to the previous USB designs, and it is developed specifically to address the problems people found with USB-A/B/MicroUSB.

Sometimes problems only reveal themselves through real life usage, and iterative improvement through a scientific trial and error process to address these problem is how you get development progress.

It’s not an issue of not being reversible. The problem is that it is symmetrical without being reversible. HDMI and DisplayPort are much less annoying. Even USB Type B (printer cables) is relatively easy to figure out orientation for.

they should just go with perfectly circular, with different sizes for different applications. imagine a 20mm unit - high power/bandwidth hoses with a satisfying locking mechanism that magnetically seals the connection.

and makes the proton pack sound. and rgb fuck nevermind go back this was a bad idea

I get why it's not reversible. But why the hell is it not keyed so that is obvious which orientation is correct? A small, cheap, notch would have worked wonders.

the decision was made to go with a design that, in theory, would give users a 50/50 chance of plugging it in correctly

How could it be less than that? If it was triangular?

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TL:DR; It was cheaper and they figured if it didn't work you could flip it over and try again. So it's mildly inconvenient to save a few cents on manufacturing each connector and to limited the number is conductors to 4, something it turns out was a bad idea anyway because newer USB standards use more than 4 conductors.

Making USB reversible to begin with would have necessitated twice as many wires and twice as many circuits, and would have doubled the cost. Bhatt says his team was aware at the time of the frustration that a rectangular design could have, versus a round connector. But in an effort to keep it as cheap as possible, the decision was made to go with a design that, in theory, would give users a 50/50 chance of plugging it in correctly (you can up the odds by looking at the inside first, or identifying the logo).

What a pathetic excuse. You know what's at the other end of a USB-A cable? A USB-B connector that didn't have the symmetry problem. Also, Firewire existed around the same time (in fact, slightly earlier) and didn't have the symmetry problem.

the problem is the plug is rectangular (has exterior rotational symmetry) AND not reversible - if the plugs were L shaped it would be clear by both feel and brief glance which rotation was correct

The worst thing about USB is that it always takes 3 attempts on average to get the fucker in if you don't know the orientation of the port.

To save a penny on each connector. The USB group is ran by hardware manufacturers. They do not have innovation as a core value.

I learned a long time ago that it takes three licks to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, because commercial breaks during Saturday morning cartoons told me so. Sometime later, I also learned that "three" is usually the magic number for correctly plugging in a USB Type-A device.

……what the fuck?

Edit: Guys, I get the reference to Tootsie Pop ads and that USB-A connectors are often stubborn to connect. The “wtf-ness” comes from the writer making such an oddball reference just to arrive at the number three

Reminds me of how we used to change the order of the wires in PC to PC connections on early RJ45 cables. What a fucking pain in the ass that was for colorblind like myself.

I actually have some USB-A to USB-C cables from DeWalt with reversible USB-A connectors. Certainly no reason other companies couldn't have built them that way.

That's such a simple reason and makes so much sense.

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People who find that "frustrating" have led too sheltered a life.

But why is USB C directional? One phone I have won't charge if the cord is in one orientation but fast charges in the other orientation.