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The USB paradox is one of the most familiar experiences of the digital age. Every time you try to plug in a USB cord, it seems like you always get it wrong on the first try. It doesn't matter how much attention you pay to the plug or the cord or the icons on the cord. It's always wrong.
And there's a good reason for that! In an interview published Thursday by DesignNews, Intel's Ajay Bhatt spoke at length about why the ubiquitous technology has been so infuriating for so long. Bhatt was a member of the team that developed USB technology. Even at the start of development, they knew that making the connector flippable would be a better user experience in the long run. But doing so would require twice the wiring and more circuitry, which would increase costs.
"If you have a lot of cost up front for an unproven technology it might not take off. So that was our fear. You have to be really cost conscious when you start out," Bhatt said.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 03 2017, @01:49PM
The reason is that USB was always a scam. No one will update their hardware if they can get the maximum speed with the very first hardware. So versions are introduced which are deliberately crippled. Selecting the USB speed in BIOS would have been good, but they chose not to. More money can be made selling the newest chip instead of the best chip only once.