Odd USB Extension Cable
in [Mac Systems]
|
From: Mike Rosenberg on 6 Jan 2010 16:05 salgud <spamboy6547(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > apple used to provide keyboard extension cables that could only be used > > for extending the keyboard. it was incredibly stupid. > > Not stupid from Apple's point of view. If you could only use it for the > keyboard, you'd have to buy another to hook up something else. More sales, > more profits. That would be true if Apple sold such USB extension cables. -- My latest dance performance <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9pudbFisE> Mac and geek T-shirts & gifts <http://designsbymike.net/shop/mac.cgi> Prius shirts/bumper stickers <http://designsbymike.net/shop/prius.cgi>
From: nospam on 6 Jan 2010 16:22 In article <55s3xdlx4ew9$.xhv37a8q4gd2$.dlg(a)40tude.net>, salgud <spamboy6547(a)comcast.net> wrote: > > apple used to provide keyboard extension cables that could only be used > > for extending the keyboard. it was incredibly stupid. > > Not stupid from Apple's point of view. it's very stupid, and fortunately they realized it. > If you could only use it for the > keyboard, you'd have to buy another to hook up something else. More sales, > more profits. more sales for someone *else*, you mean. apple doesn't sell generic usb cables. of course, they could have made the keyboard cable a little longer in the first place but that would offend steve's sense of aesthetics.
From: Erik Richard Sørensen on 6 Jan 2010 18:20 isw wrote: > Someone just "gifted" me with a large box of assorted cables. Among them > was an Apple-branded USB extension (male "A" on one end, female "A" on > the other) with the addition that the female connector has a little bump > sticking into the side of the socket so that no "ordinary" male USB plug > can be inserted. I'm told that this cable is for use with an Apple > keyboard (which presumably has a little notch to match the bump). > > Now, the result of this is that the keyboard's plug can be inserted into > *any* USB socket, while nothing *but* the keyboard can use the extension > cable. > > What's up with that? What is so special about that extension cable that > it must not be used for anything except that one keyboard? Nearly no other USB extension cables have this 'lock', which can mean that the plugs can easily be taken from each others and you siddenly sit with a 'non-working' keyboard. - I have had this 'problem' with one of my friends. - Suddenly he calls me to tell that he can't do anything with his mouse or keyboard... He has one of the extension cables without the 'lock', so I told him to just looke if the plugs were connected beneith his writing table... I think you can guess the rest..-) This extension cable was/is dedicated to and delievered along with the black/silver and white Apple Pro keyboards, which all have the short 'tale', where some of the dedicated iMac keyboards could be either with a short or long 'tale' - as well as the 'hockey-puck' mouse... Cheers, Erik Richard -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Erik Richard Sørensen, Member of ADC, <mac-manNOSP(a)Mstofanet.dk> NisusWriter - The Future In Multilingual Text Processing - www.nisus.com OpenOffice.org - The Modern Productivity Solution - www.openoffice.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: David Empson on 6 Jan 2010 18:52 isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > Someone just "gifted" me with a large box of assorted cables. Among them > was an Apple-branded USB extension (male "A" on one end, female "A" on > the other) with the addition that the female connector has a little bump > sticking into the side of the socket so that no "ordinary" male USB plug > can be inserted. I'm told that this cable is for use with an Apple > keyboard (which presumably has a little notch to match the bump). > > Now, the result of this is that the keyboard's plug can be inserted into > *any* USB socket, while nothing *but* the keyboard can use the extension > cable. > > What's up with that? What is so special about that extension cable that > it must not be used for anything except that one keyboard? For some reason, Apple thought it was a good idea to supply some of their keyboards with relatively short bonded USB cables, but included an extension cable with models where it was likely that the computer would be installed some distance from the desktop (PowerMacs and similar). The USB standard does not allow the use of extension cables with arbitrary devices. The female "A" connector is never supposed to be used on a cable. Any such cable you happen to be able to buy cannot be certified as compliant with USB. Apple's keyboard extender cable has a notch to prevent it being used with other USB devices. Its use in conjunction with the keyboard is a known pairing which Apple can test and establish that the combination complies with USB electrical and signalling standards. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: isw on 7 Jan 2010 02:39
In article <1jby5p5.1yvwe2a1isorokN%dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz>, dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) wrote: > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > Someone just "gifted" me with a large box of assorted cables. Among them > > was an Apple-branded USB extension (male "A" on one end, female "A" on > > the other) with the addition that the female connector has a little bump > > sticking into the side of the socket so that no "ordinary" male USB plug > > can be inserted. I'm told that this cable is for use with an Apple > > keyboard (which presumably has a little notch to match the bump). > > > > Now, the result of this is that the keyboard's plug can be inserted into > > *any* USB socket, while nothing *but* the keyboard can use the extension > > cable. > > > > What's up with that? What is so special about that extension cable that > > it must not be used for anything except that one keyboard? > > For some reason, Apple thought it was a good idea to supply some of > their keyboards with relatively short bonded USB cables, but included an > extension cable with models where it was likely that the computer would > be installed some distance from the desktop (PowerMacs and similar). > > The USB standard does not allow the use of extension cables with > arbitrary devices. The female "A" connector is never supposed to be used > on a cable. Any such cable you happen to be able to buy cannot be > certified as compliant with USB. > > Apple's keyboard extender cable has a notch to prevent it being used > with other USB devices. Its use in conjunction with the keyboard is a > known pairing which Apple can test and establish that the combination > complies with USB electrical and signalling standards. There were a lot of "answers" to my question. This is the only one that makes sense. Basically, Apple did not want to be in the position of providing a "USB" cable which was not compliant with the USB standard. Thanks Isaac |