Intel Does Own the Thunderbolt Trademark, Not Apple

[KnightWRX]

If you are looking at it there isn't usually an issue, but if we are talking about something that is not a laptop such as a Mac Mini, iMac, or a Windows desktop then there are a lot more problems.

With the iMac, Mac Mini, and front ports of many other desktops the ports are vertical and you are reaching behind the machine.

With a MDP connector you can at least feel the beveled edges on the connector and possibly on the port if your fingers are tactile enough. With USB you try once, and it doesn't seem to work, try again and that way is obviously not correct, so you go back to your original rotation and finally get it in.

Sorry, again, you can feel the same beveled edges on VGA, and I don't know how many times I spent a few seconds trying to insert it the wrong way. Lack of beveled edges or not, it's an issue of trying to connect anything blindly.

 

[Lennholm]

The problem is one shouldn't have to look and then possibly having to turn the thing.

Please explain why you think this doesn't happen with the MDP connector. Without looking, you may have to try the MDP connector at four different angles before you get it right

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Please explain why you think this doesn't happen with the MDP connector. Without looking, you may have to try the MDP connector at four different angles before you get it right

I think there's a difference between connecting blindly, connecting by feel, and connecting by glancing first. USB fails at pretty much all three.

A glance at the MDP connector gives you enough information. USB requires a close inspection at multiple angles to be sure.

 

[KnightWRX]

I think there's a difference between connecting blindly, connecting by feel, and connecting by glancing first. USB fails at pretty much all three.

A glance at the MDP connector gives you enough information. USB requires a close inspection at multiple angles to be sure.

Close inspection ? Uh, no.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Close inspection ? Uh, no.

The only way to know for sure is to look at the front, and then do the mental calculation on whether the block is supposed to go on top or bottom.

An Apple branded plug will have a logo on top, and usually the bottom of the connectors have a seam running down the middle, but these are hard to see in low light conditions.

It's often faster to guess, then fail, then turn, then connect.

 

[KnightWRX]

The only way to know for sure is to look at the front, and then do the mental calculation on whether the block is supposed to go on top or bottom.

An Apple branded plug will have a logo on top, and usually the bottom of the connectors have a seam running down the middle, but these are hard to see in low light conditions.

It's often faster to guess, then fail, then turn, then connect.

All USB plugs have the USB logo on the top. If you didn't know that by now, I don't know what to tell you. There's no close inspection required.

 

[Lennholm]

I think there's a difference between connecting blindly, connecting by feel, and connecting by glancing first. USB fails at pretty much all three.

A glance at the MDP connector gives you enough information. USB requires a close inspection at multiple angles to be sure.

Close inspection at multiple angles, really?
Most of the times; USB label facing up or outward if vertical (or even simply feel it with your thumb since it's structured), insert, done.

Edit: Oh I forgot, Apple, as the only one of all designers of USB connectors, doesn't structure the USB label.

 

[randomrazr]

yet theres still no **** out there to use thunderbolt on my brand new macbook pro XD

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Close inspection at multiple angles, really?
Most of the times; USB label facing up or outward if vertical (or even simply feel it with your thumb since it's structured), insert, done.

Edit: Oh I forgot, Apple, as the only one of all designers of USB connectors, doesn't structure the USB label.

So I guess all those other asymmetrical plug designs... you know... like basically every single interface ever designed except for USB... they're the ones that had it wrong.

USB - they're the rebels. They actually made it EASIER to plug in, somehow. I guess because when you KNOW you're going to fail, you're much more ready with your flip maneuver, which has been done so many times that it is natural. You're in the zone flipping that plug.

 

[KnightWRX]

So I guess all those other asymmetrical plug designs... you know... like basically every single interface ever designed except for USB... they're the ones that had it wrong.

No, they just aren't any easier than USB to blindly plug-in. It's not a matter of being wrong or right, just a matter of fumbling around blindly is not something you can really train and perfect.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

No, they just aren't any easier than USB to blindly plug-in. It's not a matter of being wrong or right, just a matter of fumbling around blindly is not something you can really train and perfect.

Plug-flipper.

 

[Lennholm]

So I guess all those other asymmetrical plug designs... you know... like basically every single interface ever designed except for USB... they're the ones that had it wrong.

USB - they're the rebels. They actually made it EASIER to plug in, somehow. I guess because when you KNOW you're going to fail, you're much more ready with your flip maneuver, which has been done so many times that it is natural. You're in the zone flipping that plug.

Asymmetrical? Which connectors are asymmetrical? VGA? No that's symmetrical. DVI? No, symmetrical. FW, symmetrical. DIN5, definetely symmetrical.
SCART? Yeah, they sure got that one right.

 

[KnightWRX]

Plug-flipper.

Yes, I often have to flip DVI or VGA or PS/2 or any kind of plugs when trying to blindly plug them in. That's just what happens.

Did you have a point ?

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Asymmetrical? Which connectors are asymmetrical? VGA? No that's symmetrical. DVI? No, symmetrical. FW, symmetrical. DIN5, definetely symmetrical.
SCART? Yeah, they sure got that one right.

Alright. Symmetrical along two axes then.

 

[SilianRail]

Asymmetrical? Which connectors are asymmetrical? VGA? No that's symmetrical. DVI? No, symmetrical. FW, symmetrical. DIN5, definetely symmetrical.
SCART? Yeah, they sure got that one right.

Looks pretty asymmetrical to me.

 

[fat jez]

Looks pretty asymmetrical to me.

It has a line of symmetry down the vertical axis.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Yes, I often have to flip DVI or VGA or PS/2 or any kind of plugs when trying to blindly plug them in. That's just what happens.

Did you have a point ?

PS/2 was supposed to have a flat knob on top, like on the IBM Model M plug, a "this side up" kind of thing you could feel with your thumb. Of course, that all went out the window when they started putting PS/2 sockets on towers and other computers and have them point every which way.

But the point is, there is a case to be made for designing connectors that can work by feel. It's been done successfully before, like the IBM PS/2.

 

[Lennholm]

Image

Looks pretty asymmetrical to me.

That's symmetry. If you call that asymmetric, then USB is also asymmetric

 

[KnightWRX]

But the point is, there is a case to be made for designing connectors that can work by feel. It's been done successfully before, like the IBM PS/2.

Yes, and even those connectors, you often end up fumbling around. Can we stop this pointless debate over the USB connector ? It is what it is, it's not much harder to plug in blindly and if not doing it blindly, there's some pretty obvious clues to what direction it goes (again : USB logo. Top.).

Let's get this thread back on topic : Trademark. Apple registering and assigning to Intel.

 

[bretm]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)

You stick it in if it doesn't fit you flip it over how freakin hard is that?

It's annoying and broken by design, maybe?

So you have the magic ability to put other connectors in without looking at them? I can't put the printer USB connectors in without looking at the shape on the printer and the USB. Those are the ones with the same shape as the mdp

 

[JoeDMD]

Instead, it will just end up confusing for consumers who think it's the same as mini Display Port.

I you plug your MDP monitor into your TB port - it will work. If you plug your Tbolt drive into a USB port, it will not.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

That's symmetry. If you call that asymmetric, then USB is also asymmetric

Now draw your line the other way.

 

[ten-oak-druid]

All USB plugs have the USB logo on the top. If you didn't know that by now, I don't know what to tell you. There's no close inspection required.

Are you seriously arguing about whether or not USB is commonly inserted upside down?

 

[ten-oak-druid]

Image

That's symmetry. If you call that asymmetric, then USB is also asymmetric

USB has one more plane of symmetry.

Edit: Also the usb plug has a C2 axis of symmetry and the VGA does not. And the axis of symmetry is more applicable to the topic.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Let's get this thread back on topic : Trademark. Apple registering and assigning to Intel.

I'm for it. Boffo on trademark.

I'd like to see MDP adoption on non-Apple systems, though. Would be nice if some peripherals would come out soon and feature MDP plugs to force the issue.