[–] [deleted] 0 points 8 points 8 points (+8|-0) ago (edited ago)
[–] DesignDecay ago
USB 3.0 was a weird midpoint. I'd it had come out around the same time as firewire 800 adoption would be great, but for current uses it's actually too slow for all the real fun stuff. 3.1 is going to be huge for laptops because it has enough bandwidth to support SSD's, GPU's, FPGA's etc, at their maximums.
[–] Myrv 1 point 5 points 6 points (+6|-1) ago
This sounds like a problem with the laptop, not the cables. Sure, the cables can be bad, they can be miss-wired, they can call for more power than they should, but ultimately the laptop (or desktop) should be responsible for limiting the supplied power. The fact that the laptop tried to supply more power through its port than it could safely handle is the fault of the laptop itself. Current limiting circuits are not that complicated (or expensive). They should be standard for all USB-C hosts. Especially as USB-C is being used for more power delivery applications at higher currents than ever before. The host should take responsibility for protecting itself. It should not rely on external mechanisms to offer protection.
This situation could happen even with the best of cables. Take a good cable and accidentally pinch it in a drawer, roll over it with your chair, stress it in some extreme way and you could cause a short leading to the same situation. Bad host design is just bad design. Don't blame it on cheap cables.
[–] Amadameus 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Sounds a lot like a scare article. Manufacturers sure do love the profits off their cable sales, and if cheap alternatives show up that's competition! Can't have that.
Regardless, this is going to end badly. Driving 3A through tiny pins like that, you're just begging for failure. Demanding 4 shielded pairs in a cable is also overkill.
All those bleeding-edge fuckers can have their hardware issues, meanwhile I'll be just fine with my $1.09 micro-USB cables for the foreseeable future.
(Grouchy old man note: I still don't see what was wrong with mini-USB. They were tougher than micro pins, hands down.)
[–] Foobarbaz 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I'm loyal to monoprice and Amazon Basics when it comes to cables. I never buy originals anymore. The fanciest I'll get is a thicker gauge USB cable so my devices can charge faster. People rarely know about that.
I want one cable that does all. It's the *perfect thing to make a docking station amazing. Power? Video? Devices? BOOM. DONE. One cable, boom -- ready to go. In a perfect world phones would also adopt this standard. Same plug for everything.
I just have learned to wait and be patient with new technology. As much as my fantasy grips me in loving arms, reality is a bitch and will treat newcomers with cold hands.
Monoprice has won my love and affection for a long, long time. If you haven't already, check out their battery backups. They double as flashlights, are made from durable extruded aluminum, and they actually carry the capacity they advertise. Even if I bought the raw 18650 cells I'd only be saving $3 off their retail price.
Problem is the same as wanting one pipe for all plumbing needs - too many conflict for there ever to be ONE standard.
For good power delivery you want a nice heavy gauge wire, but for video you want a lot of parallel shielded wires to transfer data quickly.
For phones you want a plug that's small and durable and reversible, can be yanked out without damage. For video you want nice wide plug that's easy to fit in place when reaching around your TV.
I don't mind the multiple standards, honestly - because if we tried to make a single standard cable it would probably end up an even bigger disaster than the USB-C here.
[–] Ghetto_Shitlord [S] ago
It does sound like a scare article, but it is a real thing. Another Google engineer was testing cables when the New Nexus phones came out, and found that MOST of them were lying about what they support, or were just built cheaply / incorrectly. The problem here is that most of the cheap alternatives are shitty. 3A over this is also a spec fail, and I don't see how the cable won't get blisteringly hot. Like Thunderbolt, which got the axe in my building for anything that needed high power in my building, like a monitor. I had users getting burns from them.
[–] Amadameus 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
The cable manufacturers lying is a separate problem, but I see it as arising from these ridiculous standards.
Consumers are expecting magic improvement across all fronts every time something new comes out, so hardware is getting pushed to the limits at the same time that consumers demand a "pretty" cable that's 2mm thick and flexes like silk. It's just not possible, but nobody's willing to tell consumers this because they'll immediately lose business.
[–] UncontrollableSphere 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
Or to justify $40 "official" cables.
[–] frankenmine 1 point 1 point 2 points (+2|-1) ago
The Verge is a corrupt site.
Please do not link directly to corrupt sites. Archive them and link to the archive.
(Ideally, do not read and share them at all, because you're getting biased coverage at best, and absolute lies at worst.)
Here's an archive of the article in the OP:
Here's a list of corrupt sites:
https://gitgud.io/gamergate/gamergateop/blob/master/Boycott-and-Support-Lists/Boycott-List.md
Here's a list of honest alternatives:
https://gitgud.io/gamergate/gamergateop/blob/master/Boycott-and-Support-Lists/Support-List.md
Here's a repository of instances of corruption by corrupt sites:
[–] Ghetto_Shitlord [S] 3 points -2 points 1 point (+1|-3) ago
The Verge is a corrupt site in my opinion.
Please do not link directly to these sites, steal their content and revenue, under the guise of "archiving"
FTFY
[–] RevanProdigalKnight 0 points 10 points 10 points (+10|-0) ago
This is why I never upgrade to a new physical technology as soon as possible.
[–] Jpaul199 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
Still using DVI and VGA over here, as well as 2 16:10 monitors.
[–] INTERNET_TRASHCAN 2 points 7 points 9 points (+9|-2) ago
...I ....think HDMI is safe by now. You still ride a horse to work too?
[–] Creative_voat_user 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
16:10 is the only true way.
[–] Foobarbaz 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Work in IT long enough you learn -- never get version 1 of anything. Never get the first revision or re-write of anything. Old technology is proven and usually fills your needs. Newer technology is nice and rarely fills a need but usually hits on the wants really nicely.
Same with cars. Never get a "all new, re-designed blah blah" -- first gen's are never good to have.